Try the Zoomarine, The Big One, Slide and Splash or hire a car and explore the coast, east and west, lots to see. Albufeira Old Town and the Strip can be very lively, especially the bottom of the Strip (Renos/the Garage etc) or head to the casino in Vilamoura?

Lummie

Thanks Lummie. It sounds like there is lots to do. I have always loved Portugal since my parents took me to Praia Da Rocha when I was younger. Albufeira has been recommended to me by many people.

Since the Euro has come in have the prices all rocketed like everywhere else? Say in the Pubs and Clubs etc are drinks cheaper than over here by much?

Luca
I decided you need your own thread I'll leave the answers to the experts here though!

Thanks very much. Ill sit eagerly awaiting the many responses (hopefully).

Hello Luca007, you could take a look at the sites below for a starter.
Places to visit that you can get to by bus, all worth a look you can get to them by car but if you are having a good time in the pubs and clubs then the bus may be better.
You can get a idea of all the places again from the sites below, clubs I know little about as they won't let me in any more, but if you like a bit of site seeing then here are afew places to look out for.

Faro nice old town with town walls/ Marina/ Cathedral, look out for the church with the chapel of the bones, plus some nice shops and cafes/bars.

Alvor nice holiday town with harbour.

Lagos another old town with old walls and a fort and a golden church, great beachs, dolphin trips, sea caves.

Cape St Vincent, right at the western end of the algarve once known as the end of the earth.

Vila Real Santo de Antonio from here you can get a boat over to Spain for the day. (best by car)

Silves old Capital of the Algarve built by the Moors with its Castle and Cathedral.

http://www.portugal-info.net

http://www.albufeira.com

Hope this is a help.
Dave

Luca 007

Prices didn't really go up until the £ lost its value against the Euro, so for UK visitors everything now costs 20% more than it did last year.

Also, if you are a smoker, the government has been steadily increasing the taxes so that 20 Benson's for example will now cost €3.85 or about £3.20. Beer - you can get a large beer (2/3rd pint) for an average €2.00 (about £1.65 but = £2.50 a pint) so that might hurt if you come from certain areas.

Don't let that put you off!

Hi Lucca 007

We are a family and so cant really help with clubbing etc. But if you are looking for fun things to do during the daytime. You might like to try one of the waterparks.

We went to Slide and Splash last July and there were loads of people your age as well as families. Some supermarkets offer a discount if you buy your ticKets there. We got 15% off buy buying them in Pingo Doce in Lagos. Other places will give a complimentary coach there included in the price. You can swim with Dolphins at Zoomarine, it's probably expensive & popular but may be worth investigating.

If your girlfriend likes shopping there's Algarve Shopping, which has Zara, Mango & surf shops selling Quicksilver, Billabong, Roxy etc. Because this is all genuine stuff & not rip-offs like you get in Turkey, Egypt etc it is similar prices to home, unless you catch them when they have sales like we did .

We spent a Sat afternoon there when the weather was a bit iffy.
It's like most Malls the world over and has a food hall with fast food outlets.

We didn't find it too expensive last year, although I appreciate the pound has crashed against the Euro a bit since then, but I would have said that it was good value for money & we ate out everynight for 14 nights, although we were in Lagos and not Albuferia. The Algarve is full of bars and restaurants and I think that keeps the prices keen.

Have a great one, Doe

Thanks very much everybody, your responses have been great and I will check out all of the things mentioned if I get the time to cram it all in.

£1.65 for a beer sounds cheap to me. I am from London so its closer to £4 in most places I drink!

Does anybody think there is a chance of the Euro/Pound rate getting better or worse by the end of June or is it likely to stay the same?

chance of the Euro/Pound rate getting better

unfortunately we are in the hands of the currency speculators, however the interbank rate [that which banks exchange between themselves] has been slowly creeping up and this will have, if it continues, an increase in the tourist rates, but it needs to climb rapidly if we are to get back to the 1.4 eu to the pound of early last year

wizard

Just wondering is the nightlife really busy in July time becasue me and my boyfriend are wanting to book up???