I don't know about new things, unfortunately the business climate is such that I know at least three bars/restaurants that have closed down in just this past few weeks. By next summer the town will have the two new multi-storey car parks, so folks can sit in their cars and enjoy the long wait to get in and out. There will of course be several new tourist apartment developments to marvel at.

Only joking, slightly. I think there will be changes over the winter with a lot of places changing hands etc. We shall see the picture more clearly come next spring.

Attraction wise I cannot think of anything new that has appeared over the past 3 years, at least not in the immediate vicinity.

The couple who run Wild Bills were selling off stuff from in the bar when i was over in June , so I presume that has closed down now ???? What other watering holes have gone Cubsur .... cheers Paddy

Hi Dave,

Don't know where you're staying but here are three ideas for restaurants and bars you may not have visited before, all up on Cerro Grande or that side of Albufeira.

Firstly, there's a new restaurant which is getting fantastic reviews. Restaurante Cerro Grande

The Castelo do Bispo, overlooking the Marina, went under new management about 2 years ago. Check out this intriguing website!

Under the same ownership, but up near the Dolphin Roundabout, is a bar called the Casa do Cerro, but apparently it only comes to life after midnight.

Have you tried Luau, which is a brilliant restaurant overlooking the Marina? It's on the right hand side about half a mile west of the Dolphin Roundabout.

The only things I can think of which are new in the last three years are the new viewpoint thingy near O Penedo and the walkway from the Old Town around the cliff, above the old harbour, to the Marina.

Yes, Wild Bill's closed down for good last Sunday. The erstwhile owners are off to a new life far away.

The Gold Spot was closed but I understand it is re-opening on a limited basis as from tonight. Barracuda bar is I am lead to believe closing down shortly. There's a restaurant called O David (I think) up on Cerrro Branco which closed suddenly a few weeks ago. The bar 'O Pateo' where I live closed its doors a couple of weeks ago.

I wonder if there will be more closures over the winter.

Hello, thanks for your replys not looking to good at the moment, have to hope they an't all shut for when we get there, can any body tell me if our favourite restaurant O Tunnel near the Tunnel is still going?

Dave.

I got to know Steve from Wild Bills pretty well over the years and wish them both well in their new venture out in the East ...... and I dont mean Great Yarmouth lol . While I,m on I am after a bit of info. Myself and the good lady wife are looking to rent an apartment , on the Rua de Grande Cerro can you give us a bit of info on this area as we are not too familiar with it , we usually stay at the Brisa Sol , such as bars, restaurants in the area and proximity to the Marina thanks in advance Paddy

Hi Paddy,

If you look at the Albufeira.com City Map and click on B-C and then Cerro Grande, Rua do, you'll see that this road is fairly long. Click on "Streets and Roads" to get the road names. We know it well as our apartment is just opposite the top end of it, and it takes us about 10-15 minutes to walk down to the Marina - but a bit longer on the way back up! So that would be the longest it would take for you, depending on whereabouts your villa is situated. The area is mostly residential villas and very quiet and pleasant. It will take you about 10 minutes to walk down into the Old Town.

If you look at my post further up this thread you'll see a few places mentioned. In addition there's a good Italian in the Marina (Nosolo Italia) and one or two others but with the recession it will be interesting to see whether these have now closed.

There's a medium sized supermarket, AliSuper, at the Cerro Grande Commercial Centre (not as grand as it sounds) and there also is the Arte Bar and Restaurante Cerro Grande.

Hope this helps.

Just to add I was in the Gold Spot yesterday afternoon and it has indeed re-opened. They normally stay open through the winter. On the minus side, some of you may know Olly's Bar up near the Sol e Mar. This seems to have closed, whether permanently or not I don't know, but the big front window has already been smashed by vandals.

Also, Payne's Bar, which closed following the death of the owner a few weeks ago, is now the 'Hotsun' bar so my guess is that a different clientele is to be found there.

One thing about the Rua Cerro Grande, mentioned above, is that one end and one side is fronted by the ill-fated Crowne Plaza hotel development which stopped building almost a year ago. At the moment the view from the houses further away from the shops etc is of a high steel fence and a semi-derelict building site, not very edifying. But it is a quiet area and an easy walk from the old town centre as most of it is flat.

It will be interesting to see how the winter treats the local bar and restaurant trade.

So, here we are again it has been 3 years yet again since we were in Albufeira and yes I am looking for the same sort of thing, What if any thing has changed what new bars should we try ?
I have a list of restaurants so not so much bothered about them ( look at my face do I look bothered )
Do they still have live music on Music street? any body know of any good Quiz bars ? or how about a bit of Karaoke to let me hair down if I had any? or perhaps just a nice bar a bit of 60s music and nice pint?

Dave.

Did you know Perry and Karen, who ran Floyds Bar and did quizzes? They've now given up the bar but Perry does quizzes on Tuesday and Saturday at 10.00 pm in a bar called One 4 The Road. It's in Rua Das Telecomunicações which runs from the Camara down to Fishermens Beach, on the left hand side near the top.

Hello roseweb, I did meet him some years ago in his bar. I will look out for the bar it is a new on me so will have to pop in and try to win all the prizes, I will be going up to were his old bar was to try a restaurant Ageda do David do you know if is has opened up as a bar since Perry called it a day?

I have had a look on Google maps and One 4 The Road comes up and shows were it is but when you go into street view there just seems to be the same shops and cafes as I remember from the last time I was there, it must be a new bar. Any idea what type of bar it is ?

Dave.

It's just changed its name, and used to be called the Birinaite Bar. I haven't seen it but apparently it's on the left hand side going down the hill. From a photo on the Albufeira.com forum, it looks as though it's the one called A Arca dos Texteis on Streetview, and those photos are from about 2008. Just a normal bar, I would think, but as well as the quizzes it also has live guitar music twice a week.

Thanks, it sounds good, the only bar I have been in along there is A,BE,CE it was run by a bloke from Brasil and had lots of old records on the wall, and they did a mean cocktail used to have one for the road on the way back to our hotel ( if you will pardon the pun ) I like a bit of live music.

Say hello to Perry for me and tell him we hope to see him in September.

Have a great time!

Rosemary