And it will get worse when government increases taxes, utility prices etc as required by the IMF as a part of the bailout from financial ruin.

Best go somewhere else next year everyone. Greece maybe? Italy??

No, all the southern European countries are in the same boat. Political incompetence, greed and corruption will cost the majority of the populace dear.

And of course holidaymakers.

Cornwall is quite nice anyway.

I think it's the same all over southern europe, although generally you get better quality of accommodation for the same money in Algarve and Spain, than you do in say Greece, But eating out at a decent restaurant is going to cost a fair bit where ever you go, people say go eat in backstreets or where the locals do, but why would you eat in a worse restaurant environment when on your holidays than when you are out of an evening in the UK

I've been to Switzerland this year and prices were in a different league again beautiful place though. It's all relative.

Aldi robbed you over the paracetamol they are only 15p in Tesco

Yes, we have been told many times to find the backstreet restaurants where the locals eat, but found we were not welcome, and definitely don't get service with a smile.
That's another thing we found this year in Portugal. The locals seem to be getting more resentful
and intolerant of us Brits!
I had many run-in's this year with stroppy impatient locals. I found they refused to queue behind us,
often barging in to be served first.
I complained about this in the post office in Lagos square, after waiting 25 minutes to buy a couple of stamps to send my postcards home, despite a ticket system, (which appeared to be only for the use of tourists) Local people came in from the street and were served straight away. They seemed completely oblivious to the ticket machine on the wall. When I complained, I was told "but of course we serve local people first. If you don't like it, don't come back".
Maybe our Portugese hosts should remember just what state their economy is in, and that tourism is probably the only thing keeping them afloat. Also, if, and when they do go "belly up" Guess who's taxes will be going towards bailing them out?................. Yep, Us Brit's as usual!!!

I think they have already gone belly up and the EU has already loaned them 93 billion this year :yikes. but I suppose at some point they will have to pay it back. Only Country I have ever come across that has some kind of equal opportunities culture going on is the UK, everywhere you go abroad is 'oh we serve the locals first, or well only locals get jobs etc' ironic as we would never get away with that here.

I hope you had a good time despite the odd hiccup, been over most of the Algarve and Lagos is still probably one of the best bits what with the old town and the marina area and huge choices of restaurants and bars, pity it sounds like they seem to resent us now. You would think that they would be pleased that people are still visiting what with the bad press the place has been getting these last few years. Suppose it will always only be a couple of hours away and the weather is good, maybe that will save it.

This forum is definatley the quietist it has been in the 6 years I have been on HT.

Doe

I'm amazed that anyone has experienced the feeling of resentment whilst visiting restaurants 'off the beaten track' so to speak in Lagos. Even though such premises have much less contact with tourists I have never, in over twenty odd years of eating in the locals' haunts, been made to feel anything other than welcome in these establishments.
Whilst many of the older generation of Portuguese have no English having had little or no contact with tourism, a polite 'Good Evening' in their language often brings forth a torrent of Portuguese in reply often spoken far too quickly to even grasp the slightest idea of what they're talking about; explain to them in their own language that you have only limited Portuguese and very often they'll summon a younger member of their party to translate, meaning that you'll spend more time talking than ordering your meal but that's part of the enjoyment of the evening and we are now on Christian name terms with locals who remember us from years ago, one a fisherman who took us on our very first trip to the grottos many years back and who we met again a few years ago in a cafe in the residential area of town.
With the exception of one local who walks through crowds with one arm extended in front of him like a snowplough (and has done so for as long as I can remember) whilst talking loudly to himself, the only intolerance I have experienced has come from fellow tourists, not my Portuguese hosts.

It's the first time we have EVER felt uncomfortable in Portugal too, and I was quite shocked at some of the behaviour of the locals this year.
We've been regulars in Lagos for many years, as we have family living there, and I also have 2 Cousins married to Portugese men. We also took the trouble to learn some basic Portugese language, and I can also understand a little of what they are saying. Sometimes it wasn't pleasant. (They didn't realise I could understand them).
I was also physically attacked at one point in the produce market, (held on the first Saturday of the month, up near the bus station).
I was walking towards a Woman, and I moved aside to let her by. At the same time, she moved aside to let me by. Again, I moved aside, at the same time she did, and it was one of those funny situations whereby in England we would laugh, apologise, and say something silly like "Shall we dance". She yelled some abuse at me, and lashed out, hitting me with her umbrella!!
There were 4 of us this year, myself and my Husband, and my Husband's Brother and his partner, and on average, we were spending around 130 euro's a night in different restaurants in Lagos. We all decided we couldn't go on like this for a whole fortnight, we would be broke by the end of the first week, so looked for the cheaper places off the beaten track. We tried 4 establishments where we had eaten in the past, but the locals were just so hostile this year, and although the staff (on the whole) were polite, they made no effort to make us feel welcome either.
We also had our day ruined up the Monchique mountains by a bunch of local youths yelling anti British abuse at us.
All in all, this year in Lagos wasn't particularly pleasant, and we were glad when it was time to go home. THEN we faced the hostility at Faro airport!!
Our flight was due out at 9-30am, and at 9-00am our boarding gate opened, so we all went up and queued in an orderly fashion, (as us Brits do). We stood waiting for someone to come and open the doors for over an hour, before someone had the decency to inform us that our plane was delayed due to a medical emergency. We were told to go and sit back down in the lounge, and watch the boards for our departure time. An hour later, the gate opened again, and again, we queued waiting for someone to open the doors. Another hour later, someone came and told us that our plane was delayed again because of a technical fault. Reasonable explanations, but WHY bring us up to the boarding gates when they knew damn well there wasn't a plane for us to board!!
Anyone familiar with Faro airport will know there are just 4 seats between around 300 people near the boarding gates, and we were made to STAND in unbearable heat for over an hour at a time TWICE.
We were asked to go and wait down in the lounge again, and wait for news on the boards, but we all decided we were going nowhere, and stayed where we were in protest at our treatment. We stood for another hour before the gates eventually opened. A 3 and a half hour delay, and treated no better than cattle!! My Husband had come down with a nasty kidney infection the day before we flew home, and standing in a queue for over 3 hours didn't do him much good, especially as we faced a 3 hour drive at the other end from Bristol to Cornwall too.
I think it will be a long time before I go back to Portugal, as this year's experience has put me off.
I think I will stick to good old Britain for my hols next year. Maybe Ireland, where we can be guaranteed a warm welcome, even if the weather may not be as warm!!

have been going to the algarve for fifteen years and have never encountered any trouble with the locals. we spent less money this year and we did nothing different in our holiday as any other year we always have a few special nights out and i still think the algarve is better value than than other european holiday destinations

We just came back from a week in Praia Da Rocha - first holiday in the Algarve. Usual destination for a beach break has been Majorca, Spain or Italy.
We found the prices quite reasonable. Lots of restaurants and bars advertising cheap deals, though you always end up spending more! 2 sunbeds and parasol 10 euros, much cheaper than we paid in Majorca (12 euros last year) or Tossa De Mar (that was 15 euros in 2008 and it wasn't even a nice beach!)
Talking to someone on the plane who had been to Villamoura, they found the prices there very dear- 16 euros for sunbeds and 5 euros for a small beer. I suppose it depends where you go. Also with the poor exchange rate you obviously compare 1 euro for 1 pound.
And I have to say, that Faro airport beats Palma hands down! Even with the LONG queues for passport control on landing, and the even longer wait in the queue for the transfer bus desk, it was nowhere near as bad.
Now if only they would build a new airport a bit closer to the resorts!
kate

Kate.
We took our Son, his wife, and 18 month old twins to Majorca 2 years ago and our late night flight home was delayed by 2 hours.
The twins were tired and tetchy, but we were treated so well by Palma airport staff!
We were taken to a small room with 2 cots and a sofa, and we were able to put the boys down for a sleep till our plane was ready to board. Staff came to tell us when it was time to wake the boys up, and We were even treated to a free drink!
The only downside we found at Palma airport was the long walk down endless corridors to baggage collection after landing. I must have lost a stone before the holiday started after what seemed like a 10 mile trek!

we have just come back from Albufeira,stayed in a villa near the Lidl store.
have to say it was the best villa holiday ever. Lidl was so cheap,cheaper than UK.
Think all the restaurant owners were shopping there as I would see trollies just full of water and soft drinks and bread.

Jeanie.
Have to say never found any problems with locals and it was heaving in the old town with a lot of portugese holidaying there.

Quite right about LIDL, a lot of bar and restaurant owners get their stuff there as I am told it is cheaper for a lot of things than the wholesaler Makro and not as far to go.

Some other comments if I may.

Queuing is a peculiar British habit. No-one else forms orderly lines as we do, except perhaps the Japanese. Most Portuguese are quite polite. For example, drivers will stop to let you cross at a crossing and do not ignore you or worse speed up as they do in France. But there is always one and with the disadvantage for almost all visitors of not being to shout at the queue jumper in their own language, they can get away with it.

I have never heard of any actively anti-British sentiment here in Albufeira. Most realise that without the British and other Northern European visitors this region would be dead. But, I can understand if some people feel resentful that their culture and language is being submerged. It is perfectly possible to stand in a street in Albufeira, scan the notices and signs and see barely a word, if any, of Portuguese. I would not like to feel like a stranger in my own country, which is course perfectly possible in the UK as well. Many are the times when I have been in a bar here run by ex-pats (not just British) and seen bemused Portuguese trying to grasp the fact the no-one behind the bar understands a word of what they are saying.

And as for the big delay in the airport mentioned above, that's the airlines fault. I trust those delayed received their compensation as required for any delay over over 2 hours. Oh, but of course, the airline will blame factors beyond its control.