Too many.

The first time I went to the Algarve I stayed in Portimao and hated every minute of it, when my in laws suggested going back to Portugal I was dreading it but we stayed in Quinta da Largo and I fell in love with the place!
We did a lot of driving around when we were there and I honestly think that the vast majority of the algarve is superb and I just had a very unfortunate first experience, don't let it put you off, I'm so glad I gave it another go that I'm now thinking about buying an apartment out there!
Ellie

That's what I like about hiring a car we visit other tourist area's to see if 'we could stay there' and found that there's a few places we were glad we didn't end up going to. We also visit the quiter places and little villages and have found some lovely spots.

We are exactly the same Glynis. Car hire seems to work particularly well in the Algarve. We visited places we thought we wouldn't like and found they weren't as bad as we expected and might consider staying there off season. LOL.

Doe

I very much enjoyed Alvor last month, we stayed out of the Irish bars (not my cup of tea) and we had a lovely 7 nights of eating and drinking local portugese food and wine.
We chose the Algarve as it was only a weeks holiday and so we didn't want to waste too much time travelling. I got a good deal and it was quite a cheap holiday. We had a car the whole time and got out and about and both decided that we'd enjoyed ourselves very much.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to family and friends but we won't be returning any time soon. Our philosphy is "too many countries and not enough time" We like to experience new places each time we travel and have never been back to the same place twice (however I did fall in love with the city that nevers sleeps and I'd be back to New York tomorrow if someone gave me a plane ticket and lots of spending money!! )

Hi, we have just returned from our first trip to the Algarve and i could not agree more it must be one of the most over rated places ever .
we usally go to the Greek Islands but decided to give Portugal a go ( will not fall into that trap again ) we found the whole place Sterile and devoid of any character. Albufeira was nothing special

Hi
Each to their own i would'nt personally stop in Albufeira, but then again have tried the greek islands and still preferred Praia do Vau

Glenn wrote:

Hi, we have just returned from our first trip to the Algarve and i could not agree more it must be one of the most over rated places ever .
we usally go to the Greek Islands but decided to give Portugal a go ( will not fall into that trap again ) we found the whole place Sterile and devoid of any character. Albufeira was nothing special :(

You've obviously never been to Lewisham then...

Glenn..

decided to give Portugal a go ( will not fall into that trap again ) we found the whole place Sterile and devoid of any character. Albufeira was nothing special :(

I appreciate that's your opinion and you are entitled to it.
But I can't agree with you.

It would be interesting to know what parts of Portugal you visited to find it *sterile*.

I always find it rather sad when brand new members come on here with all-encompassing statements about an area which has resorts to satisfy all but the hardest to please. The Algarve has the full spectrum to offer, from towns packed with action and ready-made entertainment for the younger element, through cultural and historical settlements to authentic hamlets untouched by tourism. The really sad thing is when people post for the first time to say what they didn't enjoy without ever asking ,before their trip,for suggestions as to what they might enjoy.
As to how anyone could refer to an area with such stunning coastal scenery and such warm and friendly people as 'sterile', leaves me completely mystified. I, too, would be interested to know what areas Glenn visited to foster that opinion; did he not explore the area at all nor try to interact with the Portuguese people - if not, he missed so, so much !!

I totally agree with you Sagres. We first visited the Algarve for the first time 6 years ago and stayed on the outskirts of Carvoiero which was gorgeous. We also went on various trips all around the Algarve in a group and with friends who live there. We went up into the hills saw the cork tree's, visited small villages, churches etc. How anyone can base a view of a whole area visiting one place I don't know. I have never been to Benidorm or Malaga or Iya Napa and don't wish to, these are places that I would consider 'sterile'. Have stayed in various places around Albufeira and the last time was about 5km outside at Falesia, was gorgeous. Would personally avoid the strip like the plague, I hate it, especially at night, then again if I was 21 (not) I might love it. You need to explore to get the feel of a place. Our friends live in a small village near Silves and that's the real Portugal.

Hi Sagres, thank you for your comments, we actuallly stayed in Praia Da Falesia and I was not saying that the Beach or the local area was not nice infact the beach area was fantastic.
And we where going totally open minded and looking forward to it because we had heard good reports and even consulted this web site, so much so that my son took up the language.
So it was a disapointment when the local restauraunt workers and hotel staff behaved like Robots and where not intrested in engaging with you unless it was to charge you 9 Euros for two Rum and Cokes.
The Money was not the issue it was the fact, that they could not be botherd to say good night or thank you for the tips
As for travelling around the Area we visited Albuferia, Vilomoura, Acoteias, Faro, Monchique, and was very impressed with the Art Work oh sorry I mean the Grafftti Taging that seemed common , also it tells you something when your rep says she has only been in resort since May and is desperate to get a posting out of Portugal.
Also I have not visited Benidorm, Malaga or Ayia Napa and have no intention to either

Você deve tentar aprender algum português

A little knowledge of the language always helps, wherever you go.

Thanks for coming back to us, Glenn; a lot of people have a moan, get it off their chest and disappear.Stick with Holidaytruths ( whether it be the Portugal forum or another forum ) -you'll find a wealth of information here from people who are ready to help.
Back to the Algarve: from what you tell us, you stayed in an area of Albufeira, by far the largest tourist connurbation in the Algarve,and the other places you visited ( I'm assuming that you meant Acoteais and Montenegro ) are suburbs of either Albufeira or Faro. Faro is the capital of the Algarve and a working city and, unlike most of the remainder of the Algarve, tourism is not its main focus; Albufeira, in the summer months, is inundated with holidaymakers and, as you will have seen, staff in restaurants are run off their feet as absolutely everybody tends to want serving within a two hour period in the evening- I'm sure you will have encountered this problem all over the world in popular tourist destinations. Vilamoura is also a large resort, and is modern and custom-built for the tourist market, so won't give you any hint as to what the real Algarve is about.
It seems that you have little or no liking for the larger resorts - Benidorm,Malaga, Ayia Napa - yet you seem to have spent your time in the Algarve solely in or around the largest towns and cities the area has to offer; this is what I meant when I referred to asking for advice before you book. The Algarve has places which are the exact opposite of the places you have chosen to be, where you can stroll from the beach and find small, quiet restaurants where, within twenty minutes, you'll feel that you've known your waiter for years and where your young son, having made an effort to learn the language, would receive all the encouragement and help he could ask for from people who are genuinely pleased to welcome you and not your wallet.
It's not the fault of Albufeira or its people that their town is literally overrun at this time of year; visit out of main season and you'll see a totally different place and be served by friendly locals who care, and not by temporary staff from all over Europe whose only interest is to make enough money during the day to be able to afford to get legless at night - not a Portuguese but an international syndrome.
As for the graffiti, I'm afraid that I, and everyone who loves Portugal and especially the Algarve, must agree with you; we don't like it, the local population don't like it, but the authorities don't seem to be doing anything about it !! (You'll have noticed, I'm sure, that this,too, is an international thing, the graffiti seeming to be multilingual.)
As for the rep., I wouldn't take too much notice of what someone who had little or no choice as to where she was posted, thinks.The difference is that, whilst she had no choice as to where she would be, you did have a choice and reference to Holidaytruths before you made that choice would, I guarantee, have found you a resort and itinerary which would have suited and delighted you and your family.
From the tone of your post, I get the feel that you have now written off the Algarve as a future destination; I can only urge you to think again and use the experience and knowledge of our members because I promise you, you've missed so much by not researching things as thoroughly as you might.If you change your mind, come back to this forum and you'll get all the help you need and more !!

I have never found the portugese anything other than friendly and helpful,as anywhere you might get the odd one that is not having a good day but that is an exception in my experience .But as I said before each to their own .It would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing

What a shame you came across such untypical Portuguese people Glenn. And to have come across so many you were really unlucky - I mean you obviously didn't go back to any of the restaurants more than once, or drink in the hotel bar more than once, after they ripped you off/were ungrateful for their tip, so to have found seven (14?) of them is quite stunning. Please name names so we can advise other travellers to be wary of these places.

You say it was not about money, but seem to find a quite reasonable €9.00 for two large rum and cokes something worth commenting on? Where in the UK (other than Wetherspoons) can you get 2 large rum and cokes for £7.50?

Had you come to our bar for a few tips on where to go (€8.00 for two large rum and cokes), we could have pointed you in the direction of at least ten excellent restaurants, where your custom would have been highly appreciated, the food good, the service attentive, and they would have provided a fanfare on your exit for the couple of euros you kindly deigned to leave them... Okay I made that last bit up

Clearly your consulting of this website didn't quite move you to join and ask specific questions, as you only joined 24 hours ago. So there's a lesson, get involved on site such as this before you go, ask for local recommendations and use them, rather than just join up to slag us off.

Enjoy your humous next year.

I was waiting for Glenn to respond so I could come back on here and reply, but it's already
been done so eloquently by Algarveaddick, Sagres and algarve-addict.

The western end of the Algarve is very beautiful. Quiet coves, huge sandy beaches and stunning coastal scenery.

We have stayed in various areas of the Algarve at various times of the year. The last visit was about 6 years ago when stayed In Vilamoura at the Dom Pedro Marina in January and whilst Vilamoura is a purpose built resort we enjoyed wandering around the Marina and sitting on the empty beach - yes t was warm enough.

We have also stayed in Albufeira (not keen on the new bit but like the Old Town) and also Carveiro which we really like.

Next January we are off to the Porto Bay Falesia.

We have always found the Portuguese to be friendly enough - but then we never holiday in the high season and there may be times when even the locals get fed up of us moaning Brits!! It isn't the cheapest place in the world - never has been but there really doesn't seem to be such a thing anymore as a cheap holiday in Europe. In most areas the prices are similar to Great Britain - especially with the Euro not doing so well.

Don't write off a place before you have seen more of it.

Pippa

Guys, i think some of you are getting a bit touchy about this while i completley agree that it is best to do some homework including asking advice on this site it may not cover everything.
I am actually interested to hear from people such as Glen who have not enjoyed their visit for whatever reason as it offers a different perspective to those of us who enjoy the algarve or indeed Portugal in general.
The fact that someone does not like Portugal does not make them a bad person and at least they have taken the time out to explain why, whether you agree with them or not and to be honest i would be surprised if many of you did!

SB.