Food Drink and Shopping

Food and Drink

Portugal is home to a number of culinary specialities and to get you started why not try Ameijoas na Cataplana, an tangy mix of cockles, cured ham, sausage, tomato, lemon, olive oil, coriander and garlic - it tastes even better accompanied by a nice chilled glass of white wine. Atum de Cebol, a tuna steak covered in a tomato sauce with onions, garlic and parsley, is another treat; as is Cabrito Assado, roast kid with minced bacon and covered in a white wine, paprika and garlic sauce. Sardines are another tasty treat, so fresh that they melt in your mouth. It's traditional cuisine at its best.

Gaspacho do Algarve is the Algarve's take on the Spanish speciality, gaspacho. The Portuguese make it their own by leaving the ingredients chunky and adding diced crutons. Piri-piri chicken is a common dish on Portuguese menus (chicken cooked in a hot spice), as is Arroz de Marisco (rice with prawns, clams, onions, tomatoes and peppers). Cataplana is another meat dish of pork cooked traditionally in a copper pot and combined with onions, tomatoes and garlic to produce a mouth-watering result.

Moving onto drinks, you couldn't come to Portugal without trying the Port, but there are other more interesting local tipples: Amarguinha is an almond-flavoured liquor that's served very cold; and, if you're feeling brave, order a glass of the local firewater, Medronho. Made with a relative of the wild strawberry its alcohol content is not for the faint hearted... you've been warned!

Shopping

The main shopping areas along the Algarve are in Faro's Rua de Santo Antonio and in Portimao, where you'll find boutiques, shops and designer goods. Forum Algarve is a huge mall with over 200 shops where you're unlikely to go home empty handed! Loulé is ideal for leather items as well as pretty Portuguese hand-painted tiles. In Albufeira the main shopping spot is the Rua 5 de Outubro where you'll find enough clothes shops to satisfy those urges. If it's locally-made goods you want, you can't go wrong with the local markets, which you'll find operating in most towns on a weekly basis.

Beaches

If it's long sandy beaches or small rocky coves that you're looking for then the Algarve is not going to disappoint. With 160 kilometres of sandy coastline overlooked by red sandstone cliffs there is never a shortage of places to sunbathe or take a dip in the sea.

The coast by Faro is particularly popular with off-shore islands and blue lagoon waters. The sandstone cliffs overlooking the sea set off the picture-postcard image perfectly. And, let's face it, if you are going to relax on the beach it may as well be a gorgeous one!

Head down to Praia da Dona Ana in Lagos for a beautiful secluded beach backed by red sandstone cliffs, or Praia dos Barcos in Albufeira, which is also known as "Fisherman's Beach" and offers great views of the pretty fishing boats.

If you want to be assured a quiet spot then the Pria de Odeceixe is your best bet with a crescent-shaped beach that is rarely crowded.

Finally, for the Algarve's longest stretch of sand, head to Meia Praia in Lagos. This four kilometres-long curved strip of beach is host to a number of watersports.

Nightlife

The "Albufeira Strip" is the place to find lively bars and restaurants as well as top nightclubs such as Kiss, which is three floors of clubbers' heaven. Here you'll find house, techno and hip-hop being playing until dawn on one of the many party nights. Kadoc in Vilamoura is another hugely-popular venue able to hold up to 7, 000 clubbers. Nights are lively and long here, with doors staying open until 7 a.m. Liberto's in Albufeira is another draw for clubbers as it offers not only a dance floor, but swimming pool, TV screen, palm trees and has a 'rich and famous' clientele. 

Elsewhere, Praia da Rocha's main strip has good choice of bars, restaurants and clubs, including Katedral, a popular disco with a terrace overlooking the sea where you can catch your breath in between all that dancing.

The rest of the Algarve has its fair share of bars and restaurants to spend an evening in, perhaps at a more relaxed pace over a good meal and glass of wine.