Dolphins are back in the Guadiana River thanks to the cleaner waters and the quantity of food available. However, they only risk going a little north of the international bridge that connects Portugal to Spain. The search for food, in particular mackerel, seems to be the main reason for these mammals to make a detour from their normal route.

It is impressive, made totally of wood and is clearly visible to people coming ashore on the Ilha Deserta. From the outset, voices were raised criticising the building of a "hotel" in the middle of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, but in fact it is just a restaurant. The Ilha Deserta, located off the coast at Faro, was an almost unreachable paradise until the end of the 1980s when José Vargas started to organise tourist visits by boat to what is regarded as one of the wildest islands in the Algarve.

A former water park will serve as the setting for one of the most eagerly awaited parties of the Algarve summer. The organisers promise music until dawn. The Austrians Makossa & Megablast will be topping the bill for the second staging of Algarve First Face, which this year will be held at the disused water park Aqualine in Castro Marim, on 28th July.

Lovers of the music of the 1980s will have a unique opportunity to let their hair down in the Algarve this summer, thanks to the return of names such as Elvis Costello, Joe Cocker, Lloyd Cole, Brian Ferry and even Boney M, who are getting on a bit. The joint effect of the recently created Allgarve programme and other events that regularly feature during the Algarve summer mean that there will be a wealth of concerts by some old stars over the next two months.

Applying for residency in Portugal has been simplified following the implementation of new EU regulations. The Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF), the foreigners and frontiers authority responsible for all residency applications, said reports that new SEF branches were to open in the Algarve were untrue but the residency application process had been made simpler for all EU citizens.

The highly regarded German electronic music band will top the bill at the party on the Praia da Batata in Lagos. Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung are already confirmed for the Algarve Beach Party 2007, which will be held in Lagos on 9th August. The German duo, who perform as the group M.A.N.D.Y., will be topping the bill, alongside other names such as DJ Patife and Elektro Fighterz, in the area devoted to dance music.