|
Most holidaymakers to Portugal’s Algarve arrive at Faro and turn right to join
the sunbathing bodies among the high-rise hotels of Albufeira, Vilamoura et
al. Turn left, however, and the weather is as good, the sea as warm, but the
crowds slip away and the beaches get better. Tavira, at the centre of the
eastern Algarve, mixes old-Portuguese charm – cobbled streets,
bougainvillea-hung balconies – with a workaday fisherman’s riverfront.
Its
ruined castle, churches and elegant merchants’ houses provide cultural
interest, while the eight-mile beach, across the salt marshes of Ria Formosa
Natural Park, is a perfect chillout zone. Renowned for its seafood and
sunshine (it is 68F in October), Tavira is hard to beat as an autumn break.
Travel by…
Plane: Thomas Cook (08450 772 288, www.flythomascook.com)
flies to Faro, 19 miles to the west of Tavira, from 16 UK airports, from
£70.99 when booked online. The shuttle bus from the airport to Faro bus
station costs £1.30 and takes 20 minutes. From there, it’s another hour’s
bus journey to Tavira (tickets £2.50). Car hire from the airport with Avis
(08445 818 181, www.avis.co.uk)
costs £45 for a Peugeot 207, or similar, for three days. A fun way to
familiarise yourself with Tavira is to take the “toy train” round the old
town, from the north side of the “Roman” bridge (actually built in the 17th
century) for £4.
Stay at…
The cool, graceful Pousada Convento da Graça (Rua D. Paio Peres Correia, 00351
281 329 040, www.pousadas.pt),
the town’s best address. The elegantly converted 16th-century convent
combines crisp modernity with Arabic touches. You can take breakfast in the
cloisters to the sound of birdsong. Doubles from £184.
Well-placed for beach and town, the modern Vila Galé Tavira (Rua 4 de Outubro,
00351 281 329 900, www.vilagale.pt)
has an airy Moroccan style and efficient, helpful staff. Ask for a room with
a city view; doubles from £78.
Originally a farm, the nine cottagey apartments of Quinta do Caracol (Rua de
São Pedro 9, 00351 281 322 475, www.quintadocaracol.com)
sit among lush gardens, while the former water tank makes a refreshing pool.
Think tiled floors and embroidered bed linen and arched wooden doors; from
£104. All prices include breakfast.
Spend the morning…
Soaking up the old town. From the “Torre”, a water tower converted into a
camera obscura giving a 360-degree panorama (£2.80, closed Sunday), head to
the 13th-century Moorish castle and ramparts, largely destroyed in the 1755
earthquake and now a peaceful garden with stunning views of the town’s
distinctive “hipped” roofs, spires and domes. Of the town’s 22 churches
(mostly closed except during services), visit Santa Maria do Castelo and the
Renaissance church of Misericórdia for their beautiful tiled decoration.
Then wander where your fancy takes you, admiring brilliant “azulejo” (tile)
façades, pretty balconies and latticed doors, the latter a relic from the
town’s Moorish past.
Have lunch at…
Quatro Águas (00351 281 325 329) is considered Tavira’s best fish restaurant.
Try baked salt cod or deep-fried octopus, or choose “off menu” with your own
mix of fish and shellfish cooked how you like. Pick an outside table
overlooking the lagoon. La Tavira Romana in the main square, Praça da
República, offers fabulous cakes, 40 varieties of ice cream served in glass
swan dishes and excellent people-watching.
read more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk
|
