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Portugal's south coast isn't just for golf. Kate Simon tours its pousadas to discover a very different landscape. What's that on the horizon? A hill topped with a tumble of white cubes.
Is it one of those Moorish "white towns", like in Andalucia? Do they
have them on the Algarve? "No," confirms my friend, "it's a golf
resort." A golf resort! Slam on the car brakes; the illusion is destroyed. He's
right. It's another of the manicured enclaves that seem to be smoothing
out every wild inch of Portugal's southern coast.
But the Algarve hasn't been abandoned to clipped grass and
timeshares. Beyond their bounds lie fishing villages and Moorish towns,
dune-backed sands sculpted by the wind and rocky shores with
fantastical grottoes, the wetlands of the Parque Natural da Ria
Formosa, and the cork woods and peaks of the Serra de Monchique. To
dismiss this coast as a preserve of the retired and golf crazy is to
lose out on one of the most appealing destinations in southern Europe.
An
enjoyable way to see the variety offered by the other Algarve is to
follow the pousada trail. Four hotels from this countrywide collection
– once state run, now managed by a private company – can be linked to
provide a tour from Tavira, by the Spanish border, to Sagres at the
Iberian peninsula's western tip, where the 15th-century explorer Vasco
da Gama learnt seamanship.
We began our tour at Sao Bras de
Alportel, north of Faro airport. One of the first pousadas to open,
back in the 1940s, it is the least impressive of the quartet today,
blessed with only a moderately interesting building and passable
location, and well overdue a refurbishment – which it has had since our
trip. Its only redeeming feature for us was the panoramic views from
its restaurant.
Our next stop, Santa Clara-a-Velha, was far
preferable. Strictly speaking, this does venture into the Alentejo, but
only by a few miles and who's counting. As well as its beautiful
setting by a reservoir, the route up here reveals the Algarve's woods
and mountains, too often overlooked by visitors enthralled by the sea.
It also passes Mon-chique; in the 19th century, a haunt of the Spanish
middle classes who came to this spa town to seek relief from their ills
in its waters.
The wind-whipped town of Sagres, our third base,
offers a contrast with its end-of-world atmosphere, most profoundly
felt on the ramparts of the 17th-century Fortaleza fort. The modern
pousada, looks out to it and provides a cosy setting from which to
marvel at the surrounding landscape. It's also close to the Algarve's
trendiest beach, Martinhal, which has good fish restaurants.
Last
stop Tavira, a town filled with architectural treasures, and a beach
island to enjoy. It's a short hop from Faro's airport, yet is still to
be overwhelmed by tourists. The pousada is the best of the four, an
elegantly converted convent, with a courtyard providing a romantic
setting for its restaurant. This one also serves the best food – all
claim gourmet-standard regional fare. The pousadas offer a taste of the
real Algarve, for the eyes and the stomach.
source: http://www.independent.co.uk
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