Like many expats who live in Algarve, I have family and friends scattered all over the world, and from time to time, people pull into this corner of paradise for a little visit. Knowing where to take savvy, well travelled loved ones is important during your limited time together. The right venue will create amazing memories, and the wrong places can be unpleasant experiences.
Never wishing for my nearest and dearest too suffer the slings and arrows of fools, I carefully pre vetted establishments for a rare but fabulous visit by my dear Mother, whom I had not seen in 3 years.
Here is my feedback on hit and misses:
VILA VITA | A place that never misses a beat and always seems to impress even the most spoilt and luxuriated traveller, is VILA VITA PARC. Enjoyed a lovely lunch on the terrace on my husband’s birthday.
The soft shell crab sandwich was delightful. Some shopping V-Life and a stroll through the epic grounds shows how the best resort in this part of the Algarve, has created fantastic luxurious spaces using the natural surroundings.
MONCHIQUE | The beaches of the Algarve are indeed so spectacular, that many tourists do not make their way to Monchique, the spectacular mountain region that is indeed a must visit. This area was most loved by my mother, and she really appreciated the village charm and natural beauty.
BERDISSIMO WINE BAR & ART GALLERY | Tucked away in Monte Carvoeiro, Berdissimo is an elegant wine bar and art gallery is a great place to take more refined people for a drink. With a delightful selection of wines, including my new favourite red DeMuerte, this place retails wine, does wine tasting sessions, and hosts some interesting events. For art lovers, there is an eclectic collection of beautiful art at reasonable prices on sale.
CHEF’S CAFE | On par with world class cafes, Chef’s Cafe, a new addition to Carvoeiro’s coffee & pastry scene, has had me coming back for more and more… and so of course I had to introduce my beloved mommy dearest to the delights of well appointed cafe. As always the sourdough breads and croissants are epic.
EARTH CAFE | Always a winner with super friendly staff and consistent quality food, but the thing I took my Mother there for, was the uber awesome fresh scones with jam and cream. Scones are an elegant and timeless classic, perfect for refined tastes, and Earth Cafe make the very best in town!
ENCCI | Spectacularly pink, air-conditioned and with a stunning outdoor dining areas front and back, we popped into Encci for a matcha and chai latte, given that they do great speciality hot beverages. Unfortunately we did not stay for food as the services was a bit slow as they are understaffed like many places, and it took a while to get served and get our drinks, but we had planned to get back there another day for their nighttime repertoire of musical entertainment, but we got distracted by entertainment in the main square instead.
… which leads me to the best find of the year…
DONNA MARIA | Back in February when my mother confirmed her booking to visit Carvoeiro, I booked a table for BLACK & WHITE night at Donna Maria, on Carvoeiro’s beach front main square. I had not expected much, given that one Italian Restaurant is pretty much the same as another… Not only did we have the bests seats in the house, being front and centre on an upstairs platform which had clear glass balustrades, offering panoramic views of all the activity on the square for Black & White, which could been seen through the glass whilst seated for dining, the food was absolutely spectacular, some of the best we have experienced on the square. In past years, we had pretty much ignored Donna Maria in favour of other infamous square flanking venues, several of which I have had VIP seating and dinner arrangements for BLACK & WHITE night. Of all the places on the square, Donna Maria’s upstairs terrace has the best views over the square, with an epic view of the beach. This was honestly the best BLACK & WHITE night we have yet to experience in Carvoeiro, having done many previous ones. Spending BLACK & WHITE at Donna Maria was such an epic experience, that we returned there again during the course of my mother’s visit, for our final meal together on her last night in Carvoeiro. I am absolutely obsessed with the Medici pizza and the other food was excellent too. I am not easy to impress. In a world of banality and mediocrity, I am continually disappointed. Donna Maria exceeded my expectations, and I am so grateful given that I no longer will give my patronage to any of the other tourist traps on the square.
INNER GLOW | After a lot of sun, sand and sea, being dumped by a few ferocious waves, my mother requested to have her ears purified by means of ear candling. At a cost of only 25 Euros per person, and doing house calls, Cher from Inner Glow came to my mother’s holiday rental apartment, and performed her magic in a professional way for all of us. This was my first experience with ear candling, and my immediate feeling afterwards was feeling so light and open, and given what came out of my ears, I am not surprised at how light and cleansed I felt. Cher also does a full repertoire of healing massages.
WHY NOT CAR HIRE | Whilst being perfectly comfortable using Ubers to get most places, We hired a car for 3 days to do trips to Lisbon, Monchique, Alvor and Armação de Pêra. However it must be noted that parking is always a problem in popular touristy places, so plan day trips with an early start. Why Not delivered our car to us and collected it, and it was a relatively easy exchange process. We were thrilled with how easy and convenient the whole process was, and the staff were really friendly and helpful.
BEACH LIFE | The best part of the Algarve is the beaches and natural beauty. There is no shortage of spectacular vistas and landscapes to immerse yourself in. However I must just mention that vast majority of beach front restaurants are mediocre at best. Having visited over many years visited Levels on Carvoeiro’s beach front, Club Nau on Praia Grande, O Stop in Vale Centeanes, I am always left disappointed with the food offerings of such establishment. It is a pity because these places have so much potential due to their location being right on the beach, but as always I feel let down by mediocre quality food and beverage offerings.
ENTERTAINMENT | Given that my darling Mother chose to visit during the summer solstice in order to celebrate BLACK & WHITE night here in Carvoeiro, it was great to experience an event I have attended many times before, through the eyes of someone who has never seen it.
Having last year flown out my life long friend and superstar DJ buddy DJ Lora, just for BLACK & WHITE, if ever I wanted to bring someone important over and to impress them with what the Algarve has to offer, this would be the exact time to do it, and celebrate the summer solstice, an ancient ritual celebration under the aegis of a rebranded ritual called Black & White, and which has evolved into one of the trendiest annual parties to hit up during European summer season.
The following weekend after Black & White night, we happened to wonder into the square, which had a wonderful party atmosphere, with somewhat less people than the previous weekend’s festivities, but great to see a really family friendly DJ Capitao banging out tunes of classic and contemporary genres. The square was alive with dancing, and much fun was had by all ages,including my dearest Mother with sore knees, once again reiterating Carvoeiro as a safe, family friendly destination (unlike Albufeira).
SHOPPING & STYLE | Due to airport chaos, one of my mother’s bags did not make it, and she was required to do some shopping in and around Carvoeiro. I got to spend some time perusing the shops, and we managed to pick up a few lovely cotton and linen pieces from Singh Collection, but in all honesty, the retail, clothing and style is very limited in Carvoeiro, and what there is, is of limited quality, and often quite bland. I did find a few lovely pieces in Ti Teresa, but of course none of the really cool stuff came in my size, being tall and curvy. I am always hopeful that someone somewhere will open up a truly stylish boutique, which does not only cater for Portuguese sized people. However it must be said that there are some rather stylish hats about, you just have to dig through the collections that are displayed along the streets. Being a Stylist myself, I long for something interesting…different… something more…
Is it just me? Apparently not. When DJ Lora visited for Black & White in 2024, I took her on a tour of Carvoeiro, and she was equally disappointed in the lack of appealing apparel for sale. Those with style, and money to spend on said style, definitely find Carvoeiro wanting of options, a fact that was once again made abundantly clear when my Mother dearest asked me “Where do you shop?”, to which I had to reply “Online!”.
SEASONAL EMPTINESS | Living in the Algarve for the past 8 years, all year round through the ebbs and flows of tourist season and solar cycles, it has become abundantly obvious to me that the summer of 2025 is not as busy as previous years have been. Indeed, you can even find parking relatively easily at some of the most popular beaches, something that would normally be unheard of at this time of year. The beaches seem emptier… Even the Carvoeiro BLACK & WHITE night was not as busy as previous years… One need only look at the restaurants and local businesses to see how very apparent it is that tourists staying away… So what is really going on? Is this a symptom of economic collapse? Or tourists simply going elsewhere?
With relatively great weather guaranteed throughout summer, and endless natural beauty, epic landscapes and stunning beaches, one has to wonder what on earth is happening to Portugal’s tourism?
Despite the fact that we had a lovely time during my Mother’s recent trip to Portugal, there are a few things that are probably worth mentioning, which could potentially explain the drop in tourism, and why people are giving Portugal a miss.
LISBON AIRPORT | Rated as one of the worst airports in the world, Lisbon airport has truly lived up to its reputation at the onset of peak tourist season, with lines for passport control taking up to 9 hours to clear. For those who have never had the misfortune of ever being stuck in this queue, let me enlighten you to the inhumane conditions. Firstly, there is no air conditioning and it is now midsummer and you are stuck with hot sweaty bodies back to back in a queue. There nowhere to sit. You are required to stand for hours on end with no idea how long you will be there. There is no water available and no access to toilets. During my 70 year old mother’s 5 hour standing wait in this queue, several people fainted, several elderly people got into difficulty, and the only doctors available to help were the ones who were also passengers in the queue. This is an absolutely disgraceful state of affairs.
LUGGAGE | After clearing passport control, luggage was scattered all over the airport. My Mother only retrieved one of two suitcases in all of the fiasco, being the suitcase full of gifts for me, and had to enjoy her entire two week holiday in the Algarve with hand luggage items and a few pieces purchased from around Carvoeiro. As of yet, her luggage has not been found.
The reason that my Mother flew into Lisbon instead of choosing Faro, was because Emirates only fly to Lisbon, and my mother chose Emirates because it is the best, and that is what my Mother is used to, and they allow two large suitcases into cargo, instead of only one suitcase like most other airline. But despite this, we ended up with only one suitcase anyway. The limitations of Faro airport forces high value travellers to go through Lisbon.
TRANSFER FROM LISBON TO ALGARVE | Due to the extensive period of time that it took to come through passport control, a limousine service transfer that had been booked to take my Mother from Lisbon to Carvoeiro, cancelled, leaving my Mother stranded at Lisbon airport after her 5 hour ordeal in passport control, which had by this time left her knees so sore she was battling to stand. Exasperated and in pain, my savvy and well travelled mother made her way to the bus station and caught a bus to Lagoa, where my husband and I picked her up just before midnight after two days of travel from South Africa, and brought her to her beachfront rental in Carvoeiro.
COST vs POSH | With the cost of everything going up all the time, the cost of living has doubled since covid, and Portugal is no longer the budget destination of Europe. Once one of the most sought after holiday destinations in the world due to Portugal being ranked as the second cheapest country in Europe whilst also being one of the prettiest and sunniest, the “Budget Holiday” status no longer applies. With villa, hotel, car hire, tolls, restaurant prices now on par or eclipsing that of more upmarket European destinations, holiday makers are now holidaying elsewhere most likely – Montenegro, Croatia, Morocco and Egypt for example costs half the price. Furthermore, were Portugal able to move with the times and offer a more upmarket experience, to meet the price tag, both in terms of product and service, that may then present reasonable argument leaning towards value for money. But the honest truth is that Portugal is disastrously entrenched in mediocrity, with the sophistication and efficiency of a third world country, whilst now having the added disadvantage of being too expensive for those willing to put up with said mediocrity.
WHERE PEOPLE COME TO DIE | A rather alarming point to note is the overabundance of old people, and lack of young people. It is common knowledge that Portugal has an aging population, with over 50% of the population being on state pension, with many foreign people retiring in Portugal, whilst at the same time, many young people are leaving and seeking better paid jobs elsewhere. In fact, restaurants and bars are struggling to recruit good staff, part due to the mass exodus of youth, poor wages and lack of affordable accomodation for minimum wage workers. Lets also not forget the declining birth rates due to the cost of living and vaccine induced infertility, miscarriage and premature infant deaths. Portugal has afterall boasted being the most vaccinated country in Europe, claiming more than 90% of the population had been vaccinated during the Covid scamdemic.
SERVICE STAFF | Although the vast majority of the service staff we have dealt with in hospitality have been friendly enough, there are some who are clearly suffering from the effects of being understaffed, and it is affecting their attitude and amiability. Having in the past written extensively about unpleasant hospitality workers, and having caused some ripples as a result, I will not names names or point fingers here, rather I shall offer up my sympathies, and I can clearly see that certain people are overworked, over stressed and underpaid, which further compounds the issue with a high turnover of staff. Numerous restaurants and bars are constantly recruiting, and staff retention is at an all time low.
NOBODY GIVES A SH*T! | The rule of law is very limited in Portugal. If you have a genuine issue, the police and GNR are very difficult to make a case with, deal with, and get anywhere with, especially if you are foreign and / or do not speak fluent Portuguese. Court cases can take years to get any case heard, and justice is slow and precarious, if there is indeed any at all. In fact I have one going since 2020, and I have not heard from my lawyer for 3 years, and we have no idea when our case will be heard. Portugal is a beautiful country to visit, but if an emergency such as theft, attack, sexual assault, should you get into an accident, or should any such matter happen to you, be prepared to be treated inefficiently and inadequately. The state run infrastructure is crumbling and is inefficient, emergency services are overstretched, and government departments are failing, a matter which becomes most apparent when one takes into consideration that the former Border Agency, SEF, was disbanded, and another organisation was set up, and this new organisation are unable to work the appointment making software for people wishing to make applications to have their residency permits renewed. Hundreds of thousands of people are waiting years and are being restricted in movement as a result, being stuck in Portugal and unable to travel without updated residence permits, which has an effect of travel for work / income, livelihood. This is a violation of basic constitutional rights, such as to circulate freely, earn a living, and live with dignity. It is indeed a complete and utter cluster f*ck!
DON’T DARE COMPLAIN | One of the more astonishing things that I have had to endure about the Portuguese culture, is the xenophobic attitude towards foreigners / expats. Sure, the Portuguese have many reasons to resent foreigners, and I am not arguing with these reasons. I actually believe they are valid reasons, and I would probably feel the same way were I in their shoes. But I am not. The shoes I have to walk in are those of someone who has a South African passport, has been married to a European National for 24 years, and we have been settled in Portugal for the past 8 years. Being in these shoes has thus given me the insight as to the love hate relationship the Portuguese nationals have with expats / tourists. Case and point is when I dare to complain about how inefficient government departments are, which are quite literally hindering my freedom and livelihood, I have been met with the ignorant missive of “Well if you don’t like it, go back to your country”. To which I respond, “Well thank you, maybe one day I will when I am ready, but right now I live here within legal parameters, and I have every right to be here and not have my basic constitutional rights violated due to lack of structural inefficiency, blatant incompetence and neglect of duty”.
PROPERTY SHOPPING | With the idea of potentially purchasing a property here, I am sad to say that Portugal is just far to lacking for people who have high standards. The agents we dealt with were unprofessional, and services and amenities to assist expats, is non existent. In fact there is an outright resentment and antagonism to foreigners, whilst being perfectly willing to take money from foreigners. The Golden Visa program which encourages foreign investment into property, has people waiting years without any idea as to when their visas will be issued, and it is putting foreigners off investing in Portugal. Like the many people who already live here and are waiting for years to get their residents permits renewed, so too are there many people who have spent lots of money buying property with the aim of getting a Golden Visa, only to be still stuck waiting some 3 years later… I have a list of personally connected family friends and associates who are affected by this, some of which have put their entire life’s savings into purchasing a property in Portugal, and are not stuck waiting indefinitely for their Golden Visa, with no idea as to when (or if) it will be issued…
….and to be honest, it is a rather disgusting state of affairs!
We are as always left with the eternal mystery… How does Portugal work?
Nobody seems to know the answer.
PEACE LOVE UNITY RESPECT
Mel Ve
