This is somewhat a question but more a comment about Salema. RS sings its praises in his Portugal book, so while house sitting in the Algarve, I made a trip there today. I was very disappointed. Yes, I did see 2-3 fishermen cleaning their fish and at least one person buying squid to take home. But, the old town part was very small with almost nothing except empty buildings. Most of the town is new modern construction and there is very little of interest - at least to me. The beach is nice but there are many nice beaches in this area with more going for them.
I'm wondering when anyone from RS actually visited Salema, as I've found much more in this area to my liking in just three days. Has anyone else visited Salema recently? If so, did I miss something?
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
You are so right! I have made this comment on this forum before and consider RS's comments to be at least 5 years out of date (being generous). The huge part-built View 2 development half way up the hill that went bust nearly 5 years ago is a blot on the landscape and should never have been given planning permission on that scale.
The village supermarkets have closed, there were no fishermen when I was there last summer, the bread van RS mentions appeared to have gone etc. The restaurants there are expensive and on the whole compared to other nearby villages, with the exception of the excellent Agua na Boca. It has lost all the charm that it had a decade ago, unfortunately, but so has most of the Algarve.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Rick is slow to give up on his favorite spots, especially if he hasn't found others to replace them. However, I’d say that the book coverage tempers past raves with modern reality pretty well, e.g., in phrases such as "Salema is still a fishing village - but just barely." For a winter visit, he recommends Tavira as more lively. Here are some in-house notes about updates that appear in the latest version (March 2015) of the Portugal book:
In Salema on the Algarve, the trucks that once sold fish, fruit, and vegetables in the main square are now prohibited, but the town still offers a great beach experience. In Cape Sagres, Rick added listings for the Docapesca fish auction, where fishmongers come to bid on the daily catch; Cape St. Vincent (the southwesternmost tip of Europe); the St. Vincent Lighthouse Museum (with exhibits on ship technology, ancient legends, and celestial navigation); and Fortlezza de Beliche (the eroded remains of a 16th-century castle hanging on a bluff over the sea). In Lagos, Rick added an hour-long town walk, covering the town museum, the Slave Market Museum, and harborfront promenade.