Please sign in to post.

Winter in Portugal

We are Canadian seniors in our mid 70's and are planning to spend the month of March in Portugal. We are not into night life. We like to walk the beach, visit quaint areas, have coffee or wine in cafes, etc. We plan to rent a car so we can take day trips or visit Spain. We are looking for a self-catering apartment in a resort anywhere along the coast from Portimao to Tavira. Can you help us narrow down a location? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Posted by
6113 posts

There are not many quant areas left on the Algarve and in March, I would suggest that you base yourselves in a larger place where the cafes etc will remain open throughout the winter. Lagos or Tavira would suit or old town Albufeira (but the larger new town Albufeira area attracts stag and hen parties and is anything but quiet). Avoid Portimao and Praia de Rocha - concrete sprawls.

Cabanas is a purpose-built resort near Tavira and the Spanish border and has lots of Brits wintering there, but it isn't quaint, but does have lots of walks, cafes etc. If you are taking a 1 bed apartment, it will cost from c 250 Euros a week all in, but taking for a whole month will be c 750 Euros plus electricity bills.

Some car hire companies do not permit cars to be taken into Spain, so check before you book.

Posted by
5362 posts

We went to southern Portugual in late February and it was the worst vacation of my life. Nothing was open, everyplace we stayed was musty, the weather was horrible and it was ugly. We rented a condo in a resort area; spent one night; it was a complete ghost town; stinky, moldly; left for Lisbon the next day. Don't do it, go somewhere else.

Posted by
15560 posts

Friends of mine were in Portugal for about 10 days in March and came back raving about the great time they had. They were in Lisbon and north of there.

Posted by
8293 posts

bwolfe: There is a travel company called Senior Tours, with head office in Montreal, which offers stays in Portugal, airfare and insurance included, and their packages look really interesting. Don't know if they can offer quaintness, though.