Cliff Faces in Portugal

By Elizabeth Johnstone

Cliff top view

I can never decide about cliffs. Scenic, dramatic, but a mixed blessing on a seaside holiday. To reverse the usual saying – what goes down must come up! My most recent encounter with cliffs was a week long trip to the Algarve, Portugal, in September 2015. And there was another cliff in the story…

I booked an all-inclusive package through Thomson at the Riu Guarana Hotel in Olhos de Agua, near Albufeira. We flew from Luton, our nearest airport as the crow (or aeroplane) flies. The transport arrangements worked seamlessly and we soon found ourselves in the familiar environment of a Riu hotel. From the hotel roof – it was an organised visit, we didn’t just shimmy up a drain pipe – you could see the blue Atlantic just beyond the hotel site. Frustratingly, it was not visible from ground level.

We planned to do very little for most of the week, with perhaps one day trip for an injection of culture. Certainly, the village immediately around was quiet. It was a low-key resort. The picturesque beach nestled among red cliffs. Olhos de agua means "eyes of water" and referred to the little jets of fresh water which bubbled up through the sand at low tide. There were the usual fish restaurants and souvenir shops but, mercifully, only a couple of British-style establishments.

It was perfectly agreeable to potter around between village and hotel. There was a spectacular clifftop viewpoint a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. However, if you wanted to dip your toes in the cerulean ocean, there was either a long set of wooden steps or a long dusty path down to the shore. Best admired from above!

The Algarve is a heavily developed area. Albufeira has expanded enormously beyond the Arab Al-buhera, which means "castle of the sea". Its Old Town, overlooking the beautiful Praia dos Pescadores, is mainly a pedestrian area. Picturesque during the day, it pulsates at night. There is a more "party" area known as the Strip which we avoided. Taxis to local destinations are more convenient and no dearer than the bus service. There are also taxi drivers on whom to practise my rudimentary Portuguese! Albufeira has a bullring. Portuguese bullfighting differs somewhat from the Spanish variety and features Minoan-style bull-jumping. The posters insisted, "Bring your child and play with him," but the bull is still tormented by metal darts and is killed "offstage" after the event.

Cliff face....

A prominent local resident of Albufeira is Sir Cliff Richard. His face is to be seen beaming over displays of the wine from his vineyard at tourist shops throughout the region. Opinion is divided, however, as to the quality of the wine.

We opted for one of the day trips organised through Thomson. We paid extra to travel in a small group via minibus, having enjoyed this format on a trip to Iceland. Our first stop was at the picturesque town of Lagos. I could have happily spent much longer there, enjoying the marina, the beach, the Old Town and the Moorish castle. But, ever onwards, and we arrived at the Cabo de São Vicente, a spectacular headland known by the Romans as "the end of the world". It has been claimed that Prince Henry the Navigator established his school of sea-faring at nearby Sagres. The cliffs, jutting starkly out into the Atlantic, are magnificent, the line of tacky souvenir and food vans ("last Bratwurst before America!") less so.

Cork tree

Heading back inland, we drove up through the mountains of the Serra de Monchique to our lunch destination. I could not get over the profusion of fruit trees. Orange, lemon, persimmon, pomegranate - eventually I had to stop photographing them. A curiosity is the cork tree. Part of its bark is periodically stripped off to manufacture corks, but there is a strict regime of leaving the trees several years to recover. The number 1, for example, on the bare part of the trunk indicated that the bark had last been stripped in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the farmers are against metal and plastic bottle stoppers. But I was amazed to see shops selling bags, belts, hats and other items made from a cork so flexible as to resemble leather.

The tour company had recently changed restaurants for the day trips and the new owner was all out to impress, serving a generous lunch washed down with excellent wines. Apparently, he was José Mourinho’s cousin. The Special One wasn’t feeling too special that day, as Chelsea had just been defeated by Porto in the Champions League. Our next stop was a local distillery, where we were offered aguardente de medronho, made from the fruit of the arbutus tree. Too much like firewater for me, but the version with added honey was more palatable to most of the group.

We drove through the charming spa town of Monchique and up to the viewpoint at Foia. The panorama was magnificent, especially if you kept the military installations out of your line of sight.

Silves Castle

Our last calling place was the delightful town of Silves, with its cathedral and wonderfully preserved castle. Photo opportunities by the dozen!

The all-inclusive format does not feature too many local specialities, but there was always at least one regional dish on offer in the hotel dining-room. I gorged myself on the sweet Portuguese oranges, and enjoyed fish (sardines and hake) at most meals. The custard tart is one of Portugal’s gifts to the world and I bought some at a local shop (in Portuguese!) Coffee is an art form. The waitress gave me a big thumbs-up when I asked for uma bica, or Portuguese espresso, in an Albufeira café. Even the modest local supermarket had an impressive range of port, most of which had English brand names reflecting the English involvement over the centuries in the port industry.

The national symbol is the galo de Barcelos. Legend has it that a cockerel crowed to prove the innocence of a wrongly accused man. You see these brightly painted ceramic creatures everywhere and I bought another to add to my little family on the kitchen windowsill (pictured below).

If you speak Spanish, you can understand a lot of written Portuguese. Spoken Portuguese is much harder. Unstressed endings are de-emphasised or just disappear altogether. But I love all that mellifluous "oosh-ooshing". (Spanish los platos becomes Portuguese os pratos pronounced oosh pratoosh.) And it was super fun asking for two ports or two caipirinhas, if only to see the barman’s amazement.

Custard Tarts

We had a most enjoyable holiday. I would definitely go back to the Algarve, but it is worth doing your homework to avoid the busiest times and areas. Sardines are optional, but custard tarts are a must!