Tavira and Southern Portugal

The Algarve is the region in the south of Portugal, facing Africa. It was not at all what I expected. We traveled by car from Marbella, in the south of Spain, to Tavira. The hot humid air of Spain was soon replaced by a sweltering dry heat. Also, along the car ride, I noticed that the soil in Portugal is of a red variety; sometimes it's coral, sometimes dark red.

We stayed in a Pousada. Pousadas are spread over Portugal. They are former convents, monasteries or castles that have been converted to hotels. After talking with the attendant at the front desk, I learned that the government does provide some sort of funding for restoration of these buildings but, they are managed by hotel management companies.

We stayed at the Pousada de Tavira – Convento de Graca. I must admit to you that I was a bit impressed by the restoration of the Pousada. It had been restored just a few years prior and looked incredible. The rooms were simple, yet classy, and had a soft (but just firm enough) bed with down pillows and comforter.

The first night after the long drive from Marbella to Tavira, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. The menu of the evening was Moroccan cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised by the food. Bream was the served in several ways throughout the 5 courses, consisting of fish with dates, dried nuts and fruits. (I later learned that Bream is a local Portuguese white fish. It actually tasted a lot like sea bass, though I understand they are different species of fish.) The dinner was excellent and the staff was quite nice.

We spent the following day exploring Tavira, a sea side town where you will find snorkeling, fishing and boating excursions available. I’m not much of a sun bunny, or a water person. Rather, the four of us preferred to wander the streets of Tavira, snapping photos and helping out the economy with purchases from yet another Zara.

On the way back to the Pousada, we took a detour and visited one of the golf resorts. The South of Portugal is littered with golf resorts where the weary Northern European traveler can sun themselves and golf. The massive golf resorts and hot weather provide a change from the other variable weather you might find in Europe (especially Northern Europe). The golf resorts are huge; many of them encompass miles of courses, condos, restaurants and hotels.

Once you get out of the resort, it’s noticeable. Portugal is a poorer country than Spain. I was honestly expecting that the countries would be similar. I think that would be saying California borders Arizona so, they are similar.