Living In The Algarve

Outdated Algarve Trains Cost Millions To Run Each Year

Samantha — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:36:03 +0000

Outdated trains that service the Algarve are costing the state millions every year to run.

A report by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso has found that the cost of running trains in the Algarve is around five million Euros per year with more than a quarter of this being used to pay for repairs on old carriages and trains.

Although the majority of the trains in use in the Algarve have been upgraded since 2000 most still date back to the 1960s.

Trains in the Algarve now have automatic doors and air conditioning but the Algarve still remains the region where trains come to end their days of service.

Luís Alho, the regional director of the CP, the train company in Portugal, told Expresso: “The Algarve deserves new rolling stock for the regional railway. We had originally planned to purchase new rolling stock at an investment of around of 500 million Euros, but all plans have been stopped due to the realities of TROIKA.”

Due to the age of the trains in use in the Algarve it is unsurprising that more than 26% of the budget for the railway is spent on making repairs to trains.

To be able to keep the train line running with the old trains more than 100 professionals are required to be employed to servce the engines and carriages.

The quality of the service of trains in the Algarve has been questioned as the old trains frequently have problems, are slow running and now there are less stations than ever in service.

The station in Silves and on Fuseta in Olhão have both been closed to save money, however this put an extra strain on the trains as the stop less frequently.

CP are looking to improve the commercial viability of the train service in the Algarve however many aspects need to change before new customers can be attracted to using the service.

Luís Alho pointed to the need for more parking at stations to help improve the service for passengers but added that he found it “strange” that there had been no headway made in coming up with more parking.

Plans to upgrade the railway line, buy new engines or to open new stations are not on the horizon.

While in Spain investment has been made in the national rail network the same is not likely to happen in Portugal.

There are no plans to upgrade the Algarve line to a high speed link primarily because the line is not deemed to be important enough to make investments in.

The seasonality of the use combined with it not reaching any major cities in Portugal apart from Faro means that the line in not a viable option when it comes to investment.

The highest passenger levels occur during the summer months when the Algarve sees an influx of visitors but during the winter the passenger levels are very low.

Euro Turmoil Great For More Cash For Pounds

Samantha — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:24:41 +0000

Today the Euro zone is in turmoil as Greece prepares to reject forming a government, however all the political problems have led to the most favourable exchange rate since 2008.

British people exchanging their pounds for Euros will find that their money will go far further than in recent years.

Every £500 that is converted to euros will see people getting an £47.41 for their money this year in comparison to last summer.

The favourable exchange rate combined with cut price accommodation deals, cheaper drinks prices and deals for restaurant meals makes 2012 one of the best times ever for British tourists to visit the Algarve.

While the exchange rate has been a positive outcome from all the political unrest in Europe, the reality of what will happen if Greece leave the Euro forever may not be so positive for travellers coming to the Euro zone.

This summer is looking like being a confusing time for travellers in the EU.

If Greece leave the euro then the Euro will no longer be legal tender but it is expected that they will continue to accept Euros for some months to allow for a transition to take place.

In Portugal it is expected that the Euro will remain.

Crisis talks across Europe to protect the single European currency have taken place and continue to be discussed to ensure that a complete financial breakdown does not occur and to protect the Euro as the main currency of Europe.

We may not know how the future of the Euro will pan out however travellers coming to Europe this year for holidays are being warned to ensure that they have sufficient travel insurance to cover purchases of flights or accomodation in European countries.

Those with holidays planned for Greece this summer are in a difficult position, however a full comprehensive insurance policy should protect any investments made in holidays this year.

Holidays in Portugal should in theory be totally safe if the safety measures to protect the Euro work as should investments in properties and businesses made in Portugal by British residents and those outside the Euro zone.

The main fear that analylists have is that further political problems could lead to civil unrest in some countries.

Greece has been known in the past for its violent clashes between protesters and police however Portugal does not have the same history when it comes to civil unrest.

Protests about austerity measures in Portugal that took place on May 1 this year were very calm and peaceful with little to no police intervention needed to control the crowds.

The future of the Euro may be uncertain but it should not affect a holiday in the Algarve - except for giving more money when exchanging British pounds.

Algarve Chefs Week Returns For 2012

Samantha — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:10:06 +0000

The best cuisine on offer in the Algarve will be highlighted during the second edition of the Algarve Chefs Week campaign.

Algarve Chefs Week will kick off on May 19 in the new terminal area of Faro airport where the chefs taking part in the initiative will be on hand to show users of the airport some of their best dishes.

Eight chefs will be at the airport from 7pm with chances for passengers to taste some dishes, learn cooking techniques and find out more about the Algarve Chefs Week with some chefs being stationed at the check in area of the airport.

Although the Algarve Chefs Week programme will start at the airport on Saturday the main week will actually take place between May 25 and June 2.

Stephan Kühlwetter from the Moscada Restaurant at the Hilton Vilamoura, Fernando Fonseca from the Pérgula Restaurant at the Grande Real Santa Eulália and Real Marina Olhão, Hugo Rodrigues dos Santos from the Orangerie Restaurant at the Vila Monte Resort, Ricardo Ferreira from Pepper’s Steakhouse at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura, Chef Brüno from the EMO Gourmet Restaurant at the Tivoli Victoria and The Residences at Victoria, Jan Stechemesser from Longevity Cuisine at the Longevity Wellness Resort, Fabien Martinex from Jardim Gourmet at the Sheraton Pine Cliffs and Luís Batalha from the Senses Restaurant at the Cascade Resort will all be participating in this second edition of Algarve Chefs Week.

The concept of the week is to present top class gourmet food in five star settings but to make it affordable to diners who may not have experienced a similar meal in the past.

All the restaurants participating in the initiative will be offering clients a special exclusive menu which is produced or the week.

The menu will cost each person €30 and the price is fixed across all the restaurants with the menu being served every evening during the week between 7.30pm and 10.30pm. A 50% discount is available for children between the ages of three and 10.

Out of the €30 paid for the meal, €1 will be donated to CASA the Faro based charity which supports homeless people in the region.

Mário Candeias, the director of the Tivoli Hotel Victoria and The Residences at Victoria, said: “Algarve Chefs Week is an event which revisits and reinvents the gastronomy of the Algarve.

“The executive chefs contribute massively to the development and internationalisation of gastronomy within the Algarve and to the Algarve as being seen as a destination for gastronomy.”

He added: “Above all we hope to be able to show the importance of the chefs roles within the industry and to show their personal relationships with the customers as they promote the region as a destination for bold and innovative flavours.”

Anyone wanting to take part in the week of gastronomy in the Algarve is advised to book a table as soon as possible as demand is expected to outstrip supply.

All the information about the Algarve Chefs Week is available to view online at www.algarvechefsweek.com.

A is for Atlantic Ocean

Samantha — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:32:17 +0000

I thought long and hard about where I would start our a to z on living in the Algarve and wanted it to be totally different to what other people have. But what attracted me most to the Algarve was always the beautiful Atlantic Ocean sat on the beach at Carvoeiro and looking out to the Atlantic Ocean is one of my favourite free pleasures since moving here.

As many of you know the Atlantic Ocean links Portugal with the beautiful Caribbean and is responsible for some of the best beaches in the world. I have enjoyed many trips into the Ocean and I adore swimming so me and pair of goggles are just meant to be together.

My family often says that I make swimming effortless which is true I do. At school I was absolutely rubbish at sports and was always the one that the other kids would pick last because with poor vision I could never see the ball.

However one thing I excelled at was always swimming I was a full blown water baby and my mum would take me swimming and ask me to come out an hour before she really wanted me out – as it was the only way to remove me from the ocean.

(don’t tell my ten year old as we may have issues with him)

It is just beautiful and when you have grown up in the north of England with just the North Sea for company you can see my point!!!!

We don’t spend as much time by the sea as our fellow expats do due to the restraints of working long hours so when we do go for a paddle we make sure that we make the most of it.

Our very first recollection of the Atlantic Ocean we a family holiday in Lanzarote three years before we moved to the Algarve and we had a fabulous time. After all what is it about your very first annual holiday as a family. And strange as it may seem my very first foreign holiday with my parents at the tender age of two was also to Lanzarote!!!

We have also enjoyed many other family holidays parked by the Atlantic Ocean and they have been full of fantastic happy family memories and I am sure there will be many more.

I am looking forward to some time off work this summer to sample the Atlantic Ocean which I am very lucky to say sits on my doorstep. Alvor is my entry of choice though I am sure some locations that I haven’t been to yet will get a fair share of use.

Come and join me tomorrow for B….

Welcome to My A-Z Of Living In Portugal

Samantha — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:53:50 +0000

When we started this blog, which feels like a zillion years ago now (well it was in 2009, three amazing years ago), we started the blog as four ladies that all had something amazing in common. We had all left England to start an amazing life living in the sun – a dream that many have, but it simply can’t make come true, or those who want to make this dream a reality can’t because technicalities get in the way so it never actually happens.

We had each moved to different parts of Europe and met through the Warriorforum.com

I had just moved to the Algarve, another had moved to the south of France, a third to the Greek isle of Crete, and the final lady had started up a new life in Spain. We were all struggling with the new challenges that living in the sun had brought us, not to mention adjusting to the heat that we were not used to in the past.

To make a long story short, we formed a website – livinginthesun.info –and our story was born. We started it off with a blog for each country we live in, and it really was a dream come true.

One of the first things we did was set tasks for each of us to do on our business. I did one of the eBooks and built the blogs; someone else did some content writing, as they had been a journalist when they lived in England; and the other two did a lot of the data entry work involved and wrote some more eBooks.

We chose eBooks because, after all, they are big business and they are my highest income earner from this site.

The lady from Crete, named Pauline, wrote an amazing A-Z of living abroad and it still sells well every day, even now, two years after it was originally written.

After nearly a year together though, the partnership went sour, as they sometimes do, with us all wanting different things and some putting in more effort than others. So I bought the site to make myself the sole owner and I have run it about living in Portugal ever since. Today, I still sell eBooks and write about my day-to-day life living in the sun on this website, which I am very proud of.

Out of all my blogs, this is my baby and sometimes I do forget it’s a business because I enjoy it so much.

So when I saw someone in a local newspaper talking about an A-Z on living in Portugal I decided to get my old eBook out and bring it to life. I also realised how much I was enjoying it, so I set an A-Z challenge and asked the readers on my main blog to also take the A-Z challenge and can’t wait to see how it goes.

You can read more about my A-Z Blogging Challenge and how you can bring your blog into profit by clicking here.