Trail runner!

by Nick RobinsonAll Stories, PodcastPosted on No Comments

Alexandra Vanstalle is a mother of four kids, husband of one and runs unbelievable distances along rural tracks. Her latest adventure is to train for a 111km long trail run… Listen to her story: Show notes Alex was born in Oeiras, close to Lisbon, studied in Lisbon and worked at a Mexican restaurant, before setting …

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Vilamoura Congress Centre

The easiest way to gorge on the Algarve’s gourmet delights and other stories

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Maria Nobe de Carvalho I interviewed Maria in the new Centro de Congressos do Algarve and we managed to sneak into an empty conference room as the sound was GREAT in there. Her life is really varied taking in a lot of projects like online tourism startups, the Lagos Food Fest, other big events, food …

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What can we do, Dad? Treetop Adventures in the Algarve!

by Nick RobinsonAll Stories, VideoPosted on No Comments

Treetop Adventures are apparently really popular in the UK (especially if you look at something like GoApe.co.uk It IS slightly scary, but isn’t it wonderful to be able to conquer your fears? This is what makes it so exciting. 

treetop adventure algarve

The Algarve isn’t far behind, with three treetop adventure parks situated all across our beautiful region. I went along to check out the treetop adventure park in Albufeira (called Parque Aventura) along with my good friend, Yvette, from OlaLocal.

Treetop Adventure Park

If you have no idea what a treetop adventure is, well… imagine a beautiful secluded forest. The soft glades entice you in, as shafts of sunlight cast warm shapes on the little valleys below towering pine trees. The adventure starts off with an extensive safety chat in order for you to master the art of clipping and un-clipping yourself to cables which take you throughout the adventurous course above the forest. It’s quite a fascinating technique which allows you to be always connected to safety wires while moving from one tree to the next. Zip lines, rope ladders, big rope nets and other well thought out obstacles challenge you on your way through.

zipline algarve

Parque Aventura

Parque Aventura was originally started by two French men who arrived in Portugal and realized there was a definite opportunity to create a treetop adventure park. So they did and one was born up north in Figueira da Foz It was soon followed by three more parks down in the Algarve. There are treetop adventure parks in each of the following towns:

parque aventura algarve treetop adventures

What to do in the Algarve?

There are so many things to do in the Algarve. There are so many activities in fact, that it is tough to choose what to do. Think about the following activities: jeep safaris, motorized buggies, quad tours, walking and hiking, surfing, kite-surfing, paddle-boarding, cooking lessons, painting holidays, theater shows, live music, escape rooms, a vast array of restaurants, bars and cafés and … yes, the beaches! Beaches are perfect for winter walks too. Check my about page for more ideas.

You can add treetop adventures to that growing list of things to do in the Algarve.

Have you ever been on a treetop adventure? Either in the Algarve or anywhere else in the world?

The ONE piece of advice you need for enjoying your Algarve holiday

by Nick RobinsonAll Stories, PodcastPosted on 2 Comments

Yvette Martins Yvette grew up in Canada and moved to our beautiful Algarve. She now owns an online travel business and is brimming with advice and tips. Listen to her one important takeaway from this podcast.  Show notes Yvette grew up close to Vancouver in Canada from Portuguese parents. In her youth figure skating …

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olhao aerial view

Moving to the Algarve – advice, tips and stories

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Moving to Portugal The Tilleys arrived this summer, hailing from Surrey and settling in the Algarve. We talk about where exactly a little later into the podcast. It was fantastic meeting them and great to hear their story! Listen along…   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Louise-Marie Tilley (@loutilz) on …

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How to shoot the BEST sunsets in the Algarve

by Nick RobinsonAll Stories, VideoPosted on No Comments

Did you know you can just Google “sunset” and it normally tells you the time of the sunset wherever you are? I’m pretty sure Siri can do it as well, but it’s pretty important when you’re trying to schedule a quick drone mission or a sunset paddle.

The best spots for an Algarve Sundown

  • Sagres – Cape St Vincent
  • Ponte Piedade – Lagos
  • Carvoeiro boardwalk
  • Praia Falesia (with all those RED cliffs!)

I thought I would get that out of the way and then explain that sunset isn’t necessarily a geographical thing. Naturally it’s great to have the Sagres lighthouse in your sunset photo but there are a host of other factors that play a part in a truly mind blowing sunset experience.

 

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Sunset clouds

Think about, if the sun is going down and the sky is clear, you’ll get a great glow, but it won’t be a mesmerizing event. Generally in the Algarve we enjoy our best crepuscular shows in the spring and autumn when there is a fair bit of cloud about. Obviously you can’t have too many clouds otherwise there won’t be a sunset at all! It’s a tough science to try and get a sunset shot with lots of cloud, because at the last minute the chances are that your beautiful glowing sun will disappear behind a bank of impenetrable cloud.

Where the sun is going to set

Always bear in mind where the sun is going to set. Look west (!) but it’s not always incredibly clear EXACTLY where the sun will set; especially if you’re new to the Algarve and are on a beach with a massive cliff to the west of you. You’ll have to move about for the best shot.

You can get a great sunset photo from anywhere, just bear in mind these points to make it a superb shot!

sunset Sao Bras de Alportel

Get there early and research your scene before settling in for that inexorable wait as the sun drips down into the ocean. Grab a cold beer (or a Gin and Tonic) and savour the experience!