CHARLIE TAYLOR is pleasantly surprised to discover a world away from the tourist-choked beaches of many Iberian resorts, while CONOR POWER delights his children by taking them on a pirate ship

THE REALISATION that I might have somehow misjudged the Algarve came while taking a stroll along a near-deserted beach one evening. As I gazed up at a cloudless sky while the sea trickled slowly over my feet, it struck me that this place wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d imagined it might be.

Truth is that while I’d always enjoyed spending time in Portugal, I’d successfully steered clear of the south, imagining it to be similar to the tacky resorts found in the Costa del Sol.

Time spent further north in cities such as Lisbon, Porto and the breathtakingly lovely university town of Coimbra meant that I’d already become acquainted with the great food, good wine and warm friendly people that the country has become famous for.

But a weekend spent in Estoril, a resort close to the capital where thousands of sunbathers shared the beach with empty coke cans and filled condoms, had made me somewhat wary of visiting out-and-out tourist destinations such as the Algarve.

There’s no denying the fact that the region has its share of less salubrious areas. Resorts such as Albufeira, with its high-rise apartments and a nightclub strip dominated by back-to-back bars and overrun with stag and hen parties, is one such spot, as to a lesser extent is Praia da Rocha. But for the most part, the Algarve is free from the sort of scenes that have turned large parts of southern Spain into a no-go area for many tourists.

If anything, it seems as though the Portuguese learned from the mistakes made by their near neighbour and have therefore managed to work out a fine balance, which means that the Algarve is able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of sun worshippers without losing any of its charm.

During the time I spent in the region I managed to successfully combine a few lazy days dawdling by the pool in the resort town of Alvor with excursions that truly showed just how fabulous southern Portugal is.

Those looking to uncover the authentic, unspoilt Algarve need merely jump in a car and take to the road to find themselves kilometres away from any hint of a high-rise. Close to Lagos, for example, which is about 90km west from the region’s biggest city Faro, are many of the Algarve’s best beaches, such as Praia de Dona Ana and Praia do Camilo. Meanwhile, a boat trip around Ponta da Piedade, a headland on the edges of the city, to visit the stunning rock formations that sit proudly in crystal clear waters, is a must.

Lagos itself, which served as the headquarters for many of Henry the Navigator’s overseas expeditions, is also worth spending time in. Much of the town is still surrounded by Roman walls, while a large imposing fort near the entrance to the harbour serves as a further reminder of the area’s maritime links.

Another must-see spot is Praia da Marinha which is close to the resort town of Carvoeiro, about 40km east of Lagos. This beach is the one that tends to end up in all the brochures advertising the Algarve and it’s easy to see why. A long but gentle descending set of steps leads down into a small cove, and there lies a beach surrounded by warm-coloured limestone cliffs, which are breathtaking. As if to highlight just how spectacular the background is, a photo shoot was taking place there on the morning we visited.

The beaches may be the main draw for most visitors to the Algarve but a trip inland turned out to be the highlight of my visit. Inside a four-wheel drive we went firmly off the beaten track up Serra de Monchique, which has become famous for its varied plant life and thermal spas. Driving along the green and wooded mountain range, which is dotted with cork, chestnut and eucalyptus trees, is exhilarating, while the exotic smells that tease your nostrils as you pass by are intoxicating.

We drove along tracks specially designed to help slow down the forest fires that ravage the mountain range periodically during the summer months. We stopped at an old distillery for a glass of medronho or the aptly titled “firewater” as it is also known, which is made from a fruit that is a relative of the wild strawberry and is every bit as potent as poitín.

Perhaps it was the medronho that made me wish I could spend another week in the region or maybe the sunshine, good food and friendly people were the reasons why I found myself reluctant to return home. Whatever it was, I’m glad that I was wrong about the Algarve and look forward to future visits there.

Charlie Taylor was a guest of Budget Travel, www.budgettravel.ie

All aboard for a Portuguese pirate adventure

I FIRST SPIED them while having breakfast one morning on the balcony of our holiday apartment. It was actually my youngest boy who spotted the familiar rigging silhouetted against the sparkling sea. “Look . . . It’s a pirate ship!”

As it turned out, he was right . . . sort of. Hermann Bernhard Arens has been running regular raiding parties along the Algarve coastline from his base at the port in Portimão for the last eight years. His ship – the Santa Bernarda – started its life in 1968 as a fishing cutter based out of Bayonne, south-western France under the name Le Trident.

Already retired from fishing duties, Le Trident had been stranded for some months in Portimão harbour when Arens, spying the cutter through a buccaneer’s eyes, decided to purchase it. He began converting the vessel into its present form in 1996 and, in October 2000, began the first trips of the re-christened Santa Bernarda.

Depending on your level of commitment/sense of adventure, there are four programmes available. One of the most attractive options involves a whole day’s excursion, with a mid-day break for a barbecue on a quiet beach accessible only by boat. Not being 100 per cent certain whether our particular crew (aged seven to 12) could handle a whole day at sea, we opted for the afternoon cruise.

We located some of the shade afforded by the sails and rigging on deck as the ship put-putted out of the broad Arade estuary, flanked on both sides by Portimão’s eclectic mixture of rampant high-rise and traditional buildings, interspersed with stretches of beach, commercial port, and the town’s marina.

The ship left the confines of the port area, leaving behind the huge Praia da Rocha beach, and the swell picked up noticeably. At that point, I decided to head below deck to the shop/bar and emerged a few minutes later with some chocolate, a can of beer and a souvenir pirate hat, using the excuse that I needed to protect my head from the harmful rays of the sun. Why do you think pirates used to wear them, I asked rhetorically of my wife, who laughed in a hearty wench-like manner at my pirate image.

Any coastline is far better seen from the perspective and luxuriant pace of a boat. It’s doubly true of the Algarve, out of whose red and cinnamon-coloured cliffs have been hewn some of the most spectacular caves, beaches and rock formations that you’re likely to see anywhere. After an hour or so, the first batch of tourists were taken on a launch to explore some of the mysterious-looking caverns that are speckled along the coast. They really do feel like the ultimate smugglers hideaways

– places where you’d expect to find hidden contraband from days of old, such as stout bottles of rum or wooden boxes overflowing with gaudy jewellery.

When we returned to our by-now beloved mother ship, she had weighed anchor. Those who wished to were invited to take the plunge into the cold-ish Atlantic from the gunwale of a pirate ship. Seeing as it virtually amounted to walking the plank, I couldn’t resist and the long leap down into the sea was one of the highlights of the day.

Maybe I had swallowed too much seawater, but by the time we were motoring back into the pier at Portimão at 6pm, I swear I could hear the entire body of passengers contentedly humming, “Yo ho ho, it’s a pirate’s life for me.”

Pirate adventures

- Morning Caves Expedition Depart 9.45am, return 1pm. Calm conditions allow for exploration of eight of the most spectacular of the coastal caves. Adults €30, children (aged three to 10) €15.

- Afternoon Caves Expedition Depart 2.30pm, return 6pm. The afternoon brings more favourable conditions for sailing, visiting beaches and caves and, weather-permitting, dropping anchor for a swim. Adults €30, children (aged three to 10) €15.

- “Robinson” Tour with Beach BBQ Depart 9.45pm, return 6pm. A full day’s excursion with cave visits, sailing, snorkelling, swimming and a three-course barbecue meal of traditional Portuguese fare, served on china plates accompanied by wine on a beach accessible only by sea. Adults €60, children (aged three to 10) €30.

- Cape Horn Storm Tour Departure and return by arrangement. Get tossed around in the Atlantic as the Santa Bernarda is put through her paces on the high seas. Adult €30, children (aged three to 10) €15. Details from Santa Bernarda Cruzeiros Ltd, Rua Júdice Fialho 4, Portimão, 00-351-282-422791, www.santa-bernarda.com.

Where to stay and where to eat

Where to stay

- Vista Marina. Rua do Oceano Índico, Praia da Rocha, Portimão, 087-2305084, www.vistamarinaalgarve.ie. Four-star self-catering option with air-conditioning, three pools and gym, its family-friendly location is within short walk of the beach at Praia da Rocha but a comfortable distance from its evening noise.

- Residencial Arabi. Praça Teixeira Gomes 13, Portimão, 00-351-964-332728, www.lusanarade.com. If you want to stay in the heart of Portimao, it’s hard to find a better option – an affordable hotel with the best rooms facing the large square right beside the port and marina, which is pleasantly buzzing with activity in the evening.

- Albergaria Vila Lido. Avenida Tómas Cabreira, Praia da Rocha, 00-351-282-424127, www.hotelvilalido.com. Located right across from the huge praia itself, this charming four-star hotel is one of the most pleasant places to stay on the main strip, at the slightly quieter end near the marina. The terrace and some of the rooms offer superb sea views in a building where Jacqueline Kennedy once stayed in its pre-hotel days.

- Hotel Pestana Dom João II. Praia de Alvor, 00-351-282-400700, www.pestana.com. Modern four-star hotel located minutes away from one of the finest beaches in the Algarve.

- Baia Grande Hotel, Praia da Coelha, Albufeira, www.baiagrandehotel.com. Excellent restaurant and top-class swimming pool, with the sandy beach of Coelha within walking distance.

Where to eat

- Dona Barca. Largo da Barca, Portimão, Portugal, 00-351-282-418216. Finding outstanding value in the touristy Portimão/Praia da Rocha area means eating in an un-touristy spot such as this one located in the grid-pattern of old streets near the centre of Portimão proper. Famous for Algarve seafood specialities.

- Titanic. Edifício Colúmbia, Rua Engenheiro Francisco Bívar, Praia da Rocha, 00-351-282-422371. Very popular with Irish holidaymakers, this quality restaurant offers a smart service, a variety of great seafood, and superb meat and vegetables.

- La Dolce Vita. Avenida Tómas Cabreira, Praia da Rocha, 00-351-282-419444. One of many good-quality reasonably-priced eateries on the main strip, this offers a mostly Italian menu in a charming atmospheric setting.

- Dom Carlos Restaurant. Rua Alves Correia 100, Albufeira, 00-351-289-541224, www.domcarlos.guiadacidade.com. Tucked away in a corner of the old town, a warm welcome and great food await visitors.

Go there

Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) has direct flights to Faro from Dublin, Cork and Belfast. Ryanair (www.ryanair. com) flies to Faro from Dublin and Shannon.