Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal – facts and figures
Vilamoura is the name given to an area rather than to any actual town. It is outstanding in that it is one of the largest single tourist complex in Europe and covers some 2.000 hectares of land. The land is variable in its vegetation, some parts covered in pine forests whilst others open recovered marshland. Vilamoura is a special place, a unique leisure and recreation resort community where the pace of life is so easy it feels like summer all year round.
Designed from the start to be self-sufficient, Vilamoura is ideally located, features a wide choice of prime accommodation, offers the commercial structure for day-to-day needs and is bursting with sporting and leisure facilities for the whole family. It is a place for rest and relaxation but also for pursuing active pastimes and sports; a friendly and safe residential haven, but also a vibrant and exciting night-life centre. It is a luxury hotel, a private villa or a serviced apartment for the visitor, but also a home to the resident and seasonal population. It is Portuguese, but also truly cosmopolitan. Away from the hectic pace and the stress of the modern world, all who visit are revitalised by the lifestyle, the convenience and the hospitality of this truly special place.
The Marina is enormous and hosts some very glamorous vessels indeed. The waterfront is great for wandering around day or night. A number of boats, including The Condor de Vilamoura, run excursions along the coast towards Lagos and beyond. Big game fishing is also on the cards. A boat chartered from Vilamoura in 1993 caught the world's largest recorded black marlin - 737kg and 3.65m long! It's displayed on the dockside. Either side of the marina are sandy beaches with several cafes and bars. Vilamoura is especially popular with sports enthusiasts as it has excellent facilities
International airports are: Lisboa, Porto, Faro, Funchal (Madeira), Ponta Delgada (São Miguel, Açores), and Lajes (Ilha Terceira, Açores). The national airline is TAP–Air Portugal. The regional air company, SATA, flies connections to the Açores Islands. There are also air links between Funchal (Madeira) and Porto Santo. Portugalia (www.pga.pt) and Air Luxor also operate schedule flights to and from Portugal in Europe. Every day, international trains run between Paris and Lisbon (Sud Express); Lisbon-Madrid train Lusitânia, and Porto-Vigo
TimeContinental Portugal and Madeira Island are on the Greenwich time - five hours ahead of Eastern Time & eight ahead of Pacific Time. The Azores Islands are 1 hour behind the Portuguese mainland. Daylight savings time begins the last Sunday in March (clocks are turned one hour ahead) and ends the last Sunday in October (clocks go back one hour).
ClimateMild year round. Summers are dry and clear, with warm sunshine extending long into Autumn. Winters are moderately cool and are the rainiest time of year, except in subtropical Madeira, where there is little rain. Mid-Summer temperatures range in the 70 F, while Winter temperatures range from the low to mid-50s.
Getting around Urban public transport In the main towns there is a complete public transport network. In Lisboa there are buses, the underground, and trams. One may also use public elevators (lifts). Tourism Information Centers at Carris (Lisboa) and STCP (Porto) sell tourist tickets every business day from 8 am to 8 pm.
Taxis are painted mostly cream with a roof-light to identify them. However, there are still some taxis which keep the old colours, green and black. In towns they use taximeters, but once outside urban boundaries the service is charged by the kilometre, and includes the price of the driver’s return trip to his starting point. From 10 pm to 6 am the rate increases by 20%. It is normal to give a tip of 10% on top of the fare. Luggage is charged according to a fixed rate. All taxis have an updated chart in two languages.
Express trains run between Lisbon and Porto stopping in Coimbra (Alfa trains), while regional trains (Intercidades and Inter-regional) connect the different parts of Portugal. These trains have first and second class carriages, except for local and suburban trains, where there is only one class. Special tickets - including tourist tickets valid for 7, 14 or 21 days, may be bought, while there are special return ticket discounts on “blue days” for trips exceeding 100 km.
In reality it is fantastic and spacious area with sun beds and a patio table and six chairs. There is also a sun sail (shade) which allows valuable shade in between topping up your tan. The terrace was well used. We had our breakfast there and then did a bit of sunbathing before lunch which was sometimes on the terrace too. On return from our daily trips we would usually spend an hour or so before getting ready to head out to the marina and on our return no matter what time it was we would spend time on the terrace. Yes the terrace was well used.
