Kwik Travel

The Algarve

On the southernmost point of Portugal lies the Algarve. Lying along the Mediterranean seafront, this area’s tourist resorts cater superbly for all types of visitor, offering a host of accommodation and entertainment possibilities including bars and nightclubs, cafés and restaurants. However, if you’d like to delve a little deeper into the traditional Portuguese way of life, there are countless sleepy towns and picturesque fishing villages to be found, where cobbled streets and whitewashed houses surround pretty squares. Portugal’s history and culture has been shaped by a variety of occupying forces. As well as the legacy left by the Greeks and the Romans, Portugal’s most striking influence has to have been that of the Moors and this is still evident in the country’s superb architecture.
As Portugal’s capital, Lisbon is counted as one of Europe’s most fascinating cities. With a superb range of museums, a vibrant café culture and a stunning network of medieval alleyways, Lisbon is well worth a visit. If you fancy a spot of shopping, you’ll find some excellent monthly markets selling rural handicrafts and ceramics. Portuguese cuisine is hearty and rustic, with fresh seafood taking pride of place on most menus. For something spicy, why not try 'frango piri piri', a chicken dish of North African origin and to wash your meal down (if you’re feeling adventurous!) there’s 'Medronho'- a fruit liqueur certain to leave you gasping!

Madeira

Lying in the Atlantic Ocean, 700km off the western coast of Africa is the Portuguese island of Madeira. Although small, Madeira’s mountainous landscape is truly breathtaking, with dense, wooded hillsides, lush banana plantations and semi-tropical gardens. Dotted throughout the island you’ll find tiny villages and ever-welcoming Madeiran communities. Such an environment presents fantastic opportunities for walkers and also benefits from a superb year round climate. With a variety of high quality 4 and 5* hotels, many of which offer spa treatments, Madeira is the perfect destination for relaxing in luxury and enjoying nature to the full. The tranquil village of Canico and its sea level resort, Canico de Baixo are fast becoming popular with British visitors and are reputed to enjoy some of Madeira’s best weather. Still retaining its traditional village ambience, this area proves popular with walkers and is also ideal for couples in search of a peaceful break. As Madeira’s capital, historic Funchal now stands as a thriving and cosmopolitan commercial centre. Offering a whole host of things to see and do as well as a multitude of places to relax and enjoy good food and wine, Funchal is a marvellous place to visit.
Just 9km from Funchal, the small village of Garajau is the perfect spot for a relaxing holiday and an excellent base from which to explore the rest of the island.

Albuferia

First and foremost, Albufeira is famed for its beaches, for the countless shades and tones of its rocks and cliffs. This is a place where people live to the rhythm of the great holiday destinations, sunbathing during the day and at sunset flocking to enjoy the restaurants, bars and discos that enliven the evenings. Just a few miles inland and everything changes. The green of the countryside is dotted with almond, fig, orange and pine trees and decorated chimneys stand out against the ochre of tiled roofs. Albufeira boasts beaches where the sand is fine and the sea a turquoise blue sheltered by cliffs that are canvasses painted with a whimsical palette of natural hues. It is for its beaches that Albufeira is internationally renowned, because all of them are different... and they are all equally enchanting

Vilamoura

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 nightlife 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. 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

Alvor

Although this ancient coastal village is now a very popular holiday location the enclosed narrow streets have kept development to a minimum. Many of these streets now boast bars with live music and different types of restaurants, however leading off from these there are still memories of the older fishing village. In the area are a number of holiday resorts from which the tourists enjoy visiting it and its attractions. The village is well located facing a natural lagoon opening onto the sea. There is a choice of a long open sandy beach or a number of small coves tucked under the cliffs. The originally 16th Century Parish Church was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755 and still has a prime example in its main doorway of the great craftsmanship of the Manueline era of architecture. It was the only building that more or less survived from the earthquake.

Praia Da Rocha

An extensive stretch of sand sheltered by cliffs, the Praia da Rocha (Rock Beach) is known internationally and has for long been Portimão´s "visiting card". Inviting the visitor to sun, sand and sea, the sweeping bay offers excellent conditions for water sports and boat-rides. "Three Bears", "Indented Rocks" and "Two Brothers" are some of the names chosen by the local inhabitants to identify the rocks that rise from the sand, affording soothing shades when it gets too hot. The Tomás Cabreira Avenue, which follows the coastline to the Santa Catarina de Ribamar Fortress, is full of hotels, bars, restaurants, esplanades and discotheques that, together with the Casino, turn Rocha into a zone of intense commercial and tourist activity. Extremely cosmopolitan, the zone offers an enormous variety of night entertainment, which grows significantly during the summer season.