Fabrica Velha, at the Lagoa end of the Carvoeiro "in road" do excellent birthday cakes made to your requirements. They are also a genuine bakery and in my view a great asset to the village.

We met Radar and his new "owner" when he was being walked in the village. The young guy seems to be taking his responsibility very seriously. Making sure he is well fed and walked (on a lead) 3 times a day. The slight problem is that he has another dog and she is a bitch. Doesn't sound like Radar mi...

We were told by a normally reliable local source yesterday, that the Carvoeiro carnaval had been cancelled for the Sunday and Tuesday. The schoolchildren will still do their parade around the village on Friday. Anyone have any other information?

We rented a car from the airport last Saturday to drive to our villa in Carvoeiro. We used the A22 and came off at the Lagoa exit. On Tuesday we went to the newsagents in Intermache and paid our 4.60 euros toll charge. No problem. We are here on a long stay and will again use the A22 back to the air...

We have been stopped twice by the GNR, but then again we do spend about 6 months of the year in Carvoeiro, so I don't think they are picking on us. And actually treated very politely, including a salute ( it must be my age). Each time they were happy with plastic part of my drivers licence, since it...

Hi LICY, Your needs seem very close to ours. We converted to a freesat box a couple of years ago, supplied by R J Tecnica in Carvoeio, and have had no problems. Reception seems to be better than when we were on Sky, and we obtain very good HD. This is with a 1.3m dish. In fact the TV reception is be...

We are not in CVO at the moment but they are most probably on loan from the German guy who runs the Quinta dos Vales winery in Estombar. We went to an open day there when we were last over, and the "statues" are everywhere. He advertises the winery as "wine and art". The open days are great, with lo...

When my daughter visited us last year with her four daughters including a two year old we bought a car seat from the charity shop in the village - for 5 euros. We intended to return it after the visit, but decided to keep it and now hope that it will still be OK for their visit this year.

Would agree that restaurant square in Monte Carvoeiro is very child friendly, and there are two family run restaurants which I would recommend - O Salmao and Elliots. Surprising for both restaurants the chefs are British and their wives are Portuguese. If you are staying west-side then it is very co...

We spend 6 months of the year in Carvoeiro and often shop at Intermarche. We always visit on the way from the airport to collect essentials. We also often find our expat friends in there, so it must be doing something right. They have the best team of butchers that we have found in the local area, a...

We bought sofas, dining furniture, and some bedroom items from Sofavip near the Fatacil in Lagoa. Excellent service, and 5 years later no problems with any of the items.

Patio Gas is propane gas sold by calor in the UK. Unlike other propane gas bottles it has a quick release connector, which is why we us it on a Weber gas bbq in UK. Propane is not usually recommended for the Algarve, since it is more suited to cooler climates. You will need to change to a butane reg...

Agree, Christina at R J Tecnica. Excellent, prompt service at a sensible cost.

If you have not done so already, suggest you talk to Paula in Top Shower / Solcave, near the Fatacil in Lagoa. This maybe the outlet you refer to. She is very helpful, and if she cannot find what you want in any of her catalogues, it probably isn't available in Portugal.

We have not been back in two years following a bad experience. Having spent the evening being totally ignored by the owner, who was so distracted by his Dutch visitors, that we had to ask three times for the bill, I went home and was seriously sick after eating what I assume was a dead clam (or two)...