Tell me the truth please !

[Sue&bill]

We are planning to stay in carvoeiro end dec through to end of march. We live in a very rural location in the uk, no near neighbours etc., I have chosen carvoeiro because it looks fairly well populated and Internet research tells me that the town does not go to sleep in the winter months. Is this true ? Will there still be a good variety of cafe/restaurants open ?

I look forward to reading your replies. Many thanks,

Sue

[pointersister]

Yes Carvoeiro does have places open in the winter months. A lot of the restaurants stay open as do the bars. We have been there in December for my hubbie's birthday and went to a different eatery every night. You can join the walking group if you take a look on this site you will get contact details. Long walks over the cliffs, fabulous views, friendly people what more could you ask for? We always need the heat going in the evenings and ooh the electric blanket If you golf, check out Mungos golf society they are very welcoming and glad to have new members. Their rates are not too bad either. We have friends who have been swimming in the sea in December and really loved it. Last year's weather was not very good in Portugal or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. Hopefully it will be better next year but you can still do outdoor stuff in Portugal better than in UK in winter months. Oh and there are quiz nights in some of the bars too. So just enjoy every minute of your time there. There is something really lovely about Carvoeiro in the off season. Good luck

[Sue&bill]

Thank you. Have also read the villager, so mind pretty much made up.

Would like to join a gym nearby and find an indoor heated pool to use. Also cycle hire. Oh I thought I was coming for a rest !!

Regards

Sue

[laserblazer]

I think you can hire bikes from the motorbike hire place at the end of the out-road. I swim at the Lagoa pool but I'm pretty keen. It's cheap and caters for lane swimming. You can get day passes to the Monte Santo resort, that has a small pool, that tends to be too hot and full of people sanding around and getting in the way. There's a gym in Lagoa that is quite well equipped.

There is enough going on in the winter in Carvoeiro but if you have your bikes and it's a settled day, cycle inland a few miles and try the small restaurants out in the sticks. Chances are they won't speak English but you'll get buy. I've been known to go into the kitchen and point.

[Sue&bill]

Thank you that's a great ell..

Sue

[Geoff]

We won't be there in December, but hope to organise some walks in Jan/Feb, so keep an eye on :
viewforum.php?f=39

[pickwick]

Hi Sue

To be honest Carvoeiro is dead in the winter months. If would look at Lagos as an alternative.

Pickwick

[Ma-Ja's]

Hi Sue

To be honest Carvoeiro is dead in the winter months. If would look at Lagos as an alternative.

Pickwick

I totally disagree with the comment that Carvoeiro is dead in the winter months. Yes, it is of course a lot quieter than during the summer months, as is any tourist destination, however as other posters have already said there are restaurants/bars open and enough going on during the winter in Carvoeiro. If people don't come to Carvoeiro in the winter months because they are told that it is dead, then it will certainly end up being a ghost town as the restaurants/bars will not be able to afford to stay open! Carvoeiro is a wonderful village to spend time in whatever season you choose to visit.

[Jaylay]

We have lived here for 24 years and prefer the winter to the summer.as you can travel around in comfort and dine in most of our favourite restaurants without masses of people.

The spring and autumn are the best as nearly everywhere is open and the weather is neither too hot or too cold.

[Gary/Gaynor]

Hi Sue

To be honest Carvoeiro is dead in the winter months. If would look at Lagos as an alternative.

Pickwick

I totally disagree with the comment that Carvoeiro is dead in the winter months. Yes, it is of course a lot quieter than during the summer months, as is any tourist destination, however as other posters have already said there are restaurants/bars open and enough going on during the winter in Carvoeiro. If people don't come to Carvoeiro in the winter months because they are told that it is dead, then it will certainly end up being a ghost town as the restaurants/bars will not be able to afford to stay open! Carvoeiro is a wonderful village to spend time in whatever season you choose to visit.

Agree Jan, winter in CVO can be just as nice if you don't mind the chill at night. During the day it can be really nice with local restaruant opening and you can sit out when the sun is shinning on the square nr the beach. We have spent Xmas over in CVO and thoroughly enjoyed it with just enough bars and resturants open to satify your needs and if hiring a car cool enough to go ecplore the are in the winter months.
Take a punt and enjoy
Gaynor

[EMM]

CVO/Lagos is not a fair comparson, Lagos is a city , commercial and admiin centre and of course will have more gong on during the day. But once the workers have gone home it will be no less quiet that CVO.
Others would suggest Albufeira but last winter it was reported that in the main tourist area 80% of the bars etc were closed. Something you would never find in CVO.
We too are fans of CVO all year round , we have played golf in shorts on Boxing day and watched the rain fall for days on end and it is a hell of a lot better than a grey dismal UK.

[pickwick]

EMM

You state Lagos/Carvoeiro is not a fair comparison? They have a free choice of where to stay and by stating the comparison is not "fair" you have answered the question - Lagos wins hand down!!

The thread title was "tell me the truth please" and despite the other comments I stand by what I said Sue and Bill would be better advised to go to Lagos than Carvoeiro if they want more choices and a bustling town. Yes there are a few bars and restaurants open in the winter in CVO but in Lagos there are far more.
I love Carvoeiro too but when someone asks for the truth.........

Pickwick

[steve]

In the winter months when we drive home in the evening through Carvoeiro we often hazard a guess as to how many people we will see. At times it has been as few as 3 from the start of the in road to the top of restaurant hill but usually averages double figures. It really can be pretty quiet here in the winter.

[joeysoap]

The whole of the Algarve is quiet in December and January. I have been to Lagos in December and while it is much busier during the day, when it gets dark and the shops close, it is also very quiet. Lagos is much bigger, has many more shops and streets, so it is going to be busier than Cvo, even allowing for that however I doubt that there are all that many more bars and restaurants open during those months than there is in Cvo. I suspect that there might even be more bars open in CVO in January than Lagos.

[cereza]

100% agree with Pickwick !
My brother spends almost every February on the Algarve and his favourite destination is Lagos. Like me, he loves CVO and has spent many enjoyable winters there but if someone wants to know where is the best place to go then Lagos wins hands down. I personally think that Lagos is the prettiest town on the Algarve but that doesn't detract from CVO in any way.
Lagos is much busier and has better facilities than CVO. There are a lot more bars and restaurants open to cater for the locals. The much better transport connections mean you don't have to hire a car unless you want to go up the West Coast or Monchique for example.
It's not a fair comparison as EMM says but that's not the point- the truth is Lagos has much more to offer in terms of a winter break.