The rooms
Explore
Community
Create
For owners
Company
Contact & legal
Account
The rooms
Explore
Community
Create
For owners
Company
Contact & legal
Account
Four dinners mark Vilalara Grand Hotel Algarve's 60th anniversary year, each pairing a guest chef with one of the resort's own. The four nights take Atlantic, fire, Mediterranean and Algarve themes; the first three are €137 a head, and the closing open-air dinner is €60. Booking is through the hotel's website.
Setembro Gastronómico brings four chef dinners to Vilalara Grand Hotel Algarve as part of its 60th anniversary year, each pairing a guest chef with one of the resort's own. 4 September – Atlântico, at Coral – Éden do Mar: Diogo Pereira cooks with João Viegas of Mesa Farta, Tavira. €137 per person. 5 September – Fogo, at Raízes: Telmo Pires cooks with Alexandre Silva of LOCO, Lisbon. €137 per person. 7 September – Mediterrâneo, at Trattoria Pantaleone: Ricardo Lucas cooks with Stefano Bulla of Gusto by Heinz Beck, Almancil. €137 per person. 8 September – Algarve, an open-air closing dinner at Praça das Rosas: Louis Anjos of Verdelago Resort joins the three resident chefs, with three dishes from a choice of six. €60 per person.
Vilalara Grand Hotel Algarve · Praia das Gaivotas, Alporchinhos, 8400-450, Porches
Be the first to comment.
One email a week with the best events across the Algarve. Free.
Spots found by members, the town’s own circle, and people who answer whatever you want to ask.
Beautiful viewpoint, walking trails, AND beach. Truly a wonderful gem.
Silves' whitewashed old bridge and the riverside beneath the castle, best at low tide when egrets stalk the Arade mudflats. Everyone climbs to the red castle; far fewer linger on the river. The multi-arched Ponte Velha, medieval on older foundations and long nicknamed the Roman bridge, still carries foot traffic across the Arade, and the banks around it are Silves at its most local: anglers, café tables, market mornings and storks clattering on the chimneys. At low tide the river drops to channels where egrets and waders feed, with the castle and cathedral stacked above the whitewash behind. Cross to the south bank in late afternoon for the view back over town, then take a table near the municipal market as the light turns orange.
A quiet municipal park at Estômbar where freshwater springs meet the tidal Arade, with a tide mill, boardwalks and a stone amphitheatre. Sítio das Fontes is where Lagoa locals go for Sunday picnics while visitors queue for boat trips a few kilometres downstream. Springs bubble into a pool beside the restored tide mill, boardwalk paths loop through marsh and woodland, and egrets and waders work the estuary flats. A small amphitheatre built into the hillside hosts occasional concerts. It is an easy, level wander rather than a hike, which makes it a good outing with children or grandparents in tow. Follow the signs from Estômbar village; late afternoon brings the best light over the marsh, and picnic tables sit under the trees.
The town circle
Ask the locals, share what’s on and keep up with life in Porches.
Ask it here. People who live in the Algarve answer, and no question is too small.
Mould, paint and glaze an almond blossom piece in the Algarve pottery tradition.
Late-afternoon champagne service, Wednesday to Sunday through to late September.
Wednesday evenings at NANA on the Beach: live DJ, Atlantic sunset cocktails and Greco-Mediterranean dinner by the sea, from 18:30 until 30 September.
Tavira's restaurants and cafes serve up Mediterranean Diet inspired menus in the town centre, marking the diet's UNESCO heritage status.
