CVO needs to pull its socks up!

[Farol]

Last Saturday lunchtime we went into Ferragudo square for lunch. Most of the bars and restaurants were open and all doing good business - so good in fact that people were queing for tables and restaurants were bringing out extra tables.

On Sunday (when the flea market was on) Ferragudo was heaving with people and again all the places were doing good business.

Sunday afternoon we were in Alvor. Along both the boardwalk and the promenade were many people. The wooden chalet restaurants/bars were all open and again doing great business.

Later in the day we came past the road to Praia Grande at the time that Club Nau has its Sunday music. All the parking both in the road and the car park by the fort was full - just as it would be in the summer months.

Monday evening we went for a meal in Alvor. Most of the restaurants and bars were open and doing good business. Aditionally the bars that normally have live music in the summer had all started their music season. Both The Black Stove and The Irish Bar next door, which are both big bars, were the fullest I have ever seen them at any time of the year.

But boy what a contrast in CVO. When we went there Sunday evening to have dinner and then to go to a bar for a drink and music it was like a ghost town. You could park anywhere including restaurant hill ! None of the restaurants in the square seemed to have re-opened from their winter holidays and the buiding works at Barco are still ongoing so any lunch in the sun would be a non-starter. We went to Oasis which was half full and then went to try to find a bar/music: Bradys - shut; Roundup - shut; Mungos - you could count the customers on one hand and no music; Harrys - 3 guys propping up the bar. As we walked around we were surprised not to see tumbleweed rolling by.

If the businesses in CVO do not start to provide customers with what they want then they will go elsewhere and the town will die. Every year the bars & restaurants close for their holidays earlier and earlier and then re-open later and later. I don't accept for one minute that there aren't the customers about as the contrary was firmly proved in Ferragudo & Alvor.

The business is out there if they try hard enough.

[Aldo]

I agree, when we were over last week the town was like a ghost town in the evening. Even is the entertainment in the square started early May til end of Oct it would be a start
There were groups of golfers with nowhere to go after dinner apart from the hotel bar or sullys.
The locals complain that the winters are quiet but they ar not providing any reason for the tourists to visit. When we first visited CVO, it was good to visit during the winter months and meet other property owners when out and about in the evening.

Lets hope it improves

[maccasa]

I do tend to agree - its gorgeous here at the moment - low 20's and bright sunny days, but chilly 7/8 at night, but its very quiet and could do with livening up. Don't know about pulling socks up, I don't wear them here

[tricky]

During the day ferragudo pulls the tourists in with the set lunch menus at o barriil and porterade. I can't think of anywhere that does set menus in carvoeiro or any traditional restaurants open at lunchtime ? Also I would love a food market open in the mornings in the square. ( just my dream)

[PaulGoode]

I certainly think that many of the bars, particularly those that offer some form of live music should open earlier and generate some atmosphere earlier in the season. We have just returned and it was very quiet in the evening. We did visit the Jailhouse and that pulled in a decent crowd. We walked up to Paulo's (ex Casa Algarvia) at lunchtime one day and his new restaurant, Ponto De Contro was very busy, so they are doing their bit! We do like Ferragudo and found ourselves visiting Caneiros beach and the town on several days as it does promote a lively atmosphere, especially around the square. There is certainly scope to work on this.

[algarve123]

Its a fair enough point. It has crossed our minds to visit Carvoeiro when we have had time free from work earlier/later in the year in the past but have been put off for this reason.

When in Carvoeiro in April last year we took trip to Ferragudo around lunchtime and also noticed the difference in the crowds in the restaurants.

I can certainly see it from both sides and it is hard to open and pay staff when you are unsure if it will attract crowds but from a completely selfish point of view we would love to see things being a bit more lively in Carvoeiro earlier/later in the year.

[cumbria sue]

During the day ferragudo pulls the tourists in with the set lunch menus at o barriil and porterade. I can't think of anywhere that does set menus in carvoeiro or any traditional restaurants open at lunchtime ? Also I would love a food market open in the mornings in the square. ( just my dream)

Vimar and Jardim O Farrol do set meals at lunchtime. Last year we were told by a local that if restaurants are open at lunchtime it is law that they serve a set price

[biffa]

Fully agree with above comments. Other less attractive places than Carvoeiro are open and doing business. It is the old vicious circle of places closed up so no tourists - no tourists so not worth opening. Some businesses must break that circle - what happened to the Carvoeiro Business association that started up a while back?

I do think there is also an element of "come the summer it will be packed so we will take it then and rest up in the winter".

[sunman]

when we lived in Carvoeiro we were often the only lights on in VDM, ADM had very few more; Carvoeiro is a tourist town, very few residents, so off season was very quiet;
Alvor & Ferragudo have lots more residents, both locals & expats; Carvoeiro 'locals' live in Lagoa,

& re the set menu, several restaurants offered them on the hill, it's meant to be a deal for workers, not cheap lunches for tourists so they weren't greatly advertised as hill restaurants couldn't make any money out of them, hence why you'll find more in Lagoa,

I'm not defending Carvoeiro per se, we'd like to see more too, just offering a little perspective.

[Farol]

re the set menu, several restaurants offered them on the hill, it's meant to be a deal for workers, not cheap lunches for tourists so they weren't greatly advertised as hill restaurants couldn't make any money out of them

Don't really understand this as many places head their set menus up as "Tourist Menu" and I can't believe that any decent business would not want to draw business from every sector. We are not just talking about the low season as the places that I have seen with set menus offer them all year around and some run them in the evening as well. I'm sure they at least break even on them and know that they can make extra money by selling extra drinks or expecting some diners to go for the full menu.

I believe people will travel to places that have a good offering (be they Portuguese, expat residents, tourists or second home owners) but my point is that CVO is doing nothing to draw anybody in.

Too many restaurants and bars are shut, there is too little entertainment, insufficient street cafe bar culture, no flea market or weekly/monthly market, no art galleries, no museums, no sport (other than the tennis club) - even the CVO football team don't play in CVO! Oh and did I mention the odd hours that the Tourismo office seems to keep?

When you have ANA slapping extra charges on car rentals at the airport, the motorway tolls still annoying most people and the local council finding it tough to keep funding so many things then I think businesses have to work harder to keep people coming. Otherwise tourists will go elsewhere causing a further decline in the local economy which in turn will cause some owners to sell up and some expats to move away, more hotels will close, etc., etc., etc.

I'm sure we can all think of towns all around the world that are shadows of what they once were. It happens when people fail to react to change, get complacent and don't do anything until it's too late.

[sunman]

what I'm pointing out, not defending, is that Carvoeiro has always been quiet in the winter, there is/ was nothing to decline from; it was always hard to find a restaurant open in Jan/ Feb, the Chinese at the top of the hill stayed open, O Indiano, Casa Algarvia didn't shut long and a couple of others but most closed for 3 or 4 months;
& pre darts league days most bars closed too.
so in that sense nothing's changed; on the positive side, Primavera, Villa Medici, the new wine bar, The new incarnation of The Black Stove, Vimar, the ever expanding square bar/ restaurant, and more have enhanced the town greatly;
there are a few restaurants that I swear haven't had a lick of paint since I started coming in 1985, & the 'hill menu' has at last got some very good alternatives.

[DVBRO]

Don't worry all. The train is back, that should attract the Tourists and get all the locals frustrated driving behind It!