|Home| Info| Community| Business| Beaches| What to do?| Rentals| News| Forum| Blogs| Finance| History| FAQ| Contact|
The village in 'season'
-
Michael Crane
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 11216
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 5:51 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Contact:
The village in 'season'
Those of you that have read my usual reports of my time in Carvoeiro will know that I have only visited Christmas/New Year and March/April . . . never in the 'season'. This year Sharen and I made the effort to see what it's like in June.
We flew with EasyJet out of Stansted during a slight lull in a massive thunderstorm. When at the Gate looking through the windows we could see forked lightening streaking up into the sky as planes osscilated their way to precarious landings on an ocean of water that covered the runway. The spray chucked up by the wheels made the planes disappear from view as they floated to a halt - it was like attending a David Copperfield show without the annoying Mr Copperfield. We were sat on the tarmac for an hour, waiting for the storm to abate before we took off . . . a flight already one hour later than first booked.
We weren't stopping in the village this time - our usual villa was occupied by its owner who vacated it on the Wednesday as we arrived on the Tuesday and he handed the keys over to someone else! Instead we got a great deal from an EasyHotel @ 17 euros per night for a one-bedroomed self-catering apartment at Salgados Bayview. According to info gleaned off t'internet the apartments had been fully refurbished so we weren't that bothered about not having the villa this once. At Easter we had driven around to find the location of Bayview, and after a bit of tooing and froing we found it - and marked it in our memories for our return eight weeks later.
Unfortunately, due to the storm and the late take-off we arrived at Faro in the dark . . . and as you all know, everything looks different late at night . . . as indeed did the route we'd carefully filed away. I drove a lot more too and fro this time seeking out landmarks in the dark - a journey reminiscent of the Easter car treasure hunt (and that set me in a bad mood as those of you that read my report might imagine). Mrs C and I were not having a lovely time; driving around in the dark like a bat with a blindfold careening about the Algarve in search of our apartment. Eventually, more by luck than judgment or navigational skills, we stumbled upon it.
Access, that late at night (0030) ,was via the Reception and then through the bar. It was this walk through the bar that didn't auger well for us - it was karaoke night and our fellow residents were belting out unfathomable lyrics gulping in lungfuls of cigarette smoke in a bar that appeared to be for smokers only! It was only a short distance but when we exited into the clear fresh air our clothes and hair stank and I was coughing up a lung like a forty-a-day Capstan smoker.
Mind you, the smell of smoke soon went as we entered our apartment . . . . to be replaced by the welcoming aroma of wee. The beds were damp and the place smelled of wee - I just hoped the two were unconnected for we were both too weary to go elsewhere as we climbed into bed. (I later learned from roy4eyes that wet cement smells of wee and I have kept that thought ever since - the alternative being too dire to live with).
As we lay in our cement-scented bed we decided that one night was more than enough to spend at Bayview and the following morning we drove to Carvoeiro and booked ourselves into the Mirachoro - the 4* hotel on Estrado de Farol. For 87 euros per night we got the best room in the hotel, overlooking the pool, the village and out to sea, including an all-you-can-eat-for-the-rest-of-the-day breakfast. Bliss.
We had planned to get out and about a bit more in the car this holiday (we were just using Bayview as a base) but, two factors kept us from this admirable plan. 1. the room and balcony was so inviting; 2. a tyre on the hire car blew and it couldn't be replaced until after the weekend and I didn't fancy driving around without a spare. We had also planned to self-cater but, now we didn't have a cooker we ate out every night.
We went to A Rede a lot (very near to the hotel) and enjoyed most meals, with the exception of their chicken cataplana. So far as I am aware (and I base this on other cataplanas we'd enjoyed elsewhere in the past) the dish is a whole chicken casseroled in a pan with loads of local vegetables. If this is true of A Rede's chicken cataplana then they are serving six-legged chickens for we were served a dish containing six lumpy, bony chicken thighs and several wings. Six legs might account for the time it took to arrive on our table - the little sods must be buggers to catch! Sadly it appears that the nicer bits of the chickens (lovely succulent breast) is reserved for 'proper' chicken dishes and the bits that no one else wants is shoved into a pan with an onion and a pepper and is reincarnated as a cataplana. It was a disappointing meal and one which we left mostly untouched as our vain quest for a slice of chicken breast proved impossible.
However, this was the only 'bad' meal there and I don't want to put anyone off from eating there. We did enjoy the Algar Seco fish 'special' on two occasions and would recommend it, especially on a meet-up Thursday night.
We have come to the conclusion that we prefer our usual holiday periods and won't be returning during the 'season'. Too many people about for our liking.
Before I go I'd just like to get off my chest a couple of gripes about my fellow passengers from Faro to Stansted.
1. I hate queue jumpers when boarding the plane but I do accept that kiddies and the disabled have to be boarded first; but, when one wheelchaired fat bloke rolls up to the front of the queue I was peed off. This bloke had been seen walking into the airport and around the shops for a couple of hours before he trundles up to the front of the queue firmly seated in his chair and boards first! He is wheeled to the transfer bus from which he alights first at the plane and then walks unaided up a steep flight of steps to claim the seat of his choice. The shouts of, "It's a miracle, he can walk!" must still be ringing in his ears.
Extra bit on wheelchairs: Ryanair charge a wheelchair levy to all customers. Last year, en route to Dublin I asked for a wheelchair arguing that having paid the levy I was entitled to the use of one. Guess who ended up walking to the plane!
2. A couple sat in front of us, one row down and to our left in seats A & C leaving B empty between them. This was a calculated and selfish act to get three seats for the price of two; and they were successful as no one bothered to deposit themselves in the middle. However, there was a price to pay . . . . the wife sat on a seat upon which had been thoughtfully placed a nice wad of chewing gum! We smiled to ourselves as she tried in vain to remove the viscid mass from her backside. If any of you are contemplating using this tactic, be warned, if I am travelling alone, I will sit in the middle!
We flew with EasyJet out of Stansted during a slight lull in a massive thunderstorm. When at the Gate looking through the windows we could see forked lightening streaking up into the sky as planes osscilated their way to precarious landings on an ocean of water that covered the runway. The spray chucked up by the wheels made the planes disappear from view as they floated to a halt - it was like attending a David Copperfield show without the annoying Mr Copperfield. We were sat on the tarmac for an hour, waiting for the storm to abate before we took off . . . a flight already one hour later than first booked.
We weren't stopping in the village this time - our usual villa was occupied by its owner who vacated it on the Wednesday as we arrived on the Tuesday and he handed the keys over to someone else! Instead we got a great deal from an EasyHotel @ 17 euros per night for a one-bedroomed self-catering apartment at Salgados Bayview. According to info gleaned off t'internet the apartments had been fully refurbished so we weren't that bothered about not having the villa this once. At Easter we had driven around to find the location of Bayview, and after a bit of tooing and froing we found it - and marked it in our memories for our return eight weeks later.
Unfortunately, due to the storm and the late take-off we arrived at Faro in the dark . . . and as you all know, everything looks different late at night . . . as indeed did the route we'd carefully filed away. I drove a lot more too and fro this time seeking out landmarks in the dark - a journey reminiscent of the Easter car treasure hunt (and that set me in a bad mood as those of you that read my report might imagine). Mrs C and I were not having a lovely time; driving around in the dark like a bat with a blindfold careening about the Algarve in search of our apartment. Eventually, more by luck than judgment or navigational skills, we stumbled upon it.
Access, that late at night (0030) ,was via the Reception and then through the bar. It was this walk through the bar that didn't auger well for us - it was karaoke night and our fellow residents were belting out unfathomable lyrics gulping in lungfuls of cigarette smoke in a bar that appeared to be for smokers only! It was only a short distance but when we exited into the clear fresh air our clothes and hair stank and I was coughing up a lung like a forty-a-day Capstan smoker.
Mind you, the smell of smoke soon went as we entered our apartment . . . . to be replaced by the welcoming aroma of wee. The beds were damp and the place smelled of wee - I just hoped the two were unconnected for we were both too weary to go elsewhere as we climbed into bed. (I later learned from roy4eyes that wet cement smells of wee and I have kept that thought ever since - the alternative being too dire to live with).
As we lay in our cement-scented bed we decided that one night was more than enough to spend at Bayview and the following morning we drove to Carvoeiro and booked ourselves into the Mirachoro - the 4* hotel on Estrado de Farol. For 87 euros per night we got the best room in the hotel, overlooking the pool, the village and out to sea, including an all-you-can-eat-for-the-rest-of-the-day breakfast. Bliss.
We had planned to get out and about a bit more in the car this holiday (we were just using Bayview as a base) but, two factors kept us from this admirable plan. 1. the room and balcony was so inviting; 2. a tyre on the hire car blew and it couldn't be replaced until after the weekend and I didn't fancy driving around without a spare. We had also planned to self-cater but, now we didn't have a cooker we ate out every night.
We went to A Rede a lot (very near to the hotel) and enjoyed most meals, with the exception of their chicken cataplana. So far as I am aware (and I base this on other cataplanas we'd enjoyed elsewhere in the past) the dish is a whole chicken casseroled in a pan with loads of local vegetables. If this is true of A Rede's chicken cataplana then they are serving six-legged chickens for we were served a dish containing six lumpy, bony chicken thighs and several wings. Six legs might account for the time it took to arrive on our table - the little sods must be buggers to catch! Sadly it appears that the nicer bits of the chickens (lovely succulent breast) is reserved for 'proper' chicken dishes and the bits that no one else wants is shoved into a pan with an onion and a pepper and is reincarnated as a cataplana. It was a disappointing meal and one which we left mostly untouched as our vain quest for a slice of chicken breast proved impossible.
However, this was the only 'bad' meal there and I don't want to put anyone off from eating there. We did enjoy the Algar Seco fish 'special' on two occasions and would recommend it, especially on a meet-up Thursday night.
We have come to the conclusion that we prefer our usual holiday periods and won't be returning during the 'season'. Too many people about for our liking.
Before I go I'd just like to get off my chest a couple of gripes about my fellow passengers from Faro to Stansted.
1. I hate queue jumpers when boarding the plane but I do accept that kiddies and the disabled have to be boarded first; but, when one wheelchaired fat bloke rolls up to the front of the queue I was peed off. This bloke had been seen walking into the airport and around the shops for a couple of hours before he trundles up to the front of the queue firmly seated in his chair and boards first! He is wheeled to the transfer bus from which he alights first at the plane and then walks unaided up a steep flight of steps to claim the seat of his choice. The shouts of, "It's a miracle, he can walk!" must still be ringing in his ears.
Extra bit on wheelchairs: Ryanair charge a wheelchair levy to all customers. Last year, en route to Dublin I asked for a wheelchair arguing that having paid the levy I was entitled to the use of one. Guess who ended up walking to the plane!
2. A couple sat in front of us, one row down and to our left in seats A & C leaving B empty between them. This was a calculated and selfish act to get three seats for the price of two; and they were successful as no one bothered to deposit themselves in the middle. However, there was a price to pay . . . . the wife sat on a seat upon which had been thoughtfully placed a nice wad of chewing gum! We smiled to ourselves as she tried in vain to remove the viscid mass from her backside. If any of you are contemplating using this tactic, be warned, if I am travelling alone, I will sit in the middle!
-
Ellie
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 8886
- Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:16 pm
- Location: Londoner in the Wolds,Lincs
- Contact:
Theres a deal of difference between paying '17 euros a night' and 87 ! 
..70 euros in fact 
Ive never heard of anywhere as cheap as that?
This 'wee' smell, is it cos beach sand is used to make the cement? Thats what I was told once.....
and the place not aired at all?
No..I wouldn't go on hol there 'in season'..it was bad enough at times when living there, trying to get around during high season,as Jeremy says in July /August!
Hey, somethings happened here.....you have to register /log-in, to post!?
..70 euros in fact Ive never heard of anywhere as cheap as that?
This 'wee' smell, is it cos beach sand is used to make the cement? Thats what I was told once.....
and the place not aired at all?
No..I wouldn't go on hol there 'in season'..it was bad enough at times when living there, trying to get around during high season,as Jeremy says in July /August!
Hey, somethings happened here.....you have to register /log-in, to post!?
-
Michael Crane
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 11216
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 5:51 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Contact:
-
laserblazer
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 6209
- Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:11 am
- Location: Worcestershire and QdP
Great report Michael but the wheelchair thing might not have been all the guys fault. My wife is disabled, she wears calipers on both legs but can walk slowly. We normally ask for pre-boarding because otherwise, she has to try and keep pace with the crowd or hold people up. Normally, this just means being allowed to board a little earlier along with the young families. At Faro, they normally say you have to have a wheelchair if you want assisted boarding. If you are in a wheelchair you are at the mercy of the guy pushing it and it is him who jumps the queue. A couple of years ago, we nearly got into a fight because we were shepherded to the front and one passenger got over-excited. 
So now, my wife walks and we hold people up. Not too big a problem on off-season to Faro because most of the passengers are elderly and not inclined to rush.
So now, my wife walks and we hold people up. Not too big a problem on off-season to Faro because most of the passengers are elderly and not inclined to rush.-
Michael Crane
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 11216
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 5:51 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Contact:
From what I saw of this guy he wasn't (obviously) wearing calipers, nor did he have a stick or any aid. His wife pushed him to the front - pushing past parents and children. In fact, they had their grandchild with them - so they could have got on 'first' any way!
There are a lot of people nowadays poodling around on wheels. Mablethorpe (Lincs. coast) is full of them . . . . and the vast majority are just too fat to walk - 'catch-22' springs to mind!
This isn't the first time I've seen passengers happily walking around the shops and turning up in a wheelchair . . . and no doubt it'll not be the last.
If I ever spot you and your wife I will happily give way to your boarding before me.
There are a lot of people nowadays poodling around on wheels. Mablethorpe (Lincs. coast) is full of them . . . . and the vast majority are just too fat to walk - 'catch-22' springs to mind!
This isn't the first time I've seen passengers happily walking around the shops and turning up in a wheelchair . . . and no doubt it'll not be the last.
If I ever spot you and your wife I will happily give way to your boarding before me.
-
laserblazer
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 6209
- Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:11 am
- Location: Worcestershire and QdP
-
Michael Crane
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 11216
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 5:51 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Contact:
It matters to me if they are just looking to queue jump. This guy and his family were on their feet for over an hour going round the shops - and he went up the steps into the plane without any (apparent) difficulty.pm wrote:Just because someone doesn't 'look disabled' doesn't mean they are not disabled.
Best to give them the benefit of the doubt really, it really doesn't matter you you either way.
Upon landing he was last to deplane (what an awful word!) and I saw him in the Arrivals in a wheelchair . . . . from which he got up from to retrieve his bags and then he and his wife and the kid walked off into the sunset!
-
Michael Crane
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 11216
- Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2003 5:51 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Contact:
-
laserblazer
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 6209
- Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:11 am
- Location: Worcestershire and QdP
Not surpised at you experience at Bayside,we once looked at one of the new apartments there and 3 mins was enough.
PS its also amazing how fast little old ladies can run off the bus at Faro and up the steps of the plane to bag their seats.
We all know that that if you don,t get on baord quickly you will have to stand for the flight.
Othe gripes those who once on board take at least 10 mins to get into their seats leaving the rest of outside in the rain.
PS its also amazing how fast little old ladies can run off the bus at Faro and up the steps of the plane to bag their seats.
We all know that that if you don,t get on baord quickly you will have to stand for the flight.
Othe gripes those who once on board take at least 10 mins to get into their seats leaving the rest of outside in the rain.
-
laserblazer
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 6209
- Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:11 am
- Location: Worcestershire and QdP
-
Lesley Jean
- CVO Legend
- Posts: 4118
- Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 4:07 pm
- Location: Somerset. and Lombos
- Contact:
-
djprescott
- CVO Master
- Posts: 637
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2003 9:53 am
- Location: Warwick UK & Sesmarias
- Contact:
Why not fly with a 'proper' airline!!!Lesley Jean wrote:Problem is with Easyjet there are no numbered seats, it is a free for all. Mind you it does get the plane boarded very quickly, but I am with you tbbr on the people who once they are inside the plane couldn't give a damn about the ones still trying to get in out of the rain.