I've just come across a recent article at http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-a ... z1CPJxvtF6 which says "Prices have fallen 49% in Portugal over the last 12 months". Not having visited since 2009, is there any truth in it?

No - load of rubbish if you are talking about the popular towns in the algarve. Three course meal for two including wine for £16? Yes - if you shop around you MAY get that but generally, you'd be lucky to get 3 courses and a glass of water for ONE person for £16 in one of the standard fare restaurants.

Anyway - I can confirm that the prices have not dropped by 49%, no matter what they have written in their table.

The price of a drink has actually increased in some bars.

Thanks, not surprised. Never trust anything associated with the Daily Mail!

If you search for the original article published by some tourism board they make it sound like a huge drop in prices...reading the detail the first point is the exchange rate being circa 1.18 vs parity last year. so its not a price reduction which is the way the headline made it out to be...its about time there was!

if you shop around there are deals to be had in some eateries but in general no price crash

Why when there is rampant food inflation , higher VAT, fuel costs etc in the UK would anyone with half a brain expect prices to fall in Portugal which is also aflicted by the same problems.

Tell me where in the UK can you get 2 or 3 course meal with wine for £20 ( E23euros ) , The Algarve is has many, many places where you can get such value. They just do not happen to be on restaurant hill in Carvoeiro.

I think, concerning "restaurant hill", Casa do Bife is doing a menu for quite a good value at the moment.

You can get a meal for 2 with wine for €23 - but not in CVO - if you have the daily special at Nuno's in poco partido and the "jarro" of wine it would be about that - I was there last sat 3 of us. Bread and humus/tuna/olives/carrots/pate etc and 1 starter, then 2 Chicken piri-piri + 1 monk fish rice, 2 Jarros of red and a glass of white, one almond tart, 2 coffees + 3 free ports - total €40 inc tip.

Otherwise there are several local cafes - Branco's, Fatacil etc where you can get a 2 course + wine/beer + coffee and a brandy for €7-7.5 but only lunchtimes

Best Chicken piri-piri is at O Casarao on the island as you go into Lagoa - its € 8 inc sald and chips - drinks extra - usually costs around € 25

As regards 49% drop - daily mail - self explanatory

Well The Resident reports that Portugal gives the best value of any holiday destination in the world

http://www.algarveresident.com/story.asp?XID=39984

We light a fire every night and use the pine cones we buy in IZI's to get it started. They cost €2.90 a bag.

Driving back from Portimao yesterday afternoon we took a detour through Estombar and turned right under the narrow bridge to come past Pestana. My wife wanted a newspaper and as I went in to get it in the supermarket opposite the main entrance to Gramacho - I noticed that the same pine cones - exactly the same as IZI's were €4.36 - a 44% difference.

Every time I go in there (only to buy a newspaper) I have never seen a soul (apart from the shop assistant) in the shop. If that level of markup is indicative of their other pricing - they won't be selling much of anything.

We have friends who live on Pestana and they have told us about the excessive prices they are expected to pay for services - this is the first time I have seen evidence of their blatant over pricing

If residents of Pestana use the local shop when Pau a Sucar is just minutes drive away then they obviously have more money than sense.

Why even buy cones, we use the recycled paper logs ( 1/2 log is enough ) and these cost E2.90 for a large box that last us weeks.

Far less soot as well.

They're not as pretty!

Residents of Pestana use the local shop to buy a paper (standard price everywhere) and maybe rolls for lunch (it is nice to be able to walk there and not have to get dressed up and drive somewhere)

We are just grateful to the renters at Pestana who don't seem to know the price they should be paying and therefore by their expenditure make the shop commercially viable

We've used the supermarket at Pestana if it's convenient & I think it's very nice & usually well stocked, it is very over priced but obviously handy for the complex.

EMM wrote:Why when there is rampant food inflation , higher VAT, fuel costs etc in the UK would anyone with half a brain expect prices to fall in Portugal which is also aflicted by the same problems.

Tell me where in the UK can you get 2 or 3 course meal with wine for £20 ( E23euros ) , The Algarve is has many, many places where you can get such value. They just do not happen to be on restaurant hill in Carvoeiro.

Loads of places