Hi
It looks like we are coming to the Algarve again this year.Yipee!! Around September 5/6th.
Although we have stayed in the Sesmarias area and loved it, we are thinking of staying in Lagoa or Gramacho.

We do have a couple of concerns and would like to ask

1) Are the dogs still a pain in Sesmarias. ie Barking at all hours, especially early mornings
2) We stayed on a golf resort in Spain (I mentioned this on a previous post) and spent a lot of time trying to swat flies
whilst sunbathing..albeit unsucessfully. I was told the flies were a problem because of the fertilizer used on the Golf course.
Is this a problem on Gramacho.

and finally does anyone have a 3 or 4 bedroom villa available in any of the above locations. We are looking around the 5/6 th September for 12nights. Aircon and a pool are a must as well as all mod-cons (dishwasher etc) as we have a couple of kids.
Snaj

Hello,we have a villa In Presa de Moura in Sesmarias which is free from the 5th of september
you can find the villa on "carvoeiro.com" under the name of Villa Maxima,
it has 3 dubble bedrooms, swimmingpool and all the other things
you ask for!

snaj1 wrote:Hi
It looks like we are coming to the Algarve again this year.Yipee!! Around September 5/6th.
Although we have stayed in the Sesmarias area and loved it, we are thinking of staying in Lagoa or Gramacho.

We do have a couple of concerns and would like to ask

1) Are the dogs still a pain in Sesmarias. ie Barking at all hours, especially early mornings
2) We stayed on a golf resort in Spain (I mentioned this on a previous post) and spent a lot of time trying to swat flies
whilst sunbathing..albeit unsucessfully. I was told the flies were a problem because of the fertilizer used on the Golf course.
Is this a problem on Gramacho.

and finally does anyone have a 3 or 4 bedroom villa available in any of the above locations. We are looking around the 5/6 th September for 12nights. Aircon and a pool are a must as well as all mod-cons (dishwasher etc) as we have a couple of kids.
Snaj

We live in Sesmarias and the dogs are a pain but you have to get used to it cos it's the same everywhere on the Algarve, after a while you don't hear them !

Flies seem to breed and multiply at certain times of year, don't think a golf course has any bearing on that cycle.

Try Affinity Villas they offer quite a few villas like the one you seek.

Try "sorry no adverts"

Fly time is usually from in late autumn early spring.
Mossies are another matter and you will find these almost everywhere and like dogs are part of life .

Maybe the person who combined golf courses with flies /mossies has stayed near Salgados where the large brackish water lagoon does breed millions of the little devils.

Why Lagoa ?.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. We do like Sesmarias and thought about staying on Gramacho, but after last years experience in Spain its sort of putting us off.
We do like the thought of Lagoa as there seem to be enough restaurants around to keep us happy and
a number of bars in the square!

Thanks
Snaj

Then a villa close to the centre of Carvoeiro will give you all you are looking for. You will have bars restaurants and the beach, childrens playground at the church and football pitches up close to the Mirachoro Hotel.
I've sent you a pm

Make sure you book your golf tee times well in advance. Pestana, who own/manage Gramacho,Pinta,Sives,Alto & Vila Sol are becoming famous for holding back times for members only and to sell hotel rooms, people from villas are last on the wait list.

Maybe if all the golf courses were closed and the water was not used to soak the areas, there would be less areas for flies and mozzies to breed and also less areas for dogs to run wild on?? might improve the area considerably?? just a suggestion

maccasa wrote:Maybe if all the golf courses were closed and the water was not used to soak the areas, there would be less areas for flies and mozzies to breed and also less areas for dogs to run wild on?? might improve the area considerably?? just a suggestion

" ....................and some fell on stony ground"

" and the tourist industry would die, and all those who own poperty would see it decline dramatically and thousands more would lose their jobs ".

On balance I can put up with the odd fly and mossie.

snaj1 wrote:Thanks for all the advice everyone. We do like Sesmarias and thought about staying on Gramacho, but after last years experience in Spain its sort of putting us off.
We do like the thought of Lagoa as there seem to be enough restaurants around to keep us happy and
a number of bars in the square!

Thanks
Snaj

hi Snaj

can I counsel you against Lagoa? it's not a holiday town, fair enough it has bars but you say you have children; it's nowhere near any beaches and I doubt you'll find the sort of accommodation you say you're looking for.

Gramacho is nice enough, but again it's not near any beaches and is quite a hack to Carvoeiro town, which is lovely in September after the August swarm of tourists have departed.

I'm a bit lost as to why the choice seems to be Lagoa or Gramacho, there's a plethora of nice family villas around; have a look at this site, a good range of choice for area , villa size & choice

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Portug ... /r2244.htm

Why not try Algarve Villa Owners web site.
You will also be supporting this website.

The "Rack Rate" for green fees at Gramacho is now €90 & a buggy €40 so €220 for a couple sharing a buggy.

In Holland you can book return flight Rotterdam / Faro , 5 nights B&B at the Pestana hotel Alvor, hire car and 3 rounds of golf including Gramacho for €500.

Me thinks the local Portuguese are "out of touch" with reality and a local course official advises that numbers on the course have halved. Given the fixed nature of the overheads connected with running golf courses and their importance in encouraging visitors to local restaurants villas & hotels surely it's time to get back in touch with affordability.

WIdge, I know that this has been said many times but who on earth ever pays the rack rate.

All over the Algarve there are agencies /shops where you can get discounts ( Carvoeiro has its own golf shop that we have used ).

Gramacho is not the only golf course in the Algarve, two weeks ago we paid 25euros/ round not too far from Carvoeiro.

Gramacho is more of a vehicle for property sales than a " golf course ".