Hi Guys

We are visiting Carvoeiro at the end of July and have a villa but no car. We have been before and know how expensive it is to buy food at the local supermarkets so wondered the best way (and the best one) to get to the larger supermarkets. Is there a bus or is a taxi better?

Appreciate you comments

Thanks

James

It might help if you said which part of Carvoeiro you are staying in.

Good point and well made

We are going to be up near Monte Carvoeiro. It is about 10 mins walk from Villa Nova towards to the town.

I think I would hire a car for a day, have a trip out and about, stop off at Portimao Retail Park, do a big shop at Continente, fill the tank (if you have to take it back full). That would probably work out as cheap as a taxi and you have the car for the day.

Alternative, make friends with someone with a car.

thats worth thinking about - I have normally rented cars for longer periods - can you make a recommendation for a company to use for a day?

laserblazer wrote:I think I would hire a car for a day, have a trip out and about, stop off at Portimao Retail Park, do a big shop at Continente, fill the tank (if you have to take it back full). That would probably work out as cheap as a taxi and you have the car for the day.

That is a good idea but has one flaw. If you read the front page of this website it says "Car rental season 2011, Please ensure that for July, August and early September 2011 you make your booking early - just as 2009 & 2010 there WILL NOT BE enough cars on the market to meet demand".

Over the last few years it has been hard to hire a car even in advance. So the OP might find it hard to hire a car for the day.

jb6418 wrote:thats worth thinking about - I have normally rented cars for longer periods - can you make a recommendation for a company to use for a day?

I think if it were just for the day, I would pop in to one of the shops that hire cars. There's a guy goes into Quinta do Paraiso, Carvoeiro Sol and I would imagine Monte Carvoeiro. As Mike Hunt says, there are claims that cars are in short supply but equally people may be deciding not to hire a car for the duration of their holiday. If there are no cars, then I'd say a taxi. Lugging bags of shopping on the bus would be no fun!

Hey steen - a business opportunity!! - Hire out sidexside double bikes with enough space to load the shopping mke sure they have gears for the hills though!

I have also asked this question before when friends and family have stayed at our apartment not everyone wants to hire a car or feels confident about driving abroad. I would just ask the local taxi drivers in the square and get a quote of taking and picking you up. There's the Pingo Doce' (sorry about spelling) and the Pão de Açúcar , Lagoa, Intermarché towards Lagoa
Gaynor

in Praia da Luz the local supermarket ,Baptista, will deliver - anything like that in CVO or Lagoa ?
Maybe a good opportunity for someone?

Do they deliver to Carvoeiro?

They probably have one of those little 3 wheelers with a promotional paint job.
Would take a day to get here from Luz
But to be serious why don,t some of the more enterprising management companies offer a home shop service ??
We have used these when staying in the states and the costs were certainly lesss than a taxi or hire car.
Great for bulk items like drinks, water etc.

That's brilliant idea EMM. Gary and I are out for a month in Aug/Sept and intend hiring a car for just a couple of days this time, just to get in provisions for the month. To be honest for a month's hire and a car that normally ends up sitting in our garage for the best part of it, we are finding it not worth the hire costs. I for one would consider online shopping or anyone who would offer a service of shopping for me
Gaynor

I've never tried the service, but Continente does home delivery: http://www.continente.pt

[quote I for one would consider online shopping or anyone who would offer a service of shopping for me
Gaynor[/quote]
Gaynor, your appartment is two bedroom. I will happily fly over, take up residence in your second bedroom and go shopping for you whenever you want. I will even clean the appartment. All I ask is a bed for the night