Another visit

[scottishstacey]

Hey guys,

We were over in September and loved it. We're thinking of going abroad for christmas and portugal came to our minds instantly. Could you tell me what the weather is like normally, hopefully a lot better than ours!! And if the shops bars etc are still open. we've been looking at flights but cant seem to find any leaving december from scotland

[laserblazer]

Well 2009 was better in CVO but it was pretty wet much of the time. Many of us had difficulties getting out of the UK because of the snow, something to bear in mind leaving from Scotland. However, in past years we have eaten outside and spent a lot of time in the sun.

[Farol]

The general rule of thumb that I use is that it is normally 10 degrees C warmer in the Algarve than it is in SE England and that rule seems to work all year round. Sunny days in the Algarve in the winter are really nice but when it rains it can be really heavy rain. At night the temperature can drop very quickly, especially if it has been a sunny day. You tend to find you put on a lot of layers in the morning, gradually strip off during the day and then start putting the layers back on in late afternoon.

It can be odd to see Brits wandering around in shorts while the Portuguese are wandering around in overcoats.

The air gets cold and damp with a high dew point so if you have windows open it can take a long time to get warmth back into a room.

There are few tourist type events during the winter (including little live music) and probably only about 1 in 5 of the bars or restaurants open - perhaps even less. The restaurants that are open nearly all shut earlier so don't expect much choice after 9 pm.

As with the UK if you want to dine out Christmas Day you will need to book in advance.

I would also suggest that a car is even more useful during the winter than the summer.

[shanagarry]

There is a quiet ambience during the out of season months - Christmas included. Although the Portuguese have a different way of celebrating the festive season - commercialism is becoming more prominent each year - but that's 'progress' I suppose.

As previously mentioned many bars and restaurants are closed - even more once Christmas Day has passed - as it is the time the hospitality industry like to take their holidays.It stays that way up to Easter - with Golfers and Golf Societies dominating the numbers that do travel during that period

If you want to avoid the high tempo tourist influx and enjoy some peace and quiet - that's the time to come