|Home| Info| Community| Business| Beaches| What to do?| Rentals| News| Forum| Blogs| Finance| History| FAQ| Contact|
CARVOEIRO GETTING EXPENSIVE
-
Gordon and Sandy Low
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2003 11:10 am
- Location: Muscat, Oman
Getting expensive
I logged on today to see if there was a discussion about prices and 'low and behold' there is. The converstaion has gone off at a tangent but nevertheless I will add my comments.
I have been to the Algarve now for 5 years in succession having just returned from 2 weeks staying in the Vale Centianes area. We have found the eating out costs quite prohibitive this year and I agree that the cover charges are excessive, the beer and wine has gone up too. Please, if you are a restaurant/bar owner try not to price yourselves out of the market. A lot of places we visited remarked how quiet the season was, maybe the prices have something to do with it, I certainly think so. It is making us consider a different location for our next holiday which is a shame because I love the Algarve and Carvoeiro in particular.
I have been to the Algarve now for 5 years in succession having just returned from 2 weeks staying in the Vale Centianes area. We have found the eating out costs quite prohibitive this year and I agree that the cover charges are excessive, the beer and wine has gone up too. Please, if you are a restaurant/bar owner try not to price yourselves out of the market. A lot of places we visited remarked how quiet the season was, maybe the prices have something to do with it, I certainly think so. It is making us consider a different location for our next holiday which is a shame because I love the Algarve and Carvoeiro in particular.
Thanks Chrissy, for getting this topic back on track, I think that it is worth, however, re-iterating the link to the introduction of the euro.
You need to think long and hard about where else you might choose to go as I have found a dramatic increase in prices across many of the euro nations. Greece, for example - I have visited many different parts of Greece and her islands and go there a couple of times per year, has also seen large increases and on a recent visit, the only restaurants doing really good business (outside of the weekends) were those at the very top and bottom of the price scale.
This next comment is unlikely to go down that well, but only on my visit to Spain at Easter, did I find costs still very reasonable. Sorry
(Perhaps at that time, they hadn't been bumped up for the tourists, I don't know 
).
Carvoeiro is villa/apartment territory with very few hotels (unlike Al Bufeira for example), this means that many, many people intend to eat out every night of their holiday - that's an awful lot of potential business.
Maddi
You need to think long and hard about where else you might choose to go as I have found a dramatic increase in prices across many of the euro nations. Greece, for example - I have visited many different parts of Greece and her islands and go there a couple of times per year, has also seen large increases and on a recent visit, the only restaurants doing really good business (outside of the weekends) were those at the very top and bottom of the price scale.
This next comment is unlikely to go down that well, but only on my visit to Spain at Easter, did I find costs still very reasonable. Sorry
(Perhaps at that time, they hadn't been bumped up for the tourists, I don't know ).Carvoeiro is villa/apartment territory with very few hotels (unlike Al Bufeira for example), this means that many, many people intend to eat out every night of their holiday - that's an awful lot of potential business.
Maddi
Cost of eating out etc
We came to Carvoeiro last year and although prices were a little higher than in 2001 due to the euro I'm sure they have gone up drastically since 2002. Even eating in and drinking out was much more money.
We spent less money on meals out at New Year in Madrid than we did over the last 2 weeks on holiday, it just meant we (meaning me) had to make meals at the villa rather than enjoying a rest from all that.
We would really like to come back in 2004 and perhaps see some football in the area or up the west cost but are fearful that the prices will be hiked up because of the football fans visiting Portugal.
We spent less money on meals out at New Year in Madrid than we did over the last 2 weeks on holiday, it just meant we (meaning me) had to make meals at the villa rather than enjoying a rest from all that.
We would really like to come back in 2004 and perhaps see some football in the area or up the west cost but are fearful that the prices will be hiked up because of the football fans visiting Portugal.
-
Guest
Hi Maddi,
Agree with you on the point that most visitors to Carvoeiro are staying in apartments and so want to enjoy lovely meals in the restaurants especially after tasting my own cooking all year
I also have to feed the kids who love the adult meals so if the prices have risen too much then I will have to go to the market and cook back in the Apartment which then spoils my holiday! And wouldnt be the same - the eating out is what we really enjoy!!!!! So if I don't want to cook then it would be go to a cheaper place which could mean junk food? Is this what would happen and the quality restaurants be put out of business for fast food places - I hope not????
Agree with you on the point that most visitors to Carvoeiro are staying in apartments and so want to enjoy lovely meals in the restaurants especially after tasting my own cooking all year
I also have to feed the kids who love the adult meals so if the prices have risen too much then I will have to go to the market and cook back in the Apartment which then spoils my holiday! And wouldnt be the same - the eating out is what we really enjoy!!!!! So if I don't want to cook then it would be go to a cheaper place which could mean junk food? Is this what would happen and the quality restaurants be put out of business for fast food places - I hope not????carvoeiro getting expensive
Well, I am going on a long awaited holiday to Carvoeiro on Thursday and all these comments are really starting to worry me!!! Am I really going to spend the whole 2 weeks cooking because of the restaurants charging a fortune ??
Can anyone give me a positive response???
Am I being expected to pay more than £40 a night for a 2 course meal with wine???
Can anyone give me a positive response???
Am I being expected to pay more than £40 a night for a 2 course meal with wine???
Carvoeiro getting expensive
Thanks Maddi.....
There are 2 couples plus an 18month old baby....
I was starting to get this picture of us going over our budget by the 6th night and resorting to beans on toast in our apt
Hopefully it wont come to that
Thanks again
There are 2 couples plus an 18month old baby....
I was starting to get this picture of us going over our budget by the 6th night and resorting to beans on toast in our apt
Hopefully it wont come to that
Thanks again
-
Enquirer
Is Carvoeiro Expensive?
Having read all the comments on this subject, I wonder if someone could give a definitive answer (or at least as definitive as possible) as to how much a meal for two with wine should cost in most restaurants. We were in Carvoeiro in May and, although we thought that prices had gone up generally, we believe the increase was probably no more than about 20%. Have things changed since then?
We too are coming out on Thursday and trust that we can enjoy Carvoeiro as we normally do, without thinking that we are being "ripped off" on every occasion we go out for a meal.
Many thanks.
We too are coming out on Thursday and trust that we can enjoy Carvoeiro as we normally do, without thinking that we are being "ripped off" on every occasion we go out for a meal.
Many thanks.
-
Ed, a helpful guest
Hi Enquirer,
My family returned from CVO a couple of weeks ago. We found prices up a bit, but not dramatically.
The cover charge varies from place to place, but is typically between 1 and 1.50 euro.
Starters vary so much it's difficult to help, but expect around 3 euros on average.
Main courses start around the 7.50 range for piri piri chicken
rising to around 12-15 euros for fillet steak.
We rarely bothered with a sweet, preferring a walk to the square to have a crepe or an ice cream.
A meal for ten at Happy's cost us around 160 euros - around £12 a head, including drinks, although only half had starters. And it was bloody lovely, worth every penny.
So panic not!
My family returned from CVO a couple of weeks ago. We found prices up a bit, but not dramatically.
The cover charge varies from place to place, but is typically between 1 and 1.50 euro.
Starters vary so much it's difficult to help, but expect around 3 euros on average.
Main courses start around the 7.50 range for piri piri chicken
rising to around 12-15 euros for fillet steak.We rarely bothered with a sweet, preferring a walk to the square to have a crepe or an ice cream.
A meal for ten at Happy's cost us around 160 euros - around £12 a head, including drinks, although only half had starters. And it was bloody lovely, worth every penny.
So panic not!
There we go, Ed, the helpful guest (and we do have the other sort!!) has given you a pretty good idea and if you imagine two starters, two mains, the cover charge, add wine, you can see that it is roughly what we would pay in a pub restaurant here (although at home, obviously you tend not to be going every night!).
The prices are still cheaper than going to a good uk restaurant, although one could ask how they compare . . . I will leave that to others.
The food is excellent in cvo, across many restaurants and is one of the reasons why I keep going back, but it is not cheap. My fervent wish is as the prices reflect those in the UK, I hope that the wages and standard of living for the waiting staff also do, in which case - fair enough!
To those who are going, you will have a lovely time, take your usual budget, some standby cash and a credit card and see how you fair - you may be pleasantly surprised
The prices are still cheaper than going to a good uk restaurant, although one could ask how they compare . . . I will leave that to others.
The food is excellent in cvo, across many restaurants and is one of the reasons why I keep going back, but it is not cheap. My fervent wish is as the prices reflect those in the UK, I hope that the wages and standard of living for the waiting staff also do, in which case - fair enough!
To those who are going, you will have a lovely time, take your usual budget, some standby cash and a credit card and see how you fair - you may be pleasantly surprised
-
Enquirer
Prices in Carvoeiro
Many thanks to Ed, the helpful guest.
We have been visiting Carvoeiro for 20 years and have always found the prices in restaurants to be very reasonable compared with England. Glad to know things have not changed too much since our last visit in May this year and, of course, looking forward immensely to re-visiting Carvoeiro this week.
Regards to all.
We have been visiting Carvoeiro for 20 years and have always found the prices in restaurants to be very reasonable compared with England. Glad to know things have not changed too much since our last visit in May this year and, of course, looking forward immensely to re-visiting Carvoeiro this week.
Regards to all.
Sorry for reviving this post so late in the day, but some interesting facts have emerged whilst trying to get back to our favourite place this summer.
We visited in the School Summer holidays last year, and wish to do the same this year, booking at roughly the same time and using the same resources, flights from London, Gatwick and staying at Carvoeiro Sol.
2002 Flights £139.00 per person
2003 £206.00 per person
2002 Carvoeiro Sol E772.00 £535.00
(and that included our bar bill over the 7 days!!)
2003 Carvoeiro Sol E1680.00 £1165.00 (before the bar bill!!)
So yes, for us this year, Carvoeiro has priced itself out of our league - thats £2000.00 for a family of four before we have hired a car, had anything to eat and drink, used sunbeds on the beach. The total price of our a holiday to CVO will amount to more than we are paying to go to Florida in October and to Goa for the Easter Holidays next year all inclusive - makes you think, well made me think anyway!
Maddi
We visited in the School Summer holidays last year, and wish to do the same this year, booking at roughly the same time and using the same resources, flights from London, Gatwick and staying at Carvoeiro Sol.
2002 Flights £139.00 per person
2003 £206.00 per person
2002 Carvoeiro Sol E772.00 £535.00
(and that included our bar bill over the 7 days!!)
2003 Carvoeiro Sol E1680.00 £1165.00 (before the bar bill!!)
So yes, for us this year, Carvoeiro has priced itself out of our league - thats £2000.00 for a family of four before we have hired a car, had anything to eat and drink, used sunbeds on the beach. The total price of our a holiday to CVO will amount to more than we are paying to go to Florida in October and to Goa for the Easter Holidays next year all inclusive - makes you think, well made me think anyway!
Maddi