Lagos - Summer Bus Service.

The Lagos bus operator aonda.pt is again this year operating a summer evening service.

The main service linking Meia Praia with Porto da Mós via the centre is operating in July and August.

Link to the timetable:

http://www.aonda.pt/templates/onda/images/horarios/OndaVerao.pdf

Lines 1 (circular), 3 (Lagos – Odiáxere) and 4 (Lagos – Luz (Praia da Luz) – Almádena – Burgau) will operate until 24h00, with line 6 (Lagos – Bensafrim – Barão de São João) operating till 22h00.

Lisbon - Estoril Train

Estoril is the second last station on the Linha da Cascais suburban railway that runs from Cais de Sodre in downtown Lisbon to the town/suburb Cascais.

Trains run between every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes depending on the day/time of week/day/night.

Trains start at 05:30 and run till 01:30.

Note there are some trains that terminate at Oeiras half way to Cascais. Make sure you get on the one for Cascais.

Vilamoura / Quarteira Wifi

List of wifi locations in Vilamoura:

See:

http://v4.jiwire.com/search-wifi-hotspots.htm?result_display=list&technology_id=0&venue_group_id=0&city_id=0&disableBrowseBy=false&type=&state_id=0&city=&address=Vilamoura%2C+Albufeira+8125%2C+Portugal&latitude=37.0751581&longitude=-8.129496

Does not look like there are any free ones.

According to AlgarveDigital, there are two free wifi locations in Quarteira, right next door to Vilamoura.

See:

http://www.algarvedigital.pt/algarve/index.php?module=Access%20Point&func=view&id=8

and

http://www.algarvedigital.pt/algarve/index.php?module=Access%20Point&func=view&id=85

Be aware that as these are in council installations, range may be limited and you may have to perch on a bollard outside to use the service!

Portuguese - Days of the Week.

Portuguese English

Segunda-Feira or 2ª/2ªs = Monday
Terça-Feira or 3ª/3ªs = Tuesday
Quarta-Feira or 4ª/4ªs = Wednesday
Quinta-Feira or 5ª/5ªs = Thursday
Sexta-Feira or 6ª/6ªs = Friday
Sabado = Saturday
Domingo = Sunday

Feriado = Public Holiday
Feira = Fair/Market

Sabado - Portuguese wikipedia shows this deriving from the Latin word sábbătum and the hebrew word for the Sabbath.

Domingo - Wikipedia suggests that this originates from the Catholic liturgy and refers to the "Day of the Lord."

See:

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1bado

&

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domingo

Response to Complaints about Car Hire Firms in Europe

I totally disagree.

We do not need more EU regulation as prices will jump sky high!

What is needed is more complaints to the companies themselve, on the web and for customers to get wise to the companies that do offer a better service.

Far too often, the problem lies with customers who want the cheapest car on offer for nothing! They then complain when something goes wrong. It doesn't work that way. Also having often seen the way many renters treat hire cars when on the road, its no surprise that clients get treated with short shrift.

When you've seen some irresponsible fool on holiday driving an expensive rental Opel cabriolet like a madman along a dirt track up and down a hillside or have been nearly run of the road by some drunk driving a small Group A car (Chevy Matiz) along a small beach side road at maximum warp and nearly rolling it, one develops some empathy for the attitudes of car hire companies.

Let Brussels get involved, watch hundreds of car rental firms and websites throughout Europe close up shop, with the resultant further increase in unemployment.

People should get wise. Search the web / tripadvisor before travelling and book with companies that have consistent good recommendations, EVEN though the price is a little higher!

Also as regards fleet/Group harmonisation, this would be impossible, given the permutation of number of models / engine size / vehicle types on sale though out Europe.

We need to get more self-responsible ourselves and get Brussels butting out of our lives not into it!

Finally, just aim for a car that suits your needs.

If one wants peace of mind, go with a reputable firm and ENJOY one's holiday. Then one does not have to worry!

By the way, the comments about also apply to holiday rental properties and hotels.

The number of people who come on holiday to the Algarve expecting and/or looking for problems has astounded me over the years. They go back as stressed as they came.

If one is coming on a budget holiday, because that fits a budget...accept it and enjoy it.If one can't, one may as well enjoy your break by relaxing at home at avoiding the strain.

Is there enough to do in Lagos?

In August, there will be plenty to do here! It is our busiest time. Lots of nightlife, bars, restaurants with great beaches and a historic town which retains its Portuguese character, unlike several towns along the Algarve.

In the daytime, you can explore the West Coast towards Sagres with its rugged coastline, hidden beaches.

To explore anywhere in the Algarve outside of the towns, a rental car is advisable. (If you are from across the pond, remember to specify an automatic shift as most hire cars here are manual shift.)

If you only have a week, spend three days in Lisbon en route, a day travelling to and from Lagos, and three days in Lagos or a combination thereof.

For travel info on how to get to and from Lagos from Lisbon, have a look at the articles on my blog under this link:

http://barlaventostravelblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Lagos

Also have a look at this article on wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos,_Portugal

I was recently chatting to some OZ and US backpackers staying at one of the hostels here and they reckoned that 3 to 4 days is an ideal time to spend in Lagos.

More New Routes

Following the recent announcement of new routes from Porto by Ryanair, Easyjet have today announced two new daily routes serving the Portuguese Market starting from 2nd November 2009.

These will be:

Lisbon - Rome
Porto - London (Gatwick)

See:


http://www.lowcostportugal.net/aeroportos/lisboa-roma-e-porto-londres-via-easyjet-novembro-2009/2009/07/

Faro-Lisbon

The train timetable is exactly as indicated on the CP Website.

The fare per person will be a minimum of €19,50 per person. You will need to add to that the cost a taxi from Faro Airport to Faro Station. If there are two of you you will therefore have to budget an extra £ 50 pounds at least to get to Lisbon.

The alternative by hire car one way would be doable. Based, for example, on website quotes thru http://www.autocarhire.net, a 24 hours one-way rental would be a minimum of €116.00 for a small Renault Clio.

Faro Airport - New Hub

There are reports today that ANA, Portuguese Airport Authority, is in negotiation with an unnamed airline (Ryanair?) to open a new hub at Faro Airport to further promote the Algarve tourist industry,

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/aeroportos/ana-negoceia-%E2%80%9Chub%E2%80%9D-em-faro/2009/07/

In certain articles it is reported that Ryanair are interested also in operating domestic flights in Portugal. According to a report in the Portuguese Newspaper Publico, one route being considered is Porto to Faro.

http://economia.publico.clix.pt/noticia.aspx?id=1389896

We will have to see if the Portuguese Government is ready to approve this as it would compete directly with both Rail and Bus Companies operating the route. Nonetheless, it would be a very useful route.

Ryanair - New Porto Base - New Flight

Gievn my previous comments about Ryanair's activities, I'm not sure that this is good news or not.

However, Ryanair have today announced that they are to base 2 aircraft at Porto Airport as from 1st September, 2009.

They will increase the number of flights to Beauvais, 85km North-West of Paris to two per day.

The airline will also operate new routes from Porto to Basel, Eindhoven, St Etienne, France (61 km from Lyon) and Tours, France.

See:

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=jul&story=rte-en-020709

and

http://www.lowcostportugal.net/aeroportos/ryanair-abre-33-base-no-porto/2009/07/