Why Travel to Portugal

Hello – how are you? This is a happy week for me as my daughter is in town. She lives in Dubai and is here to complete a course module for her studies. She arrived in London hoping to escape the heat in Dubai, only to be met with uncharacteristically hot weather here! I did warn her in advance – but do kids ever listen to their mothers? Thank heavens it’s cooling down a little now, for both our sakes!

Are you off to Portugal this summer? For those sun worshippers amongst us, it may interest you to know that the number of tourists to Portugal have dropped, mainly of course due to the almost universal slump in the economy. The country has always offered some of the best value in the eurozone, especially outside the Algarve, and now you may easily get even better prices.

So…what to see and how to save on costs?

The rule of thumb is that farther north you go, the further the cost of living drops as this area sees far fewer tourists.

If you Google holiday deals, you will find that many holiday companies are offering cheaper deals that ever - a sign of the times. But, if like me, you like to travel independently, you may find that the Solares de Portugal fit the bill. These are not hotels or guesthouses but privately-owned stately manor houses, elegant country homes or lovely old farmhouses. The concept was introduced to help preserve Portugal’s heritage as well as providing accommodation in houses of character “Turismo de Habitação”. Some of them were once a bit tumbledown but they have now been restored to their former glory and are open to guests, who are treated as part of the family.

The Azores is affordable and is also the best place in Europe to see a large range of whales and dolphins up close. There are low cost airline flights plus a growing choice of self-catering options, as well as keenly priced hotels. You may find B & Bs an even better option that the bigger hotels as they can be more flexible price-wise.

Then Portugal’s state-run pousadas – wonderful palaces or convents that have been converted into very comfortable hotels – have introduced a new five-night “Pousada Passport”. This offers savings of up to 40 per cent on walk-in room rates on weekdays. Plus the pousadas have also teamed up with Avis to offer a five-night package at a very reasonable price…these are just a few of the options you can Google online.

Most visitors to the Algarve go west from Faro airport to the busy coastal resorts of Albufeira, Portimão and Lagos. These are the most popular destinations, and therefore the most pricey. Try going east to the nearby pretty riverside town of Tavira for instance and your holiday can cost half as much. Food is much more affordable and so is the accommodation. Finally, some of the most rewarding touring can be found in the coastal province north of Porto called the Minho. Those in the know consider this the most beautiful part of the country, and it is also the most traditional. You can get there via Ryanair and book cheaper B & Bs – that’s what I did when I was in Portugal.

And if you your trip is part of a property viewing trip, this could be a very good time. Prices have dropped throughout the country some are not expecting the market situation to improve before the second half of 2012. You do however really need to focus on accessibility – always important but never more so than now. I write a monthly Portugal Buying Guide newsletter and I am dedicating my end July/ early August one to transport within Greece – you may like to look at it. Just go to: http://www.portugalbuyingguide.com/news.htm around about 29th July.

All the best until next week,

Carol.