Dear Editor,
My family and I spent two weeks in the Algarve near Moncarapacho from August 5 to 19. Previous to this, I had been following, through the Algarve Resident, what had been happening in the area we were to visit.
Most noticeable in the reports was the debate on the lack of tourists mainly from the UK.
My wife and I have been visiting Portugal for many years, staying mainly around the Loulé area. It was this that made her and myself decide to take her family with us three years ago.
We had a great time. This year was to be a repeat of the first experience. We had as much fun but at a far greater cost financially.
I know that everyone has a right to a good life with financial security but to find prices in the local markets at times greater than the UK and in the supermarkets mostly more than the UK came as quite a shock.
I personally think that this along with the fact that areas we visited are now geared more towards Portuguese tourists than outsiders is the main factor in lack of UK tourists.
An example of this is Quarteira. We went for the day to the beach, which is still brilliant for all ages, and to find the little cafes we had visited before on the promenade.
These made the UK tourist especially welcome with their billboards in English for all day breakfast etc.
A great disappointment to find not one cafe of this kind but all dedicated to the local trade, with very little if any English spoken.
I am not moaning, I am merely trying to point out that this is one family’s reason for saying that we will probably not visit Algarve again.
The cost is the same as anywhere else in Europe, at times higher. We are very sad about this as for us it is the end of an era.
DEREK WEST,
by email
