Algarve Tourism Guide - Vale do Garrao

Vale do Garrao Algarve Guide

Vale do Garrao offers a choice of quality holiday accommodation, with numerous luxury villas and a selection of luxury hotel accommodation available.

Worth noting is that the beach is a 1km walk from most of the accommodation at Vale do Garrao. It's a rural quiet retreat here, as opposed to a good family holiday base. Families might prefer livelier Albufeira, Quarteira and Vilamoura.

It's easy to dip into bustling Algarve resorts nearby, and you're ideally positioned for access to a choice of local Algarve golf at both Villamoura and Quinta do Lago.

Almancil Day Trips from Vale do Garrao

Just up from Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago sits pretty Almancil, relatively untouched by tourism and popular for visits from the upmarket resorts just to the south. Admission is free to the Igreja de Sao Lourenco de Matos church (St Lawrence of the Woods), built on the site of a well - locals apparently had asked the saint for help and up the well sprang after considerable digging. (the digging might have had something to do with it!).

This Almancil church is fascinating for its architecture - baroque and covered in azulejos tiles courtesy of designers Antao and Manuel Borges. It survived the 1755 earthquake, albeit a few tiles flying off. Certainly Sao Lourenco dos Matos is one of the most spectacularly designed churches on the Algarve. The azulejos tiles (which date from 1730) depict scenes from the life of St Lawrence. The church is open daily from 9am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 6pm.

Realising this rather lucrative holiday market, Almancil has capitalised on it and a number of exclusive design interior shops, specialist arts and craft shops and top restaurants have sprung up here. Checkout too the Sao Lourenco cultural centre - see weblink right for details! Exhibitions at the time of writing include Jose de Guimaraes' series of silk screens. It's an impressive collection of contemporary art and culture this centre, and well worth a tour.

Numerous artists are linked to Sao Lorenco. Concerts, mostly classical, are also held here. Check the weblink right for details. Centro Cultural Sao Lourenco, Apartado 3079, 8136-901 Almancil, Portugal. Tel: (00351) 289 395 475. Open daily from 10am to 7pm/closed on Mondays. The cultural centre sits adjacent to the church and there's a cafe on-site.