Les meilleurs hôtels à Lagos

Ah, the beaches of the Algarve, the mild and sunny South Portugal region which stretches from the Vila Real St. Antonio in the east on Spain's border to the 'End Of The World' in the west - Cape St. Vincente. Perhaps Algarve's greatest draw is its dream climate, cooled by Atlantic sea breezes in the summer and warmed by African air jets in the winter to create a warm, dry climate with 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. The area used to be a backwater, albeit a beautiful one, but tourists have been arriving in droves since the 1960s when word of the stunning beaches spread. Now visitors are drawn as much for the scuba diving and other water sports as the beautiful scenery. The Portuguese people love their food, which they accompany with their own Portuguese-produced wines. The Algarve region produces the familiar fruity vinho tinto (red wine) and vinho branco (white wine), as well as the dry and bubbly vinho verde (green wine) and the blush-colored bubbly vinho rose. You may want to watch your step with these potent potables, or while drinking the locally-produced liqueurs such as the Amendoa Armaga, made from locally-grown almonds. The Algarve's capital is the city of Faro, formerly a small, sleepy town, but now a bustling center of tourism and industry. The city was sacked and burned by the Earl of Essex in 1596, and nearly destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1755 leaving few historic buildings for visitors to see. Ghoulish visitors are drawn to the Baroque Igreja do Carmo, where a door near the altar leads to the creepy Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of the Bones), its walls decorated with bones dug up and collected from the adjacent cemetery. Aside from this odd sight, tourists usually like to see the old, semi-walled quarter on the south side of the harbor, centered around the majestic Largo da S?, where public buildings like the bishop's palace are a mish-mash of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles thrown together after the Great Earthquake. Tourists less interested in history can be found relaxing on the long sand banks scattered around the city. Another noteworthy Algarve city is Lagos, on the south coast of the region. The scenery there is so beautiful that tourists queue up for the pricey boat excursions, while others are drawn to the superb beaches, including Meia Praia, a vast strip of sand to the east, and the more secluded Praia do Pinhao to the west. The city was once a favored port of call of Portugal hero Henry the Navigator, who used Lagos as a base for trade with Africa and provides one of the least-savory historical sights in Lagos, the Customs House arches which still stand in the Pra?a da Rep£blica near the waterfront. Many a slave was traded under the shelter. Apart from the sun and sand, the resort's other highlight is the Municipal Museum, which has eccentric displays of ecclesiastical treasures, handicrafts, and preserved animal fetuses.