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Portimão Beaches
The Pleasures of the sun and sea!
( Click on the photos to enlarge ) |
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Praia da Rocha may be the most famous resort in the area, but the beaches that extend all the way to Alvor have their own particular appeal.
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Praia da Rocha |
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Fine golden sands as far as the eye can see. Calm turquoise waters. Ochre cliffs and rocks sculpted into fantastical shapes. Such is the natural beauty of Praia da Rocha, a place which inspires visitors today as it has always done. |
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Discovered by tourism at the end of the 19th century, it was for decades the favoured resort of well-to-do families from Portimão, the Algarve and Andalusia in summer, and of the English in winter. The Hotel da Bela Vista, with its Belle Époque architecture and decoration, dates from this period.
In the 50s and 60s Praia da Rocha began to draw an increasingly international clientele and these days it is a cosmopolitan tourism centre and a byword throughout Europe for sun, sea and sand. |
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| João de Arens |
A small stretch of sand set among cliffs, rocks and islands, it is associated with a fearless shepherd immortalised by the writer Manuel Teixeira Gomes, a native of Portimão, in his book "Agosto Azul" (Blue August).
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Praia do Vau |
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A charming beach flanked by cliffs. Its charming atmosphere, iodine-rich waters and fascinating rock formations make it popular with families. |
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Alvor |
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A long beach that extends as far as the eye can see, until it reaches the Ria de Alvor estuary. An international tourism centre. |
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| Três Irmãos and Prainha |
A series of tiny beaches separated by outcrops of ochre rock in which the sea has worn tunnels that offer an unusual means of access. |
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