Our Location . . .

From the Villa is is only a short drive into Loulé which in turn is situated just twenty minutes from the Algarve capital of Faro. Loule is the regions largest inland town. Starting life as a fishing village, it grew up around a castle of either Moorish or Roman origin. Although today there is little now remaining of the castle, it still contrasts well with the mixture of both traditional and modern architecture. The local Tourist Information Centre is situated in front of the taxi rank by the main "Dancing Ladies" roundabout near Loule Market and from here you will be able to obtain information about historic Loule and the Algarve in general.

The tree lined main street, the Avenida José da Costa Mealha, is lined with banks, shops and restaurants, but you should not miss the opportunity of investigating the narrow cobbled lanes and back streets where you may be surprised to discover crafts from times gone by. Inside dimly lit workshops you will find craftsman manufacturing and selling copperware and brass, leather goods such as handbags and belts, wooden and wicker furniture and of course a vast array of Algarve ceramics and pottery of which Portugal is world famous.

In the town centre Portuguese life revolves around the large indoor Municipal Market where locals and tourists rub shoulders amongst local produce and crafts. Loulé is also particularly famous for it's weekly outdoor market which is one of the largest in the Algarve and where all manner of goods are sold, often at very cheap prices and always subject to a little friendly haggling. If visiting this market you should plan to arrive early as in the summer large numbers of coaches bring in people from all over the Algarve.

The town offers you the opportunity of sitting quietly at one of the many squares or roadside bars where you can watch the world rush by, you could savour the joys of nature in one of the many parks or, if you are feeling more energetic, then a visit to the local sports centre with it’s modern indoor swimming pool could be just for you.

In the early Spring Loulé comes to life when the annual Loule Carnival is held. The carnival is styled on that held in Rio de Janeiro and it gives the local townsfolk the chance to dress up and entertain the hundreds of visitors with music, dancing and highly decorated floats. There are also other processions held during the year, however these are generally more solemn and of a religious nature, but they can often end up with spectacular fireworks displays in the evening.

A number of large supermarkets have been established both in and around Loulé, the largest of which being the Modelo hypermarket on the southern outskirts of the town which is also open on Sunday mornings.

The Bus Station is situated in the centre of the town and from here you can get connections to many other towns and villages in the region as well as to many of the European cities.

If buses are not for you may prefer to use the train. The Loulé train station is situated about three kilometres south of the town, but be warned there are no facilities here and you will probably need a taxi to get there. In addition to the above travelling by car has become much easier with the development of the IP 1 Motorway which runs parallel with the coast from east to west. Using the motorway, journeys to the end of the world (Sagres and Cabo de São Vincente) are possible in a relatively short time and Spain is only one hour away making day trips quite feasible.

You will see from the above that Loulé offers everything that you would want as a base for your Villa holiday in the Algarve. It is set in the pleasant countryside of undulating hills, close to mountains and valleys and yet is only a short trip away from long sandy beaches and the sea, a huge nature reserve, numerous sports facilities including Tennis Courts and superb Golf Courses, Casino’s and International Floor Shows. If all the above activity is too much, you could always return to your Algarve Villa, put your feet up and relax.