About This Guide

Who I Am

I'm Portuguese, born and raised in Tavira — right in the heart of the eastern Algarve. I currently live abroad, but I go back often for holidays and to see friends and family. The Algarve isn't somewhere I discovered on a holiday; it's where I grew up, where I learned to swim, and where most of the people I care about still live.

I started Algarve Travel Guide as a way to stay connected to my origins. But there was another reason too: I kept seeing Algarve travel guides online that were heavily polluted with low-quality ads, thin content, and generic recommendations that could have been written about anywhere. The region deserves better than that. So I built the guide I wished existed — one written by someone who actually knows the place, with no intrusive advertising, and with the kind of specific, honest detail that only comes from first-hand experience.

Editorial Approach

A good travel guide should be specific, honest, and practical. That means:

• First-hand knowledge. I visit the places I write about. When I say "arrive before 10am for the best selection" at a municipal market, it's because I've been there at 10am and at noon, and the difference matters.
• Honest recommendations. I tell you which beach is worth the steep staircase and which one isn't. I note when a famous restaurant is coasting on its reputation. Not every place in the Algarve is equally good, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone plan a trip.
• Practical detail. Entry prices, parking costs, walking times, seasonal closures — the kind of information that saves you time and frustration on the ground. I verify these details regularly, and each page carries a "last reviewed" date so you know how current the information is.
• Local perspective. I cover all 16 municipalities of the Algarve, not just the well-trodden tourist trail. The eastern Algarve, the inland hills, the off-season — these deserve attention too.

How I Stay Current

The Algarve changes. Restaurants open and close, beach facilities improve, bus routes shift, prices rise. I review the content on a rolling basis and update pages as conditions change — especially during and after my visits back home. Each article shows a "last reviewed" date so you can judge for yourself how recent the information is.

If you spot something that's out of date or incorrect, I'd appreciate hearing about it. You can reach me through the contact page.

Affiliate Partnerships

Algarve Travel Guide is a free resource. To support the costs of running and maintaining the site, I participate in affiliate programmes with select travel partners:

• GetYourGuide — I feature tours and activity bookings through GetYourGuide's platform. If you book through the embedded widgets, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Affiliate partnerships never influence my editorial recommendations. I recommend places and experiences based on their merit, not on whether they generate revenue. Many of my top recommendations — local restaurants, free beaches, public walking trails — have no affiliate relationship at all.