FARO AIRPORT CAR HIRE

Urban
In the towns of the Algarve there, faro airport car hire, limited means of transport. Taxis are mainly used and they are painted in a cream colour. In urban areas they charge according to the taximeter. Outside these areas the charge, faro airport car hire, per kilometre and this includes the cost of the drivers return trip. Luggage over 30 kilos, faro airport car hire, charged at a fixed rate. All taxis drivers have in their possession their printed rates in two languages.

Mail
The word Correio denotes a Post Office or mail services. First class mail, faro airport car hire, denoted by the words "correio azul" and associated with the colour blue. The Post Office also offers an express service named EMS that records the delivery. A registered letter, faro airport car hire, "correio registrado", and postage stamps are called "selos".

Post Offices are normally open from 08.30 hrs. until 18.30 hrs. from Monday to Friday but this, faro airport car hire, only a general rule as they vary from district to district. In some towns main Post Offices will also be open on Saturdays mornings or the whole day. Outside and inside many Post Offices, there are stamp vending machines that indicate the cost for each type and the weight of the item being posted.

Visitors wishing to receive mail when in Portugal may use the "Poste Restante". Items should be addressed as follows:

(Last Name), (First name)
Poste Restante
(Postal Code Number) Town
Country

Major Post Offices also have the facility of sending and receiving Fax. There, faro airport car hire, also a system for receiving and sending e-mail by renting a Computer Unit.

Telephone
Public telephones are to be found in the street in major towns and in the Post Offices. This national service, faro airport car hire, run by a State owned company named Telecom (TLP). Telephones can be used according to the two ways of paying other than with cash. One, faro airport car hire, by a card named "Credifone" and the other, faro airport car hire, by "TLP Card". The former, faro airport car hire, accepted throughout the country and the latter only in Lisbon and Porto. Cards can be purchased at shops displaying signs advertising their sale.

International calls can be made direct and the dial code for Portugal, faro airport car hire, "351". A caller must first dial "00", then his country dial number, then the area code without the prefix "0", and lastly the subscribers' number. Call charges are cheaper between 22.00 hrs. and 08.00 hrs., and at weekends. Hotels normally charge a surcharge for an outgoing call. Within Portugal you can call direct to any subscriber first dialling the area code if the destination of the call, faro airport car hire, outside the area in which the call, faro airport car hire, being made. An area code, faro airport car hire, indicated by the prefix of "2" - example "289" - where "89" indicates the telephone area of Faro.

Mobile phones in Portugal use the GSM telephone service. Visitors using this system will have the benefit of Roaming. To contact a mobile phone number from a fixed phone you use the same method described above for dialling outside your area.

LAGOA

Lagoa - History
Somewhere between 1242 and 1246 the Moors took possession of this then small-fortified hamlet and placed it under the control of nearby city of Silves. The location was formally declared a town only to be severely destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. It was in this town in 1797 that the notorious bandit José Joaquim Sousa Reis known as Remexido was born. Commanding a fierce band of followers his acts are recoded as a mixture of good and bad legends and most of the Algarve and the neighbouring northern Alentejo district suffered by his hand. He died before a firing squad in 1838. The town of Lagoa has since grown as an administrative town for the area that once lived off its abundant agricultural products.

Lagoa - Description
Within the town are a number of long buildings with double doors that open into courtyards, off which are often more than just a large storeroom with a suitable dwelling. The produce was dependent on the time of year and could be from carob beans to topsoil vegetable products. On the outskirts of the town is a co-operative for the owners of vineyards that still produce a full bodied red wine. The amount of wine produced has been seriously effected with the diminish of vineyards as their owners over recent years have found a new pot of gold by selling their land as building plots. The parish church was inaugurated in 1814 but there is the older church, the Igreja de Misericórdia that dates from the middle of the 18th Century. In August of every year an important commercial and rural produce Fair named Fatacil is held in the town exhibiting products from all over Portugal. This occasion provides an excuse for enjoyment and national bands with their singers entertain the visitors late into the night.

Lagoa - Nearby Locations
The nearby town of Estombar has a history dating further back to when the Moors occupied the Algarve. It was the home of the famous 11th Century Arab poet “Ibn Ammar”. Many local legends exist and there are reputed to be subterranean passages from near this town going inland for about 12 kms. to the ancient Moorish capital of Silves. Near to Estombar is an area named Sítio de Fontes that has for centuries been a popular swimming spot due to two freshwater springs that provide a small lagoon prior to joining the Rio Arade. The authorities have now created at this attractive area an open area for performing plays and general picnicking. To the south of the Lagoa is the once small fishing village of Carvoeiro that today is an area of expensive villas, comfortable holiday apartments and golf courses. To the east is the small and attractive village of Porches that dates from the Roman period. Unfortunately, the earthquake of 1755 destroyed the ancient castle and also the original parish church that is believed to date from the 16th Century. To the west of Lagoa on the edge of the Rio Arade opposite the town of Portimão is the small town of Ferragudo. Romantically said to have once been the home of local pirates this place has retained much of its Portuguese flavour and as yet it has not been too influenced by tourism. During the summer on weekend evenings the main square is filled with the sound of music and laughter as the locals and tourists dance the night away.

ARMAÇÃO DE PERA

Armação de Pera - History
Not very long ago this town was once nothing more than a collection of small shacks where the local residents from the nearby town of Pera used to maintain their fishing boats. It is quite probable that the name "Armação" is a link with the distant past of the great Tuna fishing industry that existed along the Algarve from the 15th Century and before. This beach side huts later fell under the protection of a small 18th Century fort that still remains in part to this day.

Armação de Pera - Description
Nowadays, the town is mainly composed of blocks of holiday apartments with many bars and restaurants on the ground floor. In the three summer months the town overflows with tourists but out of top of the season it offers a wonderful peaceful holiday location. Meanwhile the nearby rural village of Pera is now a reminder of the unspoilt typical sleepy Algarve. Boasting one of the finest longest sandy beaches in the Algarve this is a popular beach resort for tourists. On the beach close to the eastern side of the town are a number of fish restaurants that pride themselves on the fresh fish that is served. Happily, the major area behind this beach is still partly a protected zone against development of any kind. The actual spread of building from Armação de Pera has been to the west with the creation of many holiday apartment complexes above the charming beaches of Senhora da Rocha.

Armação de Pera - Nearby Locations
Places near to Armação de Pera is the market towns of Algoz, Alcantarilha, Porches and the inland historic and attractive City of Silves with its magnificent walls and castle.