Algarve Addicts: A Thriving Community Of Healthy, Outdoor People Connected By The Algarve, Portugal.

Algarve Wine with Luis Figueira What is the quickest way to discover Algarve wines? Listen to this 40 minute podcast and you'll be off! Luis is one of the most prominent wine figures in the region and who better to give us an unbiased view of the region than an owner of a wine shop? Enjoy the conversation (preferably with a glass of Algarve Wine), because everyone loves wine... right? See the FULL SHOW NOTES on my site: www.algarveaddicts.com/23 

Isabel Mealha She grew up in the gorgeous medieval town of Silves and moved to Faro when she was ten. Having lived and worked in the Algarve all her life, she has a group of fascinating friends and has accomplished success as a restaurateur. We're looking forward to hearing her story! Show notes Izzy´s roots in a vineyard near Silves and moving to Faro as a young girl. Faro 30 years ago... an ugly city and it's current rise as a beautiful tourism destination in the Vila Adentro with art galleries, restaurants, Cathedral of Sé, Faro Marina, Ria Formosa, Hotel Eva's rooftop pool parties, Columbus bar, Guaka Mexican Restaurant, Hotel Faro for a coffee and a meal. We discuss the diversity of the Algarve, a common theme amongst all my guests and BPM festival in Praia da Rocha (near Portimão), Medieval Festival in Silves, Loulé and it's architecture, restoring buildings and creating festivals that celebrate the past. Izzy's favourite place in the Algarve: Faro. She talks about how the University gave the city life

The father of the Via Algarviana João Ministro didn't start the Via Algarviana but he has worked on it from the beginning and knows it really well. Through his company Proactive Tur he has made a tremendous impact on sustainable tourism and ecotourism in the Algarve. Nick sat down with him in his Loulé office and discussed a huge range of issues.  Ecotourism in the Algarve show notes ProActiveTur started in Querença and has since moved to Loulé. João was born in Loulé, studied Environmental Engineering at the University of the Algarve and was naturally drawn to ecotourism. He worked for a public institution in Setúbal and around the beautiful Sado Estuary. He returned to work in Almargem. We discuss the changes in the Algarve over the last 30 years and the interior has changed radically with urbanisation fuelling a migration to the larger towns and cities. He has always worked with nature, growing up on his fathers farm, so it was a natural move to continue in this area in his career. Sustainable development.

Nelson Carvalheiro Nelson is an award winning blogger and video maker hailing from the hotel industry. He took time out from his busy schedule to chat to Nick about food in Portugal and the Algarve in particular. We did this one over the internet as he had returned to Germany before we could meet. Listen up, there are some real gems in this one! Show notes Save water! Portugal is experiencing a drought (as is Cape Town, Nick's original home). Growing up in Coimbra and conversations about food: a celebration versus fuel. Fascinating survey about how people find the importance of food and wine during their stay in Portugal. Growing your own food and taking from the land to the table (instead of from a supermarket to your table). Portuguese market culture. Check out Loulé Market every Saturday morning. Comparing Portuguese markets and the way of life to Germany and Northern Europe. How Nelson studied engineering and became a hotel manager while on assignment in Brazil. He loved it and went to hotel school in Swi

Iona Stephen, professional ladies golfer Iona spends her winters down here in the Algarve, in the cosseted luxury of the Quinta do Lago resort. Listen to her discuss the famed Laranjal golf resort and assorted places and things to do in the area. Enjoy it! Show notes Growing up in Scotland and getting to play junior international hockey, lacrosse, athletics. Daily routine at Laranjal Golf Course in Quinta do Lago. Practising tee shots off the 5th at Laranjal. Iona's favourite restaurant in the Algarve: Casavostra Pizzeria  She also mentioned a restaurant which she couldn't quite recall the name. It's Churrasqueira Ribeiro. The all-you-can-eat fish restaurant in Faro I mentioned is just called "Grilled Fish" or Peixe Assado. Activities in the Algarve and naturally Stand Up Paddle tours.

Toby Millage also known as Toby One Toby landed here in the late 70s and hasn't stopped rocking since! He has made his name in surfing along with a troupe of other Toby's, rocked the best gigs in Europe but remains rooted in the Algarve's original center of surf: Lagos. Join us for a wild ride through the Algarve's formative years as Toby relates his experiences, random musings and recommendations. Don't take them lightly, he is one of Lagos' legends. Show notes How he arrived in the Algarve... back in the late 70s. Windsurfing, surf jets (!), the love of surfing and making money in the summer. Travel years and a root canal in Canada, led to surfing in Australia. Picking grapes in Australia, how hard can it be? Back in the Algarve, Toby perfected "The Running Man", the coolest break dance move of the 90s. Watch MC Hammer do it. How THE SURF EXPERIENCE started in 1992... "You need a helicopter". What Lagos was really like in those days: Interail and the backpacker's bible: "Let's Go Europe". Getting clients in

Dean Coleman from The Print Shop Dean's business, originally called "The Print Shop" is now called "The Works", and he is based in Almançil (on a fairly noisy road as you'll hear... sorry) and helps businesses with all their marketing needs. Have a listen to his story, it's an interesting one!   Show notes Dean started off in the South African Army as a PTI or Physical Training Instructor. Packaging and the environmental impact of it. Nando's goes green. Dean's move to the Algarve and the study he commissioned: Portugal vs South Africa. A property management company in Tavira. Arriving to live in São Brás de Alportel and becoming the handyman for the business. Live music in São Brás every second weekend. Chatting to Gil Mather and buying The Print Shop, Almançil. The Algarve as a transient environment and Dean's definition of which groups make up the region. A business future for the Algarve? Joining and building communities in the Algarve: Rotary in Estoi Palace, British Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, Busin

Creating a new tech conference in the Algarve Jorge Cabaço is a dynamic figure in the Algarve tech space, working passionately in digital marketing with Dengun and his very own Fresh Mint Consulting. Listen to our fun conversation about Information Technology in Portugal's southern region! Show notes Introducing Jorge Cabaço, Algarvio! The potential of the Algarve and how we advance business (in any sphere) through collaboration: "together we can achieve more". Jorge studied Political Science and International Relations and worked on EU defence policy. He moved to the Algarve to work for NERA (the Algarve Business Association). The Algarve Tech Industry began in the 1990s with AlgarData and VisualForma. Other major players in the Algarve: Dengun Digital Agency (Miguel Fernandes) in Faro, Moonshapes in Portimao, Crochet also in Portimão, SPIC in Loulé, Concept Software Systems in Almançil, and Freshmint Consulting in Vilamoura. Share Algarve, International Digital Marketing Conference, Vilamoura, 2-3 February

If you know the Algarve well, stop reading here. This is meant for people who'd like to get to know the area a little better. Let's take a 30 000 foot view of the Algarve and slot everything into place like a giant wooden jigsaw puzzle. No longer will you be confused about how far your mates are from your resort, or how long it will take to cruise over for a surf on the west coast. So unfold your maps (or click open Google Maps), and take a listen to my airliners view of our wonderful piece of paradise. Algarve Geography show notes The Algarve's four borders. The Algarve's three main areas: Litoral, Barrocal, and Serra. The Algarve's population, both local and expats. The administrative regions of the Algarve: Districts, Concelhos, and Freguesias. Algarvian cities and towns. Natural geographical formations of the Algarve. This one was quite a bit different from my normal interviews. Did you find it educational? Algarve Photos Here are some images I have taken in my travels around the region. Find these on my

Meet Francisco Lufinha He achieved fame for breaking the world record when he kitesurfed from Porto to Lagos in the Algarve. He currently holds the world record for the longest non-stop kitesurfing journey. Show notes Early years: summer sailing holidays in the Algarve. His dreams of becoming a policeman, and then realizing that being outdoors in nature captivated him completely. Looking up to Robbie Naish (as did I!). University: Industrial management and engineering, became a consultant, worked at a bank, co-founded a startup... Co-managed a sailing project called Mini-Transat. A race with 80 solo sailors leaving from France, stopping in Madeira and finishing in Brazil. His team came 1st. Francisco's first foray into film-making, being a general manager of a resort in Morocco and founding +Mar. The 12-hour "Waterkings Event" currently based in Lagos: a team-based competition with 4 people and using SUP, Kitesurf, sailing boats and windsurfers. Francisco Lufinha's Odysseys: The first kitesurf trip from Porto

Please see www.algarveaddicts.com for better info. Show notes Hortensio was born in Albufeira (at home!). Memories of taking his uncle breakfast on the beach at "Praia dos Pescadores" after a long night out on the ocean. Cliff Richard, one of the most famous people in Albufeira and Hortensio's uncle. Adega do Cantor, Cliff Richard's wine farm. Albufeira: the party capital of the Algarve and the city with the most hotel beds. Hortensio's advice on where to go in the Algarve, plus his perfect beach. Yellow Fish Transfers transported 250,000 people last year. Faro Airport , a little history, a few stats and the 50th anniversary renovations. Taxis versus Uber versus Transfer companies. Transfer routes and distances: Vilamoura / Albufeira / Praia da Rocha and Portimão / Lagos / Tavira. The A22 motorway (with tolls) and the EN125 main road that stretch across the Algarve. Yellow Fish Transfers started in 2011 and now has over 100 vehicles. Hortensio shares a few stories about what may or may not have happened on th

Episode 12 / An interview in Burgau Tom hails from Wales and spent a few years in California cementing his love for sunshine and the great outdoors. After his return to Wales he decided that moving to Algarve was the best thing for the family, so he set up Algarve Marquees from his base in Burgau. Listen up to a really enjoyable conversation! Show notes This is a brief outline of what we've discussed The traditional village of Burgau in Tom's campervan. A word on the local weather (we normally don't need to discuss the weather here as it's always good!) and why Tom moved over from Wales. Current water temperature in Faro, it was 19ºC at the time of the interview (which is pretty warm). California, world travels and then the Algarve: a good move. Starting Algarve Marquees, events and mobile bars: http://www.algarvemarquees.com/ Working with Toby from The Surf Experience. Arrifana Surf Festival and one of the most incredible beaches in the region. Algarve Triathlons and the perfect setting for triathlons. The f

Episode 11 / Meet Lauren from VIP That's right, Lauren is a VIP (she owns Very Into Partying). Listen on to find out how she just flashed her business card and was let straight into one of the trendiest night clubs around, jumping a mile long queue in the process. So if you'd like her to fix you up with a memorable party on your holiday, get in touch. She knows her stuff. Show notes A life shift when she was 11 years old: Scotland to Portugal. Body-boarding at Arrifana and respecting the ocean. Cliff-jumping in Algar Seco How partying became a business for Lauren. Very Into Partying is not all about partying. She offers a huge range of other activities. A change in the Algarve, as the tourism season lengthens by having a lot more on offer during the winter: Algarve 365 The birth of VIP: Very Into Partying. Check out her business card below. Lagos: Bom Vivant, Linda The Beach Bar on Meia Praia beach, Joe's Garage for clubbing. Roof terrace bars in the Algarve: Faro (Hotel Faro), Sky Bar in Carvoeiro Praia da R

Episode 10 / Paul Rees, Editor of the Algarve Daily News Paul Rees owns and runs the Algarve Daily News, a digital news outlet that comprehensively covers issues of regional interest in the Algarve. His entertaining weekly email newsletter is read by thousands and keeps one abreast of many of the scandals and sometimes wildly outrageous issues of the day. We chose to chat about his home city of Olhão. Show notes All show notes from the Algarve Addicts podcast follow sequential order. Let me know if you'd like time-stamps in here too? Armação de Pêra in the 80's and the first cars. Algoz in 2003. "What a life!" the memoir of Donald Frank Rees. Moving to Olhão: "fishing, prostitution and drug use". A city without a beach, similar to Faro. Olhão, a breakaway town from Faro, a settlement of outlaws and an overriding sense of independence. The Olhanense repelled the French invaders from Olhão (and as a result from the Algarve) in 1808 and sailed across the Atlantic in the Bom Sucesso to notify the Portuguese King

Young start ups happen in the Algarve too! Sam and Lily recently started a company selling odd socks. Yes, odd socks. #oddsocks, #mismatchingsocks and ##sockstyle are all a thing. You name it, there's a thing for it these days. Join us for a chat with these two super cool young entrepreneurs from the Algarve.

A Faro native or "Farense" Technically you are only a "farense" if you have been born there. However, Paulo Gonçalves has spent most of his adult life living in and around Faro. We discuss his African roots and simultaneously the path that many Algarvians have followed back from the colonies to the motherland. Enjoy a few stories of what life is like in Faro and on the Ria Formosa where Paulo works with his company Algarve WOW.

Episode 7 / A relaxed chat with an Algarve local Emma grew up in the Algarve and has since travelled a fair way around the world. We catch up with her and chat about how amazing it is to call the Algarve home.

A basic primer about Algarve History with Peter Booker, President of the Algarve History Association. Nick Robinson sat down with him in his home near Tavira and had a short chat about the history of the Algarve. Please excuse some minor sound issues. Show notes Why the Phoenicians landed in Tavira. Tavira's rich history. Carthaginians and their conflict with the Romans. Balsa, the Roman occupation of the Algarve and piracy. Examples of Roman civilization in the Algarve. Garum! The fish paste industry in Roman Times Suebians, Visigoths and the Moors. 700 AD - 1249 AD Moorish rule, constructing the towns of Silves, Loulé and Tavira. Al Gharb and how the Algarve got it's name. 1249 AD: The nation of Portugal and the expulsion of the Muslims. 1385 - 1521:The attempts to conquer Marocco. Henry the Navigator The difficulties of reaching the Algarve and the 1884 railway line. Marques do Pombal and the 1755 earthquake 

Enjoy a relaxed chat with well known Greek restaurant owner, Philippos as he recounts his early days in the Algarve. Having arrived here in the early nineties he has seen the region change a lot. Follow his move from Albufeira to Almançil and on to Loulé which he now calls home.

How do you REALLY get to know the Algarve? You set up an Algarve Magazine! Yayeri and Kyle did back in 2015 after arriving down south from Northern Europe. Find out why they came and follow their journey as they create Enjoy the Algarve, a brilliant free monthly digital magazine.