Food: a taste of Portugal
Meals are typically served on nickel silver plates. Tomato salad is just one of the classic accompaniments to seafood. Garlic is essentially ubiquitous. Chili peppers are a key ingredient of piri-piri chicken, Portugal’s spicy national dish.
Portugal is an absolute paradise for those who love sweet pastries and desserts. There are countless different delicacies to choose from – often with vanilla sauce, almonds, coconut or lime. Be sure not to miss the absolutely classic “Pasteis de Nata”. These egg tart pastries with custard filling can also be purchased in the café next door to our reception.
The Sagres beer gained its name from a nearby town (20 km away). Will the local ties maybe cause you to favour it over the second most popular Portuguese beer brand, Super Bock? You can sit and chat with the locals for evenings on end. Why not give it a try?!
The Algarve offers extremely favourable soils for winegrowing. A fascinating variety of red and white grape varieties are cultivated along the different stretches of coastline between Lagos and Tavira. The Algarve tourist region has published an excellent wine guide, which can also be viewed and downloaded online; print copies are available at tourist information centres. www.visitalgarve.pt
Restaurants: Salema has a few restaurants to choose from. You may well be presented the day’s catch fresh from the local waters on a huge platter. Similar to elsewhere in the world, the restaurants in less prominent locations in which mostly locals dine tend to be the best. We recommend the rather stylish “Olhos N’Agua” at the eastern end of the promenade and the authentic “Restaurante O Lourenço” located at the foot of the western hill that can be reached via a little road that leads from the car park close to our reception.
It is also worth paying a visit to the “Cabanas Beach Restaurant”, which sits in a tiny little bay around 5 km from Salema (“Praia das Cabanas Velhas”). There is a pebble beach there with sun loungers and parasols. The open-air terrace restaurant has something of a club feel to it and exudes almost Brazilian flair; the good atmosphere and (mostly live) music can certainly get the entire place dancing by the end of the night. Tip: we recommend applying insect repellent as a precaution.
