The_Hog

The Maharaja Patiala. Best Indian I have ever had.
Sadly their restaurant in Monte Gordo has changed hands and is not as good but the one in Sao Bras is still there and is very, very good.

Redflag

thats the one, never had a bad meal

not been for a long time........but i can feel it coming on!!!!

newintavira

Ah, my wife's out in the car fetching takeaway bacalhau a bras for lunch, and now I really fancy a ruby instead...

Hayles

Does the one in Sao Bras offer local cuisine? How do you get there coming from Cabanas?

The_Hog

'Local cuisine'? It's an Indian restaurant.....?
If you go from Tavira to the roundabout for the A22 and then follow the signs for Santa Catarina, then Sao Bras do Alportel (the N270).
It's just past the Intermarche supermarket on the left hand side. (opposite the Fiat Garage).
A couple of years ago the owner did some Indian cooking classes. I would be interested to know if he plans on doing them again. Yum yum!

Thurian

I've been travelling to the Eastern Algarve for the past 8 years and have never felt anything but safe walking around anywhere so I find this thread a tad disturbing.
I'll be over in Cabanas in a couple of weeks time and was thinking of taking the train all the way over to the western end just for a day trip. I usually rent a car but have decided not to bother this time. 99.99% of my brain is telling me my day trip is perfectly safe and I won't get mugged/hassled either on the train or when I get to the west but that teeny tiny seed of uncertainty has been sown now by this thread.
Reassure me please peoples!!

lennox

Its a fact of life that the human instinct in us can soon exagerate a issue. I have also been comming to the Eastern area for eight years and I would rather walk round there than the UK. Enjoy your holiday

Hayles

I think the train going weststops at Lagos which is a large residential/tourist town. During the season there are lots of the younger generation out partying but during the day it should be safe. If you really want to go west and experience the beaches and the local area you need a car. It can be quite remote but has always seemed safe to me.

TELL

The last stop on the train is Lagos, it will take you a few hours on the " local" to get from Tavira to Lagos.
Lagos is busy but it is not a " party " town compared to Albufeira and that any risk ( small as it is ) will be even less in Lagos

newintavira

Conceicao (where I imagine you will get on if you are in Cabanas) to Lagos takes 2 hours. The timetable suggests you have to change in Faro, but usually it is the same train with a quick pause.

Over to the West, Lagos station is walkable to the town and Meia Praia beach, another easy one is to get off at Portimao and pay 4 euros in a cab to Praia da Rocha.

A lot of the other stations which appear to be near the resorts are nowhere near (Albuferia for example is miles away).

Safety wise, I wouldn't worry too much - certainly less than in any UK city. Having said that, we have just returned from five nights in Lisbon, somewhere frequently described as a "muggers paradise" on TripAdvisor, and had no problems at all, even at 4am in Barrio Alto, and getting late night metros home, so maybe we are being over complacent...

Thurian

Thanks to all for the replies, It was actually Cape St Vincent and Sagres I wanted to go see and I've just realised that the train stops a good ways short of that. I'll just have to leave it til next time I rent a car!

Hayles

Worth visiting but you do need a car. Some nice beaches when you are heading towards Sagres and also when you drive up the west coast. You can go back via Monchique which is well worth a visit (if you haven't already been).