Salema—My Favorite Stretch of Portugal’s Algarve

For several years, I’ve been wanting to return to the Algarve (southern Portugal), my favorite stretch of Iberian coastline. I’m generally in Iberia in April, when the beach towns are pretty dead, so I don’t bother. Being here in June this year makes a huge difference — it’s lively, warm, and a great place to relax (as I wind up an intense two-month trip). And even after all this time, my favorite Algarve town remains Salema.

The economic hard times seem to be hitting both Spain and Portugal very hard. I can see the sadness in the eyes of the people. A “tough times future” seems to be the diagnosis, and there’s no promising cure. The character of the idyllic fishing towns (like Salema) is changing. Fewer people are fishing, and government policies (regulation and taxation) have tightened up, causing the little widows to not bother renting their rooms. Gourmet restaurants and boutique accommodations are appearing in spite of the tough times, as fishing towns are becoming the playgrounds of the gated communities and golf clubs of the jet-setting international crowd, who stay on the hilltops a bit inland. Still, the children of the old fisherman — at least, the ones who don’t go to the big city in search of economic promise — continue to cook up the fish and man the weather-beaten fort. And Salema remains a delightful stop on any Iberian itinerary.

I hope you enjoy these images from my recent visit.

Salema, the Back Door jewel of the Algarve, comes with a delightful sandy beach overlooked by characteristic restaurants and the tranquil strum of a steady surf

In beach resorts across the Mediterranean, competition is stiff. The fish is fresh, the vegetables are crunchy, and in the case of Portugal...the wine is green. — In beach resorts across the Mediterranean, competition is stiff. The fish is fresh, the vegetables are crunchy, and in the case of Portugal…the wine is green.

When I first came to Salema, in the late 1970s, I was driving a minibus of tourists. We’d park at the base of Salema’s “street of the fishermen” (Rua Pescador) and find rooms (quartos) in private homes for a few bucks each. Now the fishermen do more sitting and gazing at the sea than fishing (the business is done in bigger fish markets nearby, in Sagres and Lagos). The women have been terrorized out of running their small businesses by stricter (and necessary, as Southern Europe learns to pay its taxes) government regulations. There are fewer old-school, shoestring-budget backpackers to keep them in business anyway. Still, while it feels different, the street looks exactly the same.

My friend John, from England, has run Pension Mare for three decades. I’ve been sending my readers there just about from the start, and we are like a team. I love his place. He lives in Bath and flew down to hang out with me as I updated my chapter on Salema. He was a great resource as I put the pieces of this town’s social puzzle together. This same weekend, John sold Pension Mare. The new owner promises to run it the same for my readers... but it’s a bit of a sad event for me. — My friend John, from England, has run Pension Mare for three decades. I’ve been sending my readers there just about from the start, and we are like a team. I love his place. He lives in Bath and flew down to hang out with me as I updated my chapter on Salema. He was a great resource as I put the pieces of this town’s social puzzle together. This same weekend, John sold Pension Mare. The new owner promises to run it the same for my readers… but it’s a bit of a sad event for me.

Comments

3 Replies to “Salema—My Favorite Stretch of Portugal’s Algarve”

Rick – Two weeks ago I wrote to your web address to tell you about a terrific guide (Bea) in Spain and Portugal who could help you check out new places to include in your guidebook. I didn’t hear from you but I just heard from her that she bumped into you in Seville in the Santa Cruz neighborhood trying to follow the directions in your book! You were having a bit of trouble and we had a little trouble there, too. I bet our guide helped you out! If you need her contact information again, I’ll give it to you.

I love Salema … I had the good fortune to be able to stay there for 3~4 days last summer. Here’s my suggested “itinerary”: wake up to the sound of the waves (if you’re up a bit early, stroll the beach just after sunrise) and a great breakfast (sad to hear Pension Mare was sold, it made for a nice home away from home), take an easy hike to one of the “hidden beaches” within an easy walk of town, come back to town for a late lunch overlooking the sea (Boia Bar was a favorite lunch spot of mine), spend the afternoon relaxing at the beach, have a nice dinner in town (Agua na Boca is hard to top), then a drink or two at the Aventura Bar (the two things I miss the most about Salema: the beach and this bar!), then go back and fall asleep to the sound of the waves. Salema’s off the beaten path, in a country off the beaten path … but well worth the journey! Some of the most relaxing days I’ve spent in a long time …

Rick, Thanks so much for the blog posts. We have been sharing your latest adventure with our 6 year old. He thinks that Salema is, “sorta like being in heaven”. We take your posts and use them as a wonderful jumping off point for some fun Internet travel and library exploring. He did say he wouldn’t be trying the barnacles. Ha! We have our own adventure to the seashore in a few weeks…but, sadly not to Europe…this year. Happy travels! Thank you again for bringing parts of this BIG world into our little guys life!

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