Hi all. As I mentioned on another page, the Albufeira Tips page is getting pretty long. I’ll carve a bit off that page to add here, and then carry on here: Tidbits about Albufeira 2.
For folks just landing on this page, this blog/site chronicles our first time travel from Canada to Portugal where, this year, we are blessed to be able to spend a couple of months. Here’s the link to page one: From Ontario to Portugal.
Hospitals & Health Care.
I hope I don’t need to use them. I am comforted by the fact that, according to what I’ve read, Portugal’s health care is among the best in the world, and it’s quite a bit lower in client cost than similar care in the US health system I’ve read, too.
You will still need to have travel insurance if a non-Portuguese resident needs health care in Albufeira or elsewhere in Portugal.
The doctors in the hospitals are reputed to speak English, and there are clinics available in Albufeira as well. A browser search will find those closest to you.
While we haven’t had the need to buy any kind of over the counter medicines, friends that have report that you may not find them in any regular stores but will have to go to a pharmacy for that sort of OTC products.
Dial 112 for emergencies!
I sincerely hope you never need to use the service, but if you need an ambulance (or police) in Albufeira or elsewhere in Portugal, you dial 112 from any phone. It is a no-charge call.
Washers and Dryers in Portugal!
When we were scouring Air BnB for places to stay in Albufeira, one of our criteria was that the rental had to come equipped with a washing machine. I made the assumption that if there was a washing machine, the unit would come with a dryer too.
Wrong! Now that I think of it, not one of the rental units we looked at said anything about a clothes dryer.
Evidently few rentals if any, or for that matter private homes, use a clothes dryer. Electricity to run them is far too expensive for Portuguese purses and folks do without.
How? Clotheslines.
So, we got the washer here, what do we do to dry our clothes. We checked around the digs. Sure enough, tucked away in a closet was a fold-up clothes drying rack which, nestled in the sun in our backyard, effectively dries our clothes sans electricity.
Of course, at home we (royal we) hang our clothes out to dry as well, except when it’s winter. Then the dryer comes into play. The Algarve typically never sees freezing temps, and clothes can be dried outdoors all year round.
No washing machine where you rented?
There are pay as you wash laundromats located throughout Albufeira.
Tip: Household washing machines appear to be much smaller in drum size than is typical in Canada. Storing up dirty clothes for an end of the week wash may not be the best idea. The washing machine here is run for a single cycle almost every second day. I’m not sure about the drum size of the commercial laundromats.
And, just for your interest…
Got a hankering for some hot soup?
Soup seems to be available at almost every restaurant. So far, fish soup – the flavour of which varies from location to location – is our favourite, though the other day I had a tomato soup with egg, and it was delicious. On another day I had home made “chicken broth” which was a delicious soup with big chunks of chicken, pearl pasta, some herbs and wonderful broth. If you like soup you likely can’t go wrong ordering it in a restaurant.
Update on canned soup!
Good luck finding canned soup in stores, however. We’ve been to three different mercados, one of which was an Aldi, and nope, no canned soup to be found anywhere.
It turns out that soup isn’t canned in Albufeira, it’s packaged. Here’s what we mean:
Also, in the soup section of the Continente, which is a two-floor grocery and sundry store in the centre of Albufeira, a selection of soups that some of you might recognize were found on the shelves over the package soups:
More soup stuff…
Went to some more stores and found…
Hot dog!
I’ve had a life-long affair with hot dogs. It’s my go-to snack, and sometimes beans and weanies just has to be made as a comfort food. So far at least, it seems that if you want to eat hot dogs at home while in Portugal, look in the jarred foods section.
Olive Oil
Olives are grown here so it’s not surprise that in Albufeira and in Lisbon, olives are part of almost every meal. The salad dressings that appear on the restaurant table are oil and vinegar. That’s olive oil and, so far, a variety of vinegars including balsamic and some with flavours.
If you are staying here for a while, you’ll likely want to add olive oil to your shopping list to have some at your ‘home’. Is it hard to find? Well…
Visiting other parts of the Algarve?
On another page I wrote about getting around in Albufeira on the GIRO bus line, and referred you to the Vamus website for more information. That website is: https://www.vamusalgarve.pt
When you visit it, this is what you’ll see:
Top right, to the right of the Login icon is the drop down menu to select the language you wish the site to be.
The four small sections starting with Portimao on the left and ending with Olhao on the right are theg ateways to the four bus systems that are part of the Vamus family. Each of them is a bus route in its own right.
Then, if the arrow to the right of the big Vamus box is clicked, that will provide information on the Vamus cross-Algarve bus service.
Buses like the one shown above are used by Vamus to provide the service all along the Algarve, from Lagos on the west right to the border of Spain on the right.
Update: According to our friend Dorota you can pay for the Vamus bus when you board. However, if you visit the bus terminal in Albufeira and buy a pre-paid card, you’ll save about 50% on each fare and make boarding a whole lot faster. We’ll be looking further into this and will update this section when we do.
The Albufeira Terminal Rodoviario has other bus lines too!
One such service is Rede Expressos, the route for which is shown in the image above. Not a lot of detail on this route map, is there. Do note though that Rede does have a stop at the Lisbon Oriente and it has a stop in Albufeira. Stay on board and visit Seville or Malaga? Hmmm, maybe we’ll do that.
The next full page will be about the Albufeira Marina. Click here to get to that page.
Hi Canadian Snowbirds Sue & Bill! It’s Patricia, friend and fellow traveler of Janet from the Paris/Provence trip. I am in Albufeira right now! With SDT on a tour. I know its late notice but I have a free day tomorrow if you’d like to meet for a coffee.
Just responded by email. Cheers.