We booked the two day trip to Seville and Gibraltar through our Topflight rep with some trepidation, not sure what to expect and weather we could cope with two days away from our sun-loungers and the pool! Not to mention the early start (pick up from Oura Praia was 6.20-some were much earlier). But the chance to visit two other 'countries' while on our holidays in Portugal seemed too good to miss.
We were collected from outside the hotel at the above-mentioned unGodly hour by the tour bus 'Bestday' and were still unsure what to expect. The coach was lovely and comfortable and air-conditioned and the journey (which takes around five hours to Gibraltar including two 30-45 min stops) passed quite quickly with so many beautiful sights to see along the way. You travel through the Algarve and into Spain, taking the motorway through Andalusia and having never visited Spain before i was delighted to see how beautiful it was. We stopped first in a service station and then in a lovely Spanish roadside hotel where they sold smoked meats and had hunks of bulls legs hanging from the ceiling. Outside was a stall selling fresh fruit which we all tried. The white peaches were dripping with juice!

You had to decide whether or not you wanted to do the Rock tour when we arrived in Gibraltar (it cost €20) and those of us who did jumped onto the waiting minibus immediately after crossing the border (you must have your passport for this), and over the airport runway!
I'd definately recommend the rock tour as a great way to see the main points of the rock in the short time you have. The driver is your guide and the views are spectacular. We stopped at several points to take pictures-and saw Africa!- and visited the caves which i have to say are pretty breathe-taking. Then we stopped to see the apes who were so friendly and posed willingly for many pictures. It was hard to stop myself bringing one home!

After the journey back down to the town we had about 3 1/2 hours freetime and explored the shopping. It's vat free so cigarettes and alcohol are VERY cheap. Try and bring some sterling though because we had only euros and while this is fine in most shops, if you stop for lunch, as we did, you will find the exchange rate to be VERY high! There were loads of other things to see in Gibraltar but i think a couple of days would give you more time to explore. There is a lot of building work going on at the moment and many new apartments and marinas so i think in a year or two the city will be quite modern and cosmopolitan. It's such an unusual place to visit as it really is a very pretty Britain in the sun! With monkeys!

At 5.30 we left for our hotel which was on the Spanish side of the harbour around Gibraltar in Algeciras. It takes about half an hour, but i must warn anyone doing this trip not to expect a pretty little place with flamenco dancing and tapas! This is an industrial port for crossings to Africa and the hotel was right in front of the main gate. It is somewhere to eat and put the head down for the night and not really part of the Spansh experience that we had hoped for which was a little disappointing, but with another early start the next day, we didn't really mind. We were given a buffet dinner and wine which we had not known was included in the price.

After breakfast the following morning (we managed a couple of glasses of rioja in the restaurant before an early night) it was back on the bus at 7.30. We could have gone earlier, the guide asks everyone what time they prefere. Three more hours to Seville, again including a stop for coffee. This time we journeyed through mountains and along the coast and again the views were terrific. Our guide, who was very good, explained lots about Spain and Seville as we travelled, and it makes the journey very interesting.

Arriving in Seville we were shown some of the many wonderful sights by bus before making a stop at the government building and Spanish square to take a look around. The building is quite stunning and we took lots of photos. Then back on the bus into the centre where the guide gave us maps and directions to some of the main sights and we had five hours to roam around. The heat was quite intense (40degrees!) and be warned that many places will close at one for siesta so do your shopping first. There are some great shops and the city is really beautiful, a mixture of old and modern, with lots of greenery to be seen.

We stopped at a pavement cafe in the Santa Cruz area to eat paiella and tapas which were fab, then strolled on to see the cathedral. We walked up to the tower where you get wonderful views of the whole city. We also had the option of taking a boat trip on the river with our guide.

Seville is a really beautiful city, and again, i think it would be nice to go back for a few days and explore it all.

The journey back to the Algarve took about 3 hours with another stop along the way.

I think the trip is well worth doing, especially for anyone who has not visited Spain and enjoys a bit of a city break. You learn loads form the guide too and i have now found two more places that i can't wait to visit again. I'd recommend the trip for all ages (though not children as the travelling is quite long), we were the youngest- in our late twenties -and there were all nationalities on board. It really changed two weeks in the sun into a memorable mini adventure.

This is a place which English-speaking Europeans have discovered, as well as Australians, South Africans and Canadians, but NOT Americans. DO go! It's affordable,
has lovely beaches, friendly people, great golf (if you play
or not, it is something to recommend the area), and the
weather is usually pretty good. Also, there's an interesting
culture there -- sort of quasi-Iberian-Moorish. I am a single
traveller and had a really nice 5 days. The day trips are
pretty good and worth the money, but you can get fogged
with little fishing areas that look very similar. You need
to do your research first, and then you'll appreciate the
history and culture. The little villages outside of the
beaten track are authentic, and I went to Lolle during
a religious festival which was quite special. Even the
people who don't speak English are friendly and, truly,
you can afford it if your currency is US$s. I would go here
over Nice anytime, and I wish I knew this before I went to
Nice and environs. Also, the fish restaurants are excellent.
The walking is a little difficult, as the streets are often hilly
and narrow, but it is old Portugal, and it's fun. The beaches
are very user friendly, and there are restaurants overlooking
the beach, so you can sit and schmooze and watch the sea.
Walking on the beach is limited -- about 10 min. each way,
and then you reach interesting rock formations (the coast
is curvey). Very much like San Diego, except for the occasional
topless women (all ages). One part of the Algarve is the western-most tip of Europe. It's nice to stand there and imagine the explorers who left for the new world, so long ago. The only sad thing is that Portugal had the first slave market in Europe, and they excuse it by saying it was in context of the history of the times. Then there's the Inquisition and all that baggage. The Moorish culture of the area is as a result of that time, similar to the history of Cordoba in southern Spain, which has a similar terrain and feeling in many ways. Leave some space in your suitcase, as there really is a wealth of beautiful affordable items to buy (as well as the usual hokey tourist stuff). I felt very safe the whole time (I was in the Albufiera area), which is important; also important: I had fun and would go again! Email me if you have questions.

We absolutely loved the Algarve, the wide open coastline dotted sparcly with small villages. It was just what we had hoped to find! We had just spent a week on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and were greatly disappointed (the crowds, the tacky shops, ect) so when we arrived on te Algarve and found wide open coastline and stunning cliffs we were happy with the night and day difference.

There are only a few villages and towns along the Algarve as compared with wall to wall condos on the Costa Del Sol. And to top it off prices are less expensive in Portugal than they are in Spain.

However, with the smaller villages and less tourists (although still well traveled) there are fewer options as far as hotels and places to eat go but all in all we had a great time visiting the Algarve and would highly recommend it to others wishing to explore Europes southern shore.

We rented a private villa in Aljezur in the Western Algarve in June 2007.

It was my first time in Portugal, but it will not be my last. It was wonderful. The food is great, the people are great, the scenery and beaches are great and, contrary to popular belief, the driving was good and enjoyable.

It has not been 'Angliscised' like some parts of Spain and Greece and I hope it never is. However. the town of Lagos on the South Coast is a bit commercial now with a couple of tacky English bars (in my opinion), but it has a great marina, good shopping and bars. Take a trip out with one of the excursion companies to see the dolphins - well worth it!

If you're travelling with children, take them to Slide 'n' Splash in Lagoa - superb water park. Also look out for Zoo Marina where you can actually swim with the dolphins.

If all that is too much for you, then take a tour and sample many of the Alrgarve's best kept secrets: its beaches. Soft golden sand, secluded coves and sparsley populated, these beaches are the best to top up your tan. Why not visit the West coast and enjoy a romantic sunset over the Atlantic Ocean with a bottle of Portuguese wine or Port?