If you would like to look at shop windows, architecture, cafés and restaurants, we suggest a short trip to Faro. For powershopping, a good bet is Forum Algarve on the N125 between Faro and the airport. There is also a hypermarket in this shopping centre.

Further west, both Silves and Lagos are worth a visit; Silves has a large moorish castle and Lagos some of the best coves and grottoes along the coast.

A trip to Sagres and Cabo de Sao Vicente gives you a view of a different Algarve, and the coast north of here is wild and fancied by surfers.

Of other, slightly longer trips, we can suggest Mértola, Sevilla (2h) or Lisbon (2.5h).

Casa Flor de Sal is about 40 minutes by road from the Spanish border. The city of Seville is less than 2 hours away and the whole of Andalusia is within easy reach. Lisbon can be reached in two and a half hours by road.

The city of Évora is also about 2.5h - we understand why the whole inner city is declared World Heritage Site. As it is in the middle of the Alentejo plains, it gets quite hot in summer and most people will find it most comfortable to visit when it is cooler.