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Local Interests
Castro Verde
An extremely well equipped town with several restaurants
and coffee shops, a
choice of three large supermarkets
with excellent fresh
fish, meat and deli
counters, a health centre
with A&E and 24hr pharmacy
and a large open air market
on the 1st Wednesday of
every month.
The town has boutiques, hardware and household shops. There is a post office,
several banks with cash
points, an internet cafe,
a night club
www.santaloucura.com , public swimming pools
and tennis courts, a
coach station, cinema,
several churches a cultural centre
and museum.
There are also several petrol stations within Castro Verde.
Castro Verde
With all these amenities Castro Verde still maintains all the Portuguese culture,
architecture and traditions of a beautiful historical town.
Castro Verde is flanked by the towns of Aljustrel, Mertola, Ourique and Almodovar offering similar facilities and all steeped in history of the Turdetans, Romans, Arabs and the Moors. This area was also once the domain of the
Santiago knights.
Mertola
Guest Guide
Our comprehensive guest guide provides details on local restaurants as well as local interests and attractions. This guide can be found with your welcome pack upon your arrival.
Local Leisure Facilities
Modern leisure facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis, squash and a gym.
Activities
Horse Riding,
Quad Bikes,
Ballooning, Karting,
Paintball, Archery, Bird Watching,
Fishing - Big Game and Fresh Water, Windsurfing, Scuba Driving, Water Parks,
Jeep Hill Safaris, Golf within the Algarve
and Costa de Lisboa
www.portugalvirtual.pt
Our guest guide provides details on
these attractions.
Tours and Excursions
Megalithic sites, Boat Trips - River and Costal, Natural Park Jeep Safaris, Winery's.
Our guest guide provides details on
these attractions.
Cultural Heritage
The virtue of the areas in the Tourist Region of the Golden Plain is their diversity. Visit and discover castles; churches; convents; museums; towers; chapels and ancient ruins. The region has a vast architectural, historical and cultural heritage, bringing together the plain "montes" and the most elaborate artistic creations. The Romans and Arabs left their marks across the region, in the style and details of monuments, especially in the beautiful churches and not least the language, customs and faces of the local people.
Historic and Archeological Sites and Beauty Spots
Our guest guide provides details on such attractions.
Local Cuisine
We recommend you try the regional cuisine, famous for its succulent black pig and an endless variety of fresh fish and shell fish. Cured hams and sausages; homemade bread and cheeses; "migas" (pork and bread crumbs); "acardas" (breaded soups with coriander, vinegar or garlic and tomatoes); "ensopado de borrego" (lamb stew); "a pastora" (lamb cooked with bay and garlic) are just a few of the fine culinary offers to those who visit the Golden Plains. There are plenty of game dishes as well as sweets which were traditionally made in convents. Regional wines: Vidigueira; Cuba and Alvito; Pias; Moura and Amaraleja are all producers of quality wines.
Castro Verde along with its
neighbouring towns host a number of excellent restaurants offering a wide range of menus at great prices.
We provide maps on
how to get there and
an English
translation to help
you select from the
menu.
Portuguese Recipes www.portuguesecooking.com
Traditional
Portuguese recipes
combine a blend of
flavours and
techniques of many
other cultures
dating back
centuries.
Hunting
The Golden Plain has the most beautiful game reserve. Partridges, wild rabbit, hare, turtle doves and quails are widespread and wild boar can also be found.
Fishing
www.flap-holidays.com
Fishing is the leisure activity which presides over lakes and rivers. The main species in the region are catfish, carp and boce, living in uniquely beautiful surroundings.
Nature
Enjoy the abundance of animal and plant life. Great Bustards, white storks, cranes, kestrels and birds of the gallinaceous species are established in the region. This region is one of the last places in Europe to find such birds as the Great Bustard.
 
Bird Watching
www.lpn.pt
Centro de Educacao
Ambiental do Vale
Goncalinho, LPN
(Nature Protection
League) created in
1948 is the oldest
environmental NGO in
Iberia. One of the
developed projects
is the sustainable
Castro Verde
Programme. It
started in 1993,
with the acquisition
of 5 estates in
Castro Verde
promoting the
conservation for
steppe birds. We are
happy to arrange for
parties to visit the
centre, a 10 minute
drive from Monte da
Quinta.
Other Related Links
Wine Tourism
www.malhadinhanova.pt
Herdade da Malhadinha Nova winery and vineyards welcomes visitors for guided tours, tasting,
lunch or diner. Visitors have the opportunity to buy wine and other products. Riding, biking and fishing are other activities that can be arranged.
We have a good
relationship with
the proprietors and are happy to
arrange parties to
visit.
Ten minute drive from Castro Verde.
Cliff Richard
www.winesvidanova.com
Sir Cliff has known and
loved the Algarve for
over 40 years. His idea
to plant a vineyard at
his property Quinta do
Moinho provided the
genesis point for the
Vida Nova range of
wines. Sir Cliff is very
much involved in
producing the wine. When
in Portugal he is often
seen getting his hands
dirty in the vineyard or
indeed his feet dirty in
the winery.
Below are some
related links for further tourist information.
www.rt-planiciedourada.pt
www.vinhosdoalentejo.pt
www.bbc.co.uk/languages
www.portugal-live.net/UK/
www.visitportugal.com
www.algarve-information.com
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