What's it like to live in Albufeira, Portugal during the off-season?

#albufeira #algarve #portugal #expatlife
What is it like to live in Albufeira, Portugal during the off-season? In case you didn't know, Albufeira is a city in the Algarve region of Portugal. This area gets 300+ days of sunshine each year. Albufeira is known for its gorgeous beaches, lively restaurants, and rowdy nightlife. In the summertime, its population swells to over 300,000. In the off-season, it shrinks to 40-some thousand. In this video, we share some of the pluses and minuses of spending the off-season in the party capital of the Algarve and a few tips about managing those minuses.
We've loved using Nice Rent our car rental www.nicerent.pt/
Some costs for the curious (please keep in mind that costs can change a lot and Chris is quite the negotiator):
- The house in the off-season has been about 2700 euros per month.
- The car rental in the off-season has been about 30 euros per day.
- Dining out at the restaurants we've mentioned can range from about 50 euros to about 200 euros depending on how much you want to splurge! We've even enjoyed 3-course lunches in the area for about 10 euros each.
Oh, the restaurants we LOVE in this area!!!
Paper Moon www.papermoonrestaurants.com/...
Dom Dinis domdinisrestaurant.pt/
O Amigo / oamigorestaurante
O Lusitano www.thefork.pt/restaurante/o-...
O Marineheiro / omarinheiroalbufeira
Italian Republic / italianrepublicoura
We hope that by sharing what we've learned about living in Albufeira, Portugal that it'll help you decide if this is the place to you and/or prepare you for your move.
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Пікірлер: 66

  • @chrisplusmelissa
    @chrisplusmelissa Жыл бұрын

    Have plans to travel to Albufeira soon? You might want to book a wine tasting or tour at one of the 3 wineries on our post chrisplusmelissa.com/portugal-wine-tour-3-vineyards-to-visit-in-the-algarve-region/ or make reservations for one of these romantic restaurants: chrisplusmelissa.com/where-to-eat-in-albufeira/ .

  • @LuisaPlantierMartins
    @LuisaPlantierMartins6 ай бұрын

    If I may, I am Portuguese and your lovely town of Albufeira is pronounced.... Al boo fay rra (roll the r on the tongue)... ENJOY! 😉🏖

  • @lynetterodgers2000
    @lynetterodgers2000 Жыл бұрын

    A Lagosteira in Olhos D'a Agua is amazing for seafood. I used to rep for a British holiday company and held welcome meetings there. Portuguese food is fabulous. Can't wait to be back in 6 weeks....

  • @StrongDinamitexX

    @StrongDinamitexX

    11 ай бұрын

    albufeira>>>

  • @DLFH
    @DLFH Жыл бұрын

    Such a great POV of a so far our experiences collection.

  • @michaelw3090
    @michaelw3090 Жыл бұрын

    Apolonia has a lot of good stuff... but is about the most expensive supermarket in Portugal. You have a tremendous choice of other places, try them out and compare. Don't forget the local markets for the best and freshest vegetabels, fruit and fish. Have fun !

  • @Atimatimukti

    @Atimatimukti

    Жыл бұрын

    I totally agree. I was shocked last time I went to Algarve and saw those prices. Just for foreigners.and rich ones. And the quality is not even better. Local fresh markets are the best

  • @melissalopes6492
    @melissalopes64923 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the great info

  • @helderguerreiro
    @helderguerreiro Жыл бұрын

    Great video! I took note of the restaurants that you mentioned in Albufeira. I go the Algarve and even to the municipality of Albufeira quite often, but I avoid the center and Oura, mainly in the high season. In 3 months time you will start finding why 😚

  • @artificialartist2
    @artificialartist2 Жыл бұрын

    Great video!

  • @tacianapessoa3890
    @tacianapessoa38905 ай бұрын

    My boyfriend and I are moving to Albufeira and this video was wonderful for understanding what we want. A quiet city, with things to do, but without the stress of a capital city. Thanks a lot!! We loved your energy :)

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    5 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @Team__King
    @Team__King6 ай бұрын

    What a likeable couple ❤️

  • @joseoliveira3691
    @joseoliveira3691 Жыл бұрын

    Looks beautiful

  • @stephanie7679
    @stephanie7679 Жыл бұрын

    I am enjoying your videos! You have talked more about grocery stores (in the differences video too) than other videos I have watched - this is such an untapped topic. You should do a grocery store deep dive! We are heading to Porto for a month very soon, are vegan, and I have been spending time on the store websites that are near our rental. 😊

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi! Thank you for watching. I have a feeling we may do more grocery store stuff as Melissa adapts to her new requirements.

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Stephanie -- Melissa here. I'll have more vegan restaurant recommendations for Porto soon, but one I can for sure share is Zenith Cafe. They have a fantastic brunch!. Feel free to PM us on our IG or FB in case we don't have any posts or videos out about it before your trip. Happy Travels!

  • @hapoise1965
    @hapoise1965 Жыл бұрын

    You must try "nosso franguinho" best frango da Guia near Albufeira.

  • @MrGman2804
    @MrGman28048 ай бұрын

    As a Brit aged 60 about to retire to the Algarve, and having visited the place many times since childhood, I will be interested in your channel. I am surprised the humidity creates an issue, but I usually go between March and October when it is hotter and drier. I am sure you are correct, I just had never noticed it, but as the climate is influenced by the atlantic, that makes sense.... Since you made this video, you have now been through a 'high season'. As with all nationalities, you get all different types. All I will say is the sort of person that goes on a package holiday and wants to go to 'The strip' or even the more lively parts of Albufeira Old Town... just avoid them. They are often noisy, poorly educated and drink too much. Just avoid this. There are still many areas you can go even in high season to avoid this crowd. You have probably found these places by now, but if you have not yet been to Loule, I would highly recommend it. It is a lovely town slightly inland. Very pretty and very civilised.

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    8 ай бұрын

    We are now up in Porto experiencing life up here. We did make it to Loule for the big carnival. We made a video on it in fact. Thank you for watching.

  • @basementstudio7574
    @basementstudio7574 Жыл бұрын

    My wife and I will be there in July. We'll keep an eye out for you and say Ola if we see you.

  • @Jon_FM
    @Jon_FM Жыл бұрын

    Having lived in the UK I believe that there are issues. Friends of mine used to tell me that the mentality they see a lot is that once people are away from their home it is like hey this is not our place go wild. Which is especially typical in places where they are seen as party places (like Fort Lauderdale)

  • @kathleenmathews6096
    @kathleenmathews6096 Жыл бұрын

    Laughed about you showing up early at a restaurant and staff was eating. That happened to us in Madrid and we were shooed out. We did go back later and had a fabulous meal.

  • @danielfernandes532

    @danielfernandes532

    Жыл бұрын

    I remember a friend (who used to tout with the restaurant menu in Albufeira) telling me that the restaurant owner would always have the staff have food/drinks before the customers would be welcomed in and I thought that was very interesting & thoughtful of the owner. Happy staff, happy customers

  • @tozecunha2026
    @tozecunha2026 Жыл бұрын

    albufeira é um lago criado !... Temos algumas e grandes em Portugal A maior é o grande lago de Alqueva, Castelo de Bode...

  • @taniapalmeiro9607
    @taniapalmeiro9607 Жыл бұрын

    Learn this: In Portugal for every meeting, every prescription, every everything is necessary an appointment.

  • @indigohoss9014
    @indigohoss901411 ай бұрын

    Chris & Melissa, amazing content ! Canadian here, planning to move to Portugal for few at least 1 year to experience a new culture + self-discovery. Still on the research process and figuring out what city/lifestyle would work best for me, and Albufeira is in my top 3 cities. Thank you for your practical/valuable information, I had to pull out my my notebook ! I had a question, how convenient would you say it is to navigate Albufeira without a car ? If you are centrally located can you get by without one ? Granted I will need to use taxi every now and then but overall would you recommend not having a car, especially for longer term stay ? Thank you again & Keep up the great work. 🙏

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words and sorry about the delay... we're trekking across the USA at the moment. As for transportation in Albufiera without a car... I do think it depends on where you live. I would say it's more common to have a car. There is certainly Uber and Bolt available. I know there are busses, but we never used them. Also, we were actually in Sesmarias, so a car was necessary for us.

  • @MrGman2804

    @MrGman2804

    8 ай бұрын

    As a frequent visitor to Albufeira, I would say the public transport is not that good. There is no train station in Albufeira, but there are some buses. If you find somewhere to live within 1km of 'Albufeira Shopping', and you are fit, you could probably get by most of the time with a cycle, but be aware, the drivers are a bit haphazard.... I am planning to love there and live without a car and use and electric scooter, cycle, and periodically hire a car. Buying a car in Portugal is extremely expensive. That is why they have so many old cars.

  • @tonyclemens4213
    @tonyclemens42137 ай бұрын

    My wife and I are planning on being here February 2024.

  • @jose36839
    @jose36839 Жыл бұрын

    Go to Golfinho restaurant, they have the best clams👌

  • @rebecahenderson6926
    @rebecahenderson692614 күн бұрын

    Awesome video! From what company did you guys rent your house with? Tks🤩

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    12 күн бұрын

    Here's the place we rented from: www.algarprime.com/

  • @shepgreenberg7659
    @shepgreenberg7659 Жыл бұрын

    That's a spectacular home.....room for visitors from New Jersey??......lol

  • @JPVNG67
    @JPVNG67 Жыл бұрын

    if you want to go to Portugal and not know what is Portugal, go to Albufeira lol :)

  • @taniapalmeiro9607
    @taniapalmeiro9607 Жыл бұрын

    Portuguese culture is known for being one of the most delicious gastronomies in the world. Food plus beverages.

  • @donnacosta5633
    @donnacosta5633 Жыл бұрын

    May I ask you a question? Have you noticed many hotels closed during the winter in Albufeira or in other areas of the Algarve?

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    We actually did not look. Not sure if they do or not. The only hotel we spent time around was the W because of the Paper Moon and the health club.

  • @judyandmikemalone5336
    @judyandmikemalone5336 Жыл бұрын

    Great video

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Hey! We know you guys! :D Thank you for watching.

  • @erickarnell
    @erickarnell Жыл бұрын

    Do you plan to carry the dehumidifier and filter with you to your future locations?

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes.

  • @estranhokonsta

    @estranhokonsta

    Жыл бұрын

    @@chrisplusmelissa A tip if you want to avoid humidity. Go to the interior of Portugal. Avoid coastal or "river towns". The alternative, which is possibly better, is to bring the dehumidifier with you. The truth is that avoiding locations instead of managing them does not give oneself the best life experience.

  • @kswaiz
    @kswaiz Жыл бұрын

    Can you share prices for the house and car rental?

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi. Thank you for watching and for your questions. We've recently begun to add some pricing info in our video descriptions.

  • @WendyParker-lf8tq
    @WendyParker-lf8tq Жыл бұрын

    So what are you allergic to, humidity?

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Melissa reacts to mold it seems. But she's been doing better since figuring out there were a bunch of foods she was consuming that she was allergic to.

  • @davidduca8421
    @davidduca84217 ай бұрын

    Can't just all be party techno music

  • @rogerhardy6306
    @rogerhardy6306 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for these videos, I enjoy the low-key and straight-forward presentation...so different from the usual hyper-histrionics on KZread! I suspect you'll hate the high season in Albufeira; it attracts the 'wrong' kind of tourist (sorry to be snobby) because of the preponderance of package-tourist hotels etc. You'll probably want to stay away from 'the strip' in summer...it's party town and there are drunks and drug dealers everywhere. Really not nice....can be somewhat violent as well. The police go around in pairs. The old town is still nice. While you're there, get in your car and drive west to the area around Carvoeiro and Ferragudo. Carvoeiro gets very busy in summer but is a family-friendly place. Ferragudo is less busy and, like Carvoeiro, has no high-rise hotels and is still a proper Portuguese fishing village...it still functions in the winter! Ferragudo and Tavira are probably the nicest towns in the Algarve. Re dehumidifiers; they are expensive to run and electricity in Portugal is costly. When looking for a house for winter, maybe chose one with German underfloor heating. Most houses don't have central heating, of course. Mould is a common problem but you can treat it with 'anti-bolores' spray but the best way is to ensure good ventilation...try to open the windows every day even in winter.

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the nice words. We've heard the warnings about high season... and we won't be spending time there during that time. (We're already on the move.) However, we do intend to check out a day or two just to see what it's like in high season.

  • @Frankygoestohull1
    @Frankygoestohull1 Жыл бұрын

    Hey guys nice vids .. here are some tips in Portuguese pronunciation. “Ei” as in albufeira is always pronounced as “ay” . U is pronounced “oooh” so albufeira would phonetically sound like AL- BOO- FAY- RUH.

  • @Frankygoestohull1

    @Frankygoestohull1

    Жыл бұрын

    The R is pronounced like a Scottish R and not an American retroflex

  • @SpacedOdyssey
    @SpacedOdyssey6 ай бұрын

    So we have just spent 10 days over Christmas 2023 in Albufeira. We were here 20 years ago and decided to come back to see what it's Like. The Old Town is a Real Dump. Just full of crappy Sports bars with more TV screens than Currys all showing FOOTBALL and Belting Out loud music, and full of Fat Old Brits, probably seeking a change from Benidorm. The STRIP at the far end of Town is half mile of the same crap. Albufeira is just a modern sprawling mass of apartments and Hotels. It's so bland that you could be anywhere in Europe, why anyone would come here is beyond me, as there are many other parts of the Algarve and Portugal that are much nicer But when Spain has so much culture and Food and History we will probably give this a miss

  • @anibalvalente3017
    @anibalvalente3017 Жыл бұрын

    Chris n Melissa, i love your videos, but once again, you 2 now are living in Albufeira, please learn how to pronounce it correctly, it's AL_BOO_PHEI_RA*. Its so disrectful when foreignours go to Portugal and can't even pronounce ''POOR_TU_GAL'', not Porchugul. I'm impressed you both pronounced Algarve correctly.....I STILL LOVE YOUR VIDEOS n i'm so jealous in Newark NJ.....LOL

  • @chrisplusmelissa

    @chrisplusmelissa

    Жыл бұрын

    We'll keep working at it. Pronouncing English words properly is hard enough for me. Portuguese is on another level. :D

  • @pedroramalho121

    @pedroramalho121

    Жыл бұрын

    It's very confusing the way they say Albufeira, but the one that kill me was the way Mellissa says O Marinheiro, it was very funny. but i love the videos, and they're really fun, and don't worry, there are English people who live in the Algarve for decades and only know how to say good morning, and even then badly.

  • @estranhokonsta

    @estranhokonsta

    Жыл бұрын

    @@chrisplusmelissa Hey don't mind those guys and their pedantry. It is not disrespectful in any way. It is great if you try (and it will only be an advantage for you in the long run) but you are not portuguese so keep it natural and take it slow. A new language is not learned in one sitting as if one was consuming a fast food meal. The fact is that we have that habit of nitpicking about "correct language" between ourselves (you probably also have something similar in your country) but it is only usually reserved to us tugas. Those guys are pushing the boundaries but i think they come from an essentially good place.

  • @joaorosado7106

    @joaorosado7106

    Жыл бұрын

    they are just a couple who have been in Portugal for a very short time, without friends or Portuguese references to help them pronounce words better. I don't think it's disrespectful. when i speak English, for them, must sound the same way

  • @anibalvalente3017

    @anibalvalente3017

    Жыл бұрын

    @@joaorosado7106 I agree w/ you, but they're many American couples living in ''PORCHUGUL'' and making money on YT videos. Stay Classy Vlog are the best example. Amelie n Joen have been living in ''PORCHUGUL'' for 10 years n have the most YT followers, out of these American couples trying to make a dime from PORTUGAL.