Events June

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Alvor Over Time

Alvor is a very old village that roots from a Roman Riverport known as Portus Hannibalis that dates back 436 years Before Christ. It was a very active trading area that eventually got taken over by the Arabs in 716 A.C. and named Albur - meaning fortified (that eventually evolved to Alvor). The Arabs built an impressive calstle here that is referenced in many writings and was later conquered back by the Portuguese King D. Sancho I in 1250. Alvor kept being a very important mark in Algarve, with rich commerce and famous for the fish and heavily armed castle for years to come. 

In 1775 the big earthquake followed by a tsunami destroyed most of the village and left little of the castle, most of the population died or fled and the village never regained its former status and thus remained as a small fishing village until tourism started blossoming in the Algarve. 

You can still find some ancient Roman and even pre roman remains in Acalar, a bit further in land, in the archeological sight accompanied by a small museum that documents the findings.

Nowadays Alvor became a very touristic spot, although the streets and the village itself didn't change much the old houses were filled with restaurants, bars and touristic facilities, you can still see remains of what it once was and find fisherman returning to the port with their boats after a still very traditional fishing day, the fisherman huts where the equipment is kept and fish prepared and you can even buy fresh fish directly from them if you want to.

Nothing better than to eat a good grilled fish or sea shell rice in one of the tasty traditional restaurants, take a walk around the village and you can still see some remains of it's very ancient history and appreciate the beauty of a place that almost stopped in time.

Kitesurfing in Alvor + Guest Testemony

Ria de alvor is a great spot for kitesurf, good weather, good winds, great waters, great people and great nightlife! Almost everyday we can see kiters in the Ria from our terrace! If you don't believe us we'll just leave you windguru's previsions and the testemony of a guest that became a friend - he booked for 2 weeks and stayed for months - Enzo Accorzi, a passionate Kitesurfer ;)

Enzo Accorzi :

"I got to the Hostel in the 11th March 2015, everything started because I had taken vacation time from my job as I worked for a very long time and thus earned the right to take 1 year off. After I made some short trips in the beginning of that year I decided to find a place to stay for a while, the idea was o do what I love the most - Kitesurf - and rest, many people don't understand that sometimes even though you're on vacation you get tired of hopping around.

So one day I was talking to a friend of mine that also kites and she spoke of a place named Alvor... she told it was paradise and one of the best spots for kitesurfing - at that very moment I checked it on google maps. That stayed in my head so I spoke to another friend here in Helsinki that is Portuguese and she gave me the contact of a friend in Algarve and he helped me find a nice place close to the ria, eventually he got to a friend that had recently opened a Hostel in Alvor, so I called there and Marco (the owner) sorted everything out for me so I didn't have to worry about a thing.

I still remember arriving like it was yesterday, it was that coming home feeling, everyone was treating me like I was part of the family! Alvor couldn't have been better, even more than I imagined, a quiet place to rest that at the same time offers a great nightlife with lots of choice on bars, restaurants and clubs... but the best is that you have the beach at your doorstep! I have no doubt that the location and environment make Ria Hostel a special place, the best is the love they have for their business, it's something you grow with! 

Ria Hostel is right next to one of the best Kitesurfing spots in Europe, and besides the option to surf on-shore wind coming from southwest and southeast the Ria also has the advantage of being safe to take the thermic winds coming from north almost everyday without having to worry about getting lost in sea - which really makes it easier for beginners and is one more reason that this place should be a mark for this sport!"


Original text in Portuguese:

"Então, eu cheguei no Hostel em 11 de março de 2015, tudo começou quando eu tive que tirar umas férias do meu trabalho por eu ter já trabalhado um longo período, essas férias eram mais longas.. tinha o total de um ano. Depois de eu ter feito algumas curtas viagens logo no começo do ano, eu decidi encontrar um lugar para ficar um tempo, a idéia era fazer o que gosto mais (kitesurf) e descansar, o que muita gente não percebe é que as vezes por mais que esteja de férias nós acabamos ficando cansados de ir para um lugar para o outro.

 Eu um dia estava conversando com uma amiga que surfa também e ela me disse de um lugar chamado Alvor… ela me disse que o lugar era paradisíaco e que era um dos melhores spot para kite; na mesma hora pegamos o Google Map e demos uma olhada. Aí pronto fiquei com aquilo na cabeça, falei com uma amiga aqui em Helsinki que é Portuguesa e ela me deu um contacto de um amigo aí em Algarve, falamos muito no Skype até ele achar um espaço legal perto da Ria, o que era minha prioridade. Depois de algumas procuras ele me falou que ele conhecia um amigo que tinha recentemente aberto um Hostel , liguei e nem precisei me preocupar o Marco pesquisou tudo para mim.

Ao chegar ainda me lembro como se fosse ontem, foi a mesma sensação de “cheguei em casa” todos sem excessão me trataram muito bem como se fosse da família! Alvor não poderia ser melhor, tudo e mais um pouco o que imaginava, um lugar tranquilo para descanso mas que lhe oferece ao mesmo tempo uma noite agradável com inúmeras escolhas, bares, restaurantes e nightclubs… mas o melhor de tudo é a praia no quintal de casa! Sem dúvida a localização e qualidade do atendimento fazem a Ria Hostel serem diferente dos demais, mas o mais importante eu diria que é o amor que eles tem pelo negócio isso não se aprende, voce esce com ele!

 O Ria Hostel fica do lado de um dos melhores Kite Spot da Europa, além da opção de surfar nas direções on-shore vindo do sul-oeste sul e sudeste, na ria ainda tem a vantagem de ter a segurança para pegar os ventos térmicos quase todos os dias vindo do norte sem a menor preocupação de se perder mar a dentro…o que facilita muito para os principiantes, fazendo com que o lugar realmente se torne uma mecca para essa modalidade!"

Where is Alvor? Why come all the way here?

Alvor is a fisherman village in south Portugal

The South of Portugal is named Algarve and it's very popular for summer and beach vacations among all kinds of tourists: it's a cheap destination with amazing weather and a gorgeous coastline. The tourism in Algarve rapidly developed and thus you can fin all kind of activities, restaurants, bars and accommodation. The most popular cities are Albufeira, Portimão, Vilamoura and Monte Gordo, they can get VERY crowded in the summer time with millions of tourists swarming around.

So, why choose Alvor? In my personal opinion Alvor is much prettier than a big city and it has the advantage that you can walk everywhere saving you cab money. If you want to visit other cities there are also public bus that go by everyday, the frequency depends on where you want to go. There are a number of boat tours that leave from Alvor to the surrounding cities too, and you get to enjoy the coastline that is breathtaking.

The life in Alvor is unique, not only due to it’s natural beauty but also because of it’s plurality of attributes, making it a great holiday destination. The combination between landscape, weather and facilities allowed the development of many activities connected to the sea and land. 

Although Alvor is also popular it's not nearly as crowded as, for example, Albufeira, which can be a good thing if you want to get around... It has a very long beach so you can find your own spot without being on top of someone else, the riverside is very popular for sports like kitesurfing, there are all kinds of restaurants and bars in the village, small stores and you also get a lot of activities to choose from

The village is along the river mouth and the beach is less than 10min walk away

Our sea is perfect for a day well spent in a Catamaran cruise, the windy days and loved by Kite surfers and the calm ones to Stand-Up Paddle

For the explorers we have the Atlantic ocean at just 10 min walk where you can dive in it’s clean waters and reefs. Alvor also has the longest walkway in Algarve that goes along the dunes, getting to the riverside and seaside!

If you want to stay off the beach there are a number of water parks and theme parks throughout the Algarve, or off road jeep trips in the mountains. For the most adventurous seeking the thrill, racing with karts and cars in the professional tracks of Autódromo de Portimão, if that’s not enough we challenge you to do a 4+ km skydiving jump where you can get all the adrenaline you need!

There is a street with numerous bars that gets very lively at night, it's Portugal so beer starts from 1,20€ and there are all kinds of drinks available and even juggling barmans!

By the way, Ria Hostel is right in the center of the village in a street behind the bar street, has amazing views to the riverside and sea and very competitive prices ;)

If you are worried about privacy: we don't just have dorms, we have private quadruple/family rooms and even an apartment with a double bed, private bathroom and kitchen/living room!

We have free WiFi, linens, bath towels and daily cleaning. 

Book here: www.riahostel.com

Why stay with us?

In case you're wondering "Why stay here?" we have answers for you:

+ Free WiFi that works well and has signal all over! +

+ 2 kitchens fully equiped that you can use to your convinience +

+ We have 2 terraces with amazing views where you can even sunbath in +

+ It's tidy, you get linens changed and cleaning everiday +

+ We have partys every fridays for guests only with typical portuguese drinks and food * +

+ We want you to meet other guests and make friends! +

+ The Hostel is right in the center of the villa, next to the bars street +

+ You can walk (15min) to the beach and riverside +

+ We give you all the transport info you need to get to other cities (we even have a board with time tables) +

+ We have a board for you to leave you photos, testimonials and even contact if you choose to, so you can meet other guests from all over the world +

+ We organize cool stuff for guests only and want you to make the most out of your stay! +

What are you waiting for? Book here: www.riahostel.com

*minimum 20 persons in house

SITA Carnival 2016 - Our Report

As promised, all about alvor Carnival 2016

It stated arround 4pm people started gathering, it was still quite calm:

There were DJ's keeping the spirits up:

More people joined, the DJ was booming and everyone dancing

There were lot's of cute outfits and happy people:

At arround 6pm the parade started, and of course took the music with it:

And we were there to witness 

It went arround town so we moved to the Bar street and waited, as it got crowded

And finaly the parade came and it was a blast!

  

At last arround 7pm the parade endend but the party went on!

The bars and restaurants were full and everyone had a blast :D

Did you miss it this year? Make sure you don't miss the next! Stay with us and don't worry about a thing as were're right next to the busiest street in town ;)

See you next year !

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