Popular Saints Parades

June is the month of the popular Saints, and of course, Portimão and Alvor keep the tradition!

Yesterday the parades went arround the streets of Alvor! Everything was colorful cheerfull and full of happy people :) 

And of course being a local I cheer for Alvors parade that is very well represented! Alvor's Parade is Beautiful!!

Junho é o mês do santos populares, e claro Portimão também  mantém a tradição.

Ontem foi a vez das marchas saírem à rua em Alvor.

Muito colorido, muita alegria e boa disposição!

Claro, sendo "bairrista" grito pela Marcha da Vila de  Alvor que está muito bem representada.

A Marcha de Alvor é liiiiinda!

Gastronomic Week in Alvor

Gastronomic Week with lot of entertainment and demonstrations!

Semana Gastronómica em Alvor com muitas animações e demonstrações!!!

Tandem Skydiving - Guest Testemony

What is a Tandem Skydive?

The most popular jump and an ideal first jump or one-off experience day out. A tandem jump is the most popular and the ideal way to try skydiving for the first time without any experience needed at all. 
All expert tandem instructors have thousands of skydives and you will jump using a large parachute specifically designed for two people.  
Securely harnessed to your qualified tandem skydiving instructor you will experience the thrill and excitement of freefall and enjoy the breath-taking sea views over the coastline of Portugal. 
There’s a short ride in the specialist parachuting aircraft before you take an exhilarating leap from 14,000ft (4300m) reaching terminal velocity at around 120mph! 
Your instructor will then open the tandem parachute after 60 seconds of free-falling and fly you safely back to earth. 
 Optional outside video and photo package so you can take the memory of the most exhilarating experience of your life home to show your friends and family.

What happens on the day

• Arrive at the airfield at the designated time on your confirmation email
• Complete your paperwork and pay any outstanding balances
• Enter the dropzone! You will need to show photo ID to go airside so please ensure any friends and family also have this with them
• Receive your skydive briefing from one of our qualified instructors
• Get kitted up and ready to jump
• Meet your cameraman for a short interview – make sure you have booked your video and photo package!
• Enjoy the 15-minute ride up to 14,000ft (4300m) in our fast parachuting aircraft.
• Leap from the door, securely attached to your tandem skydive instructor
• Enjoy 60 seconds of freefall
• At 6000ft the parachute will be opened by your instructor and you can take in the stunning sea views whilst under canopy for around five minutes. Land back at the dropzone with a huge smile on your face!
• Collect your tandem skydive certificate
• If you took the DVD and photo package this should be ready for you within an hour, and you can watch this in the café with your friends and family before you leave if you wish.

Source: Skydive Algarve

Intreview with Ieva - Guest that Tandem Jumped

Were you thinking about skydiving when you first came here at all?
I had no clue.

You were reluctant about skydiving, what made you give in?
It was definitely encouragement of people that I met here at the hostel and further on. The idea came from a guy that was doing the skydiving course in Alvor and they kept encouraging me that I had to try it as well. I was still unsure if I wanted to do it but after a few days under consideration I did it after all.

How would you describe the experience?
It was simply amazing. People at the aerodrome were super friendly and relaxed. Everyone getting to know each other, listening to music and chilling before the jumps. Instructors are very thoughtful and fun. They even invited me for a party later that day. I didn't feel a single drop of fear or nervousness until I was 13,000 ft above the ground, but when the door opened and I was being directed towards it, my heart was beating crazy fast and my mind was asking me what the heck I am doing here! The excitement was huge and I felt a shock for few seconds after jumping out, but the professional instructor made the experience smooth and enjoyable. I was even able to guide the parachute myself and spin around.

 Now that you’ve done it, would you do it again?
 100% I would do it 100 more times

 What experience do you want to have next?
 I want to learn kitesurfing and the classical surfing

 How was your experience here at the hostel?
The best one ever. Marco and his family (and the hostel staff) were so nice to me the whole time. I really felt like home here. Alvor, and Ria hostel, is a place where you meet different people every day. That's what I like about staying at the hostel, the fact that you always see new people and make friends with them. I met amazing persons who offered me to visit then at their places later on and showed me around this place.

 Would you recommend others that want to tandem jump to stay with us?
 You will get the best recommendations regarding the skydive company, pricing and how to get to the aerodrome. And probably some feedback too.

What did you like the most about Alvor? 
I like every single thing so far. In summer it gets really crowded also here, but comparing to other bigger towns in Algarve, Alvor the is a relatively silent spot with relaxed and open minded local people and tourists. You can make friends easily, enjoy the nightlife if you like, find lots of restaurants as well as local cafés with delicious and fresh food. Shopping street is waiting the customers from the early morning untill late night. But the biggest treasure for this place is nature beauty. Laguna with its fauna and sea animals, beloved by kitesurfers, different beaches, sandy ones and cliffs just around the corner, the river and Marina, and even hills in a walking distance for hike lovers.

Given the opportunity would you come visit again?
Definitely. Anytime, and going to suggest it to my friends and family.

WildWatch WildLife Explorer Trip Review

So I did this boat trip with a company called Wildwatch the tour is named "WildLife Explorer" and It's a 3h boat ride along the coast that aims to see marine animals on their natural habitat. I reccomend you to take a jacket as it gets cold in the sea and the boat is fast so you get lots of wind, also, sun protection and sunglasses for obvious reasons ;) The boat is a speed boat that can get pretty bumpy if you ride in the front (which I did but I'm fine with it as it was better for photos :) ). Everyone gets life vests and safety instructions.

I left from Ferragudo at the time but they also pick up in Alvor. I paid for the trip just like everyone else - It costs 65€ per person. The team is composed by marine biologists that really know what they are doing and in the end they do a round up of the sights in the trip and general activity of the marine life in the area while offering some snacks. 

It didn't take long to see some fins - dolphins! they were quite curious and constantly going around the boat and below, really close, some bigger groups some smaller groups, they were really playful and jumped around a lot! We even saw some mothers and babies <3 On this trip we only saw 2 species of dolphins, but it was really interesting as the guides kept explaining their behaviors and identifying the species and gender, very informative!

All the dolphin pictures above were taken by me on the trip. Overall I found this expirience amazing and defenetly reccomend this trip and this company, the price is worth it, the ending session is lovely with tea biscuits and other snacks while seeing some photos from our trip and other species present in the area - I learned a lot about the local marine ecosystem! In a few days after the tour you get an email with underwater footage from your trip :)

Book your Wildwatch Trip with US! (and do it fast since it sells out rather quickly)

Events June

Book with us: www.riahostel.com

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!"