by Hugo Silva

Created on: October 19, 2009   Last Updated: May 25, 2012

If you're looking for something different for your summer vacations, you should try visiting Portugal, more specifically Faro and Olho, in the south of Portugal. Here you can find two towns where you can have a great time, without having to spend great amounts of money. I would advise you to rent a place to stay for a couple of weeks. Search carefully and thoroughly for a nice place to stay. I have an advantage since I have a place to stay when I go there on my vacations. Now, let's assume that you found a place to stay. What are you supposed to do for fun around here? Well, you can take the traditional beach vacation route, and enjoy yourself in one of the many great beaches around the Algarve coastline, or you can do as I did for the last couple of years. Explore more of the land. I found a great bar near Faro, in a very small village named Santa Barbara de Nexe, and let me tell you, that you can have a great time in this bar. It's called Eddie's Bar, and it's property of one Steve Harris, bassist for Heavy Metal legends Iron Maiden. Now, I know what some may think: "But I don't even like heavy metal, why would I want to go there? Let me tell you that even if you're not a heavy metal fan like I am, you can enjoy yourself a lot in the bar. Most bars are full of people, with lots of noise, and you struggle to hear yourself think, let alone enjoy a conversation with someone else. This is one bar where you can actually carry a conversation without much trouble. You can have a few drinks, listen to some good music, and all in all have a great time, oddly enough, in peace. My parents went there with me a couple of years ago and they just loved the place, and now we plan on going there every year. It has to be done; it's just one of those things. The other suggestion I have for you if you're visiting Faro and Olho, is to enjoy a boat ride into one of the many islands surrounding Faro. You can bring your own supplies, picnic kind of thing, and spend a day bathing in the river water, which is normally much better than the ocean water, being warmer and calmer. Also, you can easily find a place to lie down with a towel, and sunbathe without too much hassle from other people, notably because you're in an island, and there's a lot of room for everyone. I did that this past year, and I enjoyed myself a lot, swimming, sunbathing, eating and drinking. Think of this as your own giant swimming pool. All in all this is a great way to spend your vacations, not to mention that you can always go into town to visit the more modern areas, with shopping centers and tons of shops to choose from.

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