Empty promise: Portugal's Alentejo region

This article appeared on p10 of the Travel section of the Guardian on Saturday 21 May 2011. It was published on guardian.co.uk at 00.05 BST on Saturday 21 May 2011. It was last modified at 00.09 BST on Saturday 21 May 2011.

Portugal's Alentejo region is poor, uncrowded, wildly beautiful – and now linked by direct flights to Heathrow

Gavin McOwan

The Guardian, Saturday 21 May 2011

In these environment-conscious times the opening of a new airport is not normally cause for celebration. But I think the world will forgive tiny Beja airport for putting up the bunting and letting the band strike up tomorrow to celebrate the inaugural landing of flight BD1234 from Heathrow.

Princess of the Coast

ZAMBUJEIRA DO MAR . Freguesia in Odemira concelho is one of tourist destinations (not only) choice in the Alentejo Coast. 

There on the hill, winter or summer, night or day, the view is always to cut the breath ... But when the sky turns into a huge blue veil and wraps all around the shrine of Our Lady of the Sea, which means reason why many consider it the "Princess of the Alentejo Coast." Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Zambujeira do Mar, a picturesque town that lends its name to a small parish in the concelho of Odemira ... but rich in virtues!

Cape Sardão

Among Almograve and Zambujeira do Mar is the westernmost point of the Alentejo coast. Saved by um lighthouse, Cape Sardão Sentinel, this is a complete reconciliation with the land and seascape.

We can not stay indifferent to the towering steep cliffs carved to sink towards the sea at the same time powerful and serene, or confronted with a horizon of endless plains, covered by lush vegetation and.

SW TMN Festival 2011 (Zambujeira do Mar)

The Southwest Festival is the largest summer festival held in Portuguese soil, because it concentrates a wide range of renowned artists from various musical styles ranging from Reggae to Rock, to electronic music, or even the Fado. The festival began in 1997 com three-day festival, now already has 14 editions.

Since 2005 to be held in the Herdade de Casa Branca, Zambujeira do Mar and is organized by Music no Coração. Over the years received a visit of more than one million people. Is performed in early August.

In this edition of 2011, reminiscent of what happened in the three previous years will be five holidays 3,4,5,6 and 7 August.

Southwest Festival Poster 2011 Confirmed

Beaches, towns and sunsets

This is an interesting story on the Alentejo Coast that I found on the web ocholeguas.com:

Beaches, towns and sunsets 

It is often forgotten that the golden fields of the Alentejo reach the sea and overlook the Atlantic along nearly 200 miles of coastline. Beaches, coves and cliffs for sunset wildest Portugal. The beaches of Alentejo are the other side of this beautiful rural region, supplementing its resources with fishing, beach tourism and ports.

Amalia beach. The echo of a fado in the Alentejo

Rescued here an article by San Jose, Francisco, 04/10/2003 edition of the newspaper El País - Section Traveler. The photography is beautiful indeed35mm.org I recommend you see more pictures of this website are wonderful.

Photo gallery of Joaquim Alves Gaspar

Looking for photographs to renew the image of the blog, I found a beautiful photo essay on the Alentejo Coast of Joaquim Alves Gaspar deserves to be seen. I show here some of the photos: 

Blue Flag 2011

These are the beaches and marinas with Blue Flag in the Alentejo Coast for the year 2011: 

A unique beach

Imagine a long line of coast where the sun is the king and the sea breeze mixed with perfumes of the countryside, where unexplored beaches merge with sheltered coves and small fishing ports, where the horizon tones invite to sleep and waits past to be discovered ... Have you imagined? For this paradise exists and is waiting. From the Troia Peninsula to near the shore of Odeceixe, there is much to explore and learn.

In the Alentejo Litoral, the climate allows us to begin exploring nature during most of the year. In the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina, which extends from Sines to Sagres in the Algarve and we find a variety of landscapes and habitats that make this area one of the best preserved coastlines of Europe. Here you can observe many species of flora and fauna such as otters that are rarely found in marine environment and the birds that nest on the cliffs by the sea. The beaches alternate with coastal lagoons, salt marshes, estuaries and "sapais", giving rise to protected areas such as the Natural Reserve of Lagunas de Santo André and Sancha and the Natural Reserve of Sado Estuary, where you can admire dolphins and storks in natural habitat. Inside, contrasting the slopes of the Sierras de Grândola of Cercal and Odemira Hills.