THE ALGARVE - Portugal - page 159

$$$ Higher Priced —Most rooms €80 or more.
$$ Moderately Priced —Most rooms between €45-80.
$ Lower Priced —Most rooms €45 or less.
Prices can change without notice; verify the hotel's current rates online or by
email.
Sleeping in Salema
Salema is crowded July through mid-September (and August is horribly packed). Prices
jump up in July and August, and the place is partially closed down in winter.
For maximum comfort, there's no need to look beyond Pensión Maré. There's also a
basic and utilitarian high-rise hotel in the center of town. But for economy, the experien-
ce, and an opportunity to practice your Portuguese, stay in a quarto (room). Quartos are
primarily located along the main road that parallels the waterfront. Fisherfolk happily rent
out rooms in their homes, most of which have separate private entrances.
Quartos don't serve breakfast, and breakfast at hotels isn't until 8:30 (after the bread
guy arrives at Salema). Early birds can enjoy coffee and pastries from 7:30 on at Solmar
Café (next to Salema Property and Services, opposite Hotel Residencial Salema) or savor
a substantial cooked breakfast at either Corsario's or Bistro Central (both recommended,
both on the main square, near Hotel Residencial Salema).
Pensiónes and Hotels
$$$ Romantik Villa B&B, run by Lisa from Brazil, is a chic, artsy house on top of the
hill with three rooms, an apartment, a garden, and a swimming pool. It's tastefully decor-
ated and a good spot for people who want quiet—no children or teens are accepted (Db-
€80-90, includes breakfast; apartment-€100-120, no breakfast; cash only, extra charge for
room cleaning and fresh bedding during your stay, Praia de Salema, tel. [phone], mo-
bile 967-059-806, www.romantikvilla.com , [e-mail] ). The villa is a steep,
10-minute uphill walk—head up from the beach past Restaurante O Lourenço, take a right
at the phone booth just after the Salema Beach Club sign, go up into Urbanização Beach
Villas, and look for the Romantik Villa sign on the right. Drivers should take the first left
past Restaurante O Lourenço (because of the one-way street, you'll need to go around the
block), turn right at the stop sign, head back downhill for a few yards, then take the first
left at the phone booth. Go up the steep hill and look for the Romantik Villa sign (on your
right).
$$$ Hotel Residencial Salema, the large hotel towering above everything else in
town, is a good value if you want a basic, comfortable room handy to the beach. Its 32 red-