Visit the daily markets at Fuzeta and Tavira, and especially at Olhão, and view farm and sea produce in stunning variety. So many sorts of fish, squid and shellfish piled up for sale - and so cheap! Buy some to create that special dish you saw on television.
Shops are within easy reach of Casa de Amêndoeira, and although English is spoken widely, you can practice your Portuguese, even if is only a "Bom dia", in the local mini mercado (village shop as shown on the Links Page) a short walk up the road. For a wider selection beyond Moncarapacho just drive the few extra kilometres to the charming towns of Olhão or Tavira where you will find everything you may need, including restaurants, craft shops and large supermarkets (just like home, but probably alot cheaper!). For more sophisticated shopping visit Faro and its fashionable shopping malls.

For golf lovers, championship-level golf courses are nearby; the closest is the Campo de Golfe at Colina Verde, opened in 2003 and just 10 minutes away, and the Benamor at Tavira (20 minutes away); while the other world-renowned courses in the Algarve are easily accessible via the IP1. This motorway is now a truly pan-Algarve super highway - great views and not choked with traffic like the M4! So it's easy to make day trips anywhere in the Algarve.

The Ria Formosa, now a National Park (covering 17,000 hectares) with protected wildlife, is this area between the coast and the outer shore line and is home to rare plant and bird species. It's well worth visiting in its own right!

Walk along the soft sand for a few hundred metres from Barrill Beach to collect shells. You may have the beach virtually to yourself! If beach lounging is your style Casa de Amêndoeira is just a few minutes drive, or cycle, from the glorious, sweeping sandy beaches of the eastern Algarve ,thought to be the best in Portugal! A little narrow-gauge train takes you out from Pedras del Rei to child-friendly Barrill Beach with its lifeguard, restaurant, shops and boardwalk, and beautiful sandy beach. While in summer small ferries ply out to the long, sandy 'ilhas', or islands, just offshore from Fuzeta, Tavira and Olhão. Each island is different, but all are great for beach lovers looking for an away-from-it-all day trip. Or you can drive farther to the beaches in the western Algarve - but don't expect to find them quite so deserted as those in the east!

There is good walking and cycling terrain, water sports and the water parks and the attractions of the western Algarve are easily accessible via the nearby IP1 motorway.
You could also get a bird's-eye view of the coastline with a flight on a Cessna light plane!