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Monte Gordo is a town and a
/ref> in an area of 4.22 km2. Formerly a fishermen's town, Monte Gordo's economy is nowadays oriented to tourism due to its sunny weather, long white sand beaches, trails in the surrounding pine woods, sand dunes, and the daily availability of fresh seafood gathered by the local artisan fishermen. Furthermore, the adjacent natural reserve - Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António - attracts tourists due to its diverse fauna, which comprises some 153 species of birds, including storks, avocets, sandpipers and flocks of flamingos, as well as more than 400 plant species and various reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Its strategic location is also a plus, given that is located adjacent to the cities of
sunny weather all year round
as well as for its relatively calm and warm seawater. The average air temperature ranges from a low of 11 °C in January to a high of 26 °C in August, while the average sea temperature ranges from a low of 16 °C in February to a high of 22 °C between July and September, making this the maritime beach with the warmest sea in mainland Portugal. Another particularity of this beach is the fact that during the low tide one is able to walk 10 to 30 meters into the sea, making it one of the safest in Portugal for children. These conditions make it ideal for beach goers to collect clams lightly buried in the sand (locals call "conquilhas" to the local variety of edible Donax saltwater clams). Monte Gordo beach holds the Blue Flag quality certificate for more than 2 decades. Though most tourists are Portuguese during the summer, in the winter Monte Gordo is mostly visited by foreigners from Northern Europe looking for a warm vacation destination. Given the nearby VRSA Sports Complex, accredited by IAAF and home of the Portuguese Olympic Committee, Monte Gordo is also a popular destination for international athletes during the winter. There are also several Dutch and Irish bars as well as restaurants (mostly owned by expatriates from those countries) alongside the traditional Portuguese venues. The main festivity in Monte Gordo is the Nossa Senhora das Dores Procession, a catholic celebration held on the second Sunday of September. Its new year and carnival festivities are also well-known. During the
126 positive cases according to government data
official website
File:Monte Gordo vista Oeste.jpg, Aerial view of Monte Gordo (West view) and its surrounding natural reserve
File:Monte Gordo (3435107970).jpg, Fishermen Monte Gordo
File:Monte Gordo (2407848084).jpg, Traditional Monte Gordo house
File:Igreja Paroquial de Monte Gordo - Portugal (45503440894).jpg, Monte Gordo church
File:MonteGordo7.JPG, Monte Gordo Casino
File:Seasun Vacation Rentals Monte Gordo summer 2022.jpg, alt=, Seafront Avenue in Monte Gordo - West view
File:Montegordo (Portugal) (16339291260).jpg, Seafront avenue in Monte Gordo
File:Litoral entre a Praia de Monte Gordo e a Praia de Santo António - Portugal (30978948998).jpg, Monte Gordo Beach view towards East
File:January Shell Faro Monte Gordo - Master Earth Photography - panoramio.jpg, Make your own shell collection in Monte Gordo
File:Praia de Monte Gordo - Portugal (47655252492).jpg, Monte Gordo beach's boardwalk
File:Praia de Monte Gordo - Portugal (32549369797).jpg, Wheelchair accessible beach
File:Flamingos .jpg, alt=Flamingos Monte Gordo, Wild life at Natural Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo Antonio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monte Gordo (Vila Real do Santo Antonio)
Freguesias of Vila Real de Santo António
Towns in Portugal
freguesia
''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Por ...
(parish) of the municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of Vila Real de Santo António
Vila Real de Santo António (, often run together as ) is a city, civil parish, and municipality in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,156, in an area of 61.25 km2. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without ter ...
, in the southeastern corner of Algarve
The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese).
The region has it ...
, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,308,Instituto Nacional de Estatística/ref> in an area of 4.22 km2. Formerly a fishermen's town, Monte Gordo's economy is nowadays oriented to tourism due to its sunny weather, long white sand beaches, trails in the surrounding pine woods, sand dunes, and the daily availability of fresh seafood gathered by the local artisan fishermen. Furthermore, the adjacent natural reserve - Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António - attracts tourists due to its diverse fauna, which comprises some 153 species of birds, including storks, avocets, sandpipers and flocks of flamingos, as well as more than 400 plant species and various reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Its strategic location is also a plus, given that is located adjacent to the cities of
Vila Real de Santo António
Vila Real de Santo António (, often run together as ) is a city, civil parish, and municipality in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,156, in an area of 61.25 km2. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without ter ...
and Castro Marim
Castro Marim () is a town and a municipality in the southern region of Algarve, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,747, in an area of 300.84 km2.
The current Mayor is Francisco Amaral, elected by the Social Democratic Party.
The mun ...
, as well as other nearby touristic attractions such as Cacela Velha
Cacela Velha (meaning "Old Cacela" in Portuguese) is a village located in the civil parish of Vila Nova de Cacela, municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, Algarve, Portugal. Cacela Velha is situated on top of a hill with a view to the easter ...
and Tavira
Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilã ...
.
Prior to the Carnation Revolution in 1974, Monte Gordo was a favorite destination for the Portuguese and Spanish aristocracies as well as famous people (e.g. Ingrid Bergman). Its Casino was built in 1934 and Hotel Vasco da Gama was the first grand hotel in Algarve (built in 1960). With democracy, Monte Gordo became a favorite summer destination for the Portuguese middle class.
Monte Gordo beach is best known for itsunny weather all year round
as well as for its relatively calm and warm seawater. The average air temperature ranges from a low of 11 °C in January to a high of 26 °C in August, while the average sea temperature ranges from a low of 16 °C in February to a high of 22 °C between July and September, making this the maritime beach with the warmest sea in mainland Portugal. Another particularity of this beach is the fact that during the low tide one is able to walk 10 to 30 meters into the sea, making it one of the safest in Portugal for children. These conditions make it ideal for beach goers to collect clams lightly buried in the sand (locals call "conquilhas" to the local variety of edible Donax saltwater clams). Monte Gordo beach holds the Blue Flag quality certificate for more than 2 decades. Though most tourists are Portuguese during the summer, in the winter Monte Gordo is mostly visited by foreigners from Northern Europe looking for a warm vacation destination. Given the nearby VRSA Sports Complex, accredited by IAAF and home of the Portuguese Olympic Committee, Monte Gordo is also a popular destination for international athletes during the winter. There are also several Dutch and Irish bars as well as restaurants (mostly owned by expatriates from those countries) alongside the traditional Portuguese venues. The main festivity in Monte Gordo is the Nossa Senhora das Dores Procession, a catholic celebration held on the second Sunday of September. Its new year and carnival festivities are also well-known. During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the county of Vila Real de Santo António (where Monte Gordo is located) has been one of the safest in Portugal due to the knowledgeable and alert citizenry of locals and tourists, recording up to October 26th 2020, merel126 positive cases according to government data
References
External links
official website