1. Generosity of spirit: My two sons and I spent our first holiday at the Velamar Hotel (now called Velamar Sun and Beach) in Olhos de Agua at a price that was mind-blowingly good. Around £16 a night for three - bed and breakfast! And that breakfast was superb, as were the staff. I have been lucky enough to stay in the occasional 5-star hotel on press trips and the staff at the Velamar were just as good, if not better. This brings me to the first thing I have noticed about many Portuguese people, they have a great generosity of spirit. And this is in spite of having little money. The country was hit hard in the recession, tourism is seasonal and salaries are low. Around 800 euros a month is a typical wage. And yet they still can't do enough for you. Generosity of spirit is nothing to do with money, it is a state of mind. By the way, the Velamar has been taken over and prices had to rise but it is still very reasonable, particularly out of season, and a good place to stay. Velamar brekkie and sun loungers below, though the sunbathing area has been revamped since then.
2. They are SO giving! My partner loves holiday mementoes but often not the ones you would expect. One day he randomly offered to buy a Super Bock tissue holder from the owner of a bar, and suggested giving him 20 euros. He would not accept the cash, wouldn't hear of it in fact. Then, as we walked away, he came running after us and thrust this into our hand as a gift. It takes pride of place on our 'bar' at home, nestling up to the Bass beer mat.
3. Free drinks! We get on very well with a bar owner called Nelson, in Olhos. He is passionate about his country, his nation's food and his home village. His wife is a superb cook and made us a special dish of the region to order. We were so impressed we gave his bar, Nelson's, a good review on TripAdvisor. He noticed it and, when we returned to the country months later, insisted on giving us free drinks, not once, not twice, but three times!! Eventually we persuaded him to take our cash.... he VERY reluctantly did so, then, minutes later, appeared.... with a free bowl of lamb curry for us to try. What a lovely bloke. Another TripAdvisor reviewer mentioned that when their cab failed to turn up to get them to the airport, Nelson leapt into his car to get them there. He is a star. Here he is with his freshly-caught fish...
4. Unexpected gifts: After a meal in Portugal it is customary to be given a free glass of port and, at restaurant Calheiros, this duly arrived in the most beautiful, tiny but thick glass. My partner, Martin, asked where he could buy the glasses as he liked them so much. The waitress explained that they were special antique glasses that you could not buy anywhere anymore. As we got up to leave after paying our bill she came flying over to him, with a gift. One of those exquisite glasses was wrapped up for him in tissue paper. Christmas had come early...
5. Generous with time: Working hard, long hours does not seem to affect the Portuguese people's ability to spare time to help you. As I mentioned before, nothing seems too much trouble. And their command of English puts my Portuguese to shame. I could give numerous examples of this but just take my word for it. Maybe it helps that the sun shines so much, maybe it's because the materialistic dominance of life in England is non-existent. Maybe we should take a leaf out of their book. They say money can't buy you love, or happiness. And people who have less are often happier. In the UK we work ourselves into an early grave to line the pockets of the few. More time, less money and a better quality of life has to be the way forward. In many ways, Portugal has got it licked.
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