Caldas de Monchique

This little spa town approximately 18km north of Portimäo sits in a ravine surrounded by thick woodland within the Serra de Monchique, a range of hills that form a barrier between the Algarve and the neighbouring region of Alentejo. It is and has been a spa since Roman times and naturally been a centre of attraction in the centuries that have followed. In 1495,against his doctors orders, Dom Joäo II went there to take the waters. He decided to bath and later followed the hounds into the woods on a hunting trip. This series of events only made his condition worse as he and his party moved on to Alvor where, as a result, he subsequently died. During the 19th Century the town became a favourite place of the Spanish bourgeoisie. Their legacy to the town was a casino in the main square which joins other buildings of the period to form one of the most attractive settings in the Algarve to sit and take refreshment. Today the tradition of the town continues with the recently totally renovated Monchique Spa, Termas de Monchique (See Links), situated amongst its well tended gardens just below the square, on the edge of a ravine. Caldas remains an active and pretty town where the visitor can sample the spa water for a modest fee. The emerging bicarbonate water at 32ºC is rich in sodium and flourides, used in the treatment of respitory, digestive complaints and skeletal-muscular ailments. Climbing up from the spa, one can follow the course of the stream to sit under giant eucalyptus trees and contemplate the peace and scenery.

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