Milfontes

Villa Nova de Milfontes – July 2019

The Township of Villa Nova De Milfontes

Camping in Milfontes, Odermira, Portugal. Milfontes is in south-west Portugal and is a very popular holiday destination, not only for the Portuguese but many others as well, including us. Its mainstay is the old fort, built in the 15 century to protect the township from being raided as a source of slave labour in northern Africa. Now it is a private residence and believe it or not, was for sale at 3.5 million euros while we were there. Any takers? 😂 We were tempted to pretend so we could take a peek inside but we may have had to dress up and gave it a miss.

Food

Not sure about anyone else but we always turn our attention to the local food once we settle into our campsite. We had been in Portugal for a number of months now so we didn’t have to go far to the fish market which was just across the road. Portugal is world-famous for its Bacalhau or codfish stew. It can be served in various combinations. You can add beans or clams and I believe the original version was served with pasta.

What it Costs

Average weekly food costs:  Everyone eats sardines in Portugal. The EU has a quota how when to fish for the sardines and how much to catch. We were fortunate to arrive in Milfontes just at the beginning of the sardine season so plenty in the fish market and only 6 euro a kilo. We could never eat a kilo so we would just buy 8 or 10 for 3 or 4 euros, enough for us and could fit them easily onto the frame thingy for cooking on the barbeque (what are those called?). We would have them at least once a week, just brush with oil and sprinkle with salt crystals. Sometimes we added our version of salsa verde (coriander, lemon garlic chilli or piri piri and salt with olive oil) and brushed it on after cooking. We also got to eat some snails, locally called caracois, courtesy of one of our very generous and friendly neighbours. We had noticed them in sacks outside the market at the corner store but hadn’t been game to buy them (the caracois … not the neighbours 🙄 )

Meet our adopted family. They set up their tent beside us and it was obvious that this was their first time camping. It took lots of phone calls to family to keep that tent rising towards the sky. After an hour or so of collaboration over the phone and experimenting with poles, the tent was up. Hooray. It had a slight lean to one side and a little wobbly but safe enough to sleep in. It wasn’t long before we spoke to them, first with smiles and some basic Portuguese until we found out that the leader of the pack spoke English, but the others, very little. They had come without chairs and a table so we shared ours with them. The picture above was their last night on-site so we all decided to share a meal together and got a lesson in making Portuguese rice. Great night and great friends.

Another popular delicacy with a cup of coffee in the mornings is the Pastel de Nata. It is a delicious puff pastry base filled with creamy custard with a caramelized crust and sometimes a hint of cinnamon. We have a little flask so filled with coffee or tea, pick up the Pastel de Nata, and head down to the lookout for morning smoko (Australian for ‘morning tea break’). Bolas de berlim (custard-filled donut-like buns) were good too. Vendors walked the beach, sometimes with an accompaniment of a clanging bell, selling these and were always heading back to their van to re-stock. We particularly noticed that the white paper bags they came in never littered the beach, water or nearby dunes or parklands. Good on you Portuguese beachgoers.

Although the sardines were well-priced other fish can be expensive. Dourada or sea bream, for example, was available in both Spain and Portugal. Very fine mild tasting fish. In Spain, farmed Dourada averaged 6 euros a kg.  In Portugal, the same was up to 12 euros a kg… twice the price.  However, in the local fish markets daily fresh wild Dourada can be up to 30 euros a kg.  We didn’t really think the costs of the fresh wild catch was worth the price.  We did buy fresh once just to try it but couldn’t really notice a difference. Would recommend farmed though.   

Camping in Milfontes, Odemira, Portugal we found the Portuguese very accommodating and friendly. They loved that you are traveling in their country and they go out of their way to help. Most speak at least some English and google translate and searching for pictures on the phone to help a chat along became second nature.  We helped out with some ‘practice my English’ sessions for a Spanish teacher working in Portugal teaching English. How cool. Quite unexpectedly little gifts would arrive at our door and even notes with offers to help if ever we needed any assistance. We truly felt welcome.   

Hire a Motorhome

A great way to experience this type of holiday if you aren’t so keen on putting up tents would be to hire a motorhome and see if you like it. Motorhome travel is very popular with all ages. It’s a great way to travel throughout Ireland the UK and Europe. We had a lovely family from the Basque country in northwestern Spain next to us for about 2 weeks. We were admiring their motor home and they told us it was hired. They said they just loved motor homing but as they only needed it for a short time each year, they decided hiring was a better option for them. We have an affiliate program with spaceships and thoroughly recommend them. You can get a quote here [click on the link below].

Check-Out Spaceship Motorhome Rentals Here. See ya on the Road

Spaceships have a range of campervans & motorhomes for hire which can accommodate from 1 to 7 people. All their custom-designed campervans and motorhomes are packed with features that make them ideal for holidays, short breaks, touring, road trips, visiting friends & family, or going to festivals and events. Spaceship hire services are available in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Click the links below to explore.

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