Alcoutim

The picturesque border town of Alcoutim on the Guadiana River across from the Spanish town of Sanlucar de Guadiana.

The blue river framed by cool greens of the riverside vegetation, of fertile orchards and gardens. The dark ochre of the hills, flecked with colour by cistus plants, holm, oak and the occasional olive tree.

Houses with walls of schist or baked mud white with the dazzle of lime, huddled together in hamlets lost among the hills.

Such contrasts are to be found in the Alcoutim municipality.

This is Alcoutim, a town with a population of 3,000 that’s located on the upper stretches of the Guadiana river. It’s a step back into the authentic Algarve and makes for a truly relaxing break .