Woman rescued after diving 10m from a cliff
A 53 year old French woman was rescued by Vila do Bispo bombeiros on Thursday afternoon, after she dived from the cliffs at São João Vaz beach.
The woman's plan was to dive the 10m in to the sea, then climb back up the rocks after diving.
However, the victim injured her back when diving, making climbing out impossible. She was eventually rescued from the water using ropes and was lifted up the cliff.
Vilamoura: Pestana Group buys 5-star tourist complex
The Pestana Group have added another tourist complex to their portfolio, becoming the owners of the Vila Sol tourist complex, in Vilamoura.
The Portuguese multinational hotel group already managed the complex , but have now purchased the 5-star hotel, 2 golf courses with 18 and 9 holes and 7,770m² of land for development, for around €43,000,000.
The Pestana Vila Sol is a reference in the hotel industry and golf tourism in Portugal, standing out for its privileged location in Vilamoura, one of the most premium areas in the Algarve.
With 189 rooms, a wide range of first-class amenities and two internationally renowned golf courses, with a total of 27 holes, the complex attracts both tourists and golfers from around the world.
Furthermore, the land for development also adds value to this business, offering opportunities for future expansion projects or real estate developments.
“This sale represents a significant milestone in the Vilamoura property market, highlighting the potential for continued investment in the region. The Pestana Vila Sol is a reference in tourism and golf in the Algarve, and we are pleased and proud to have participated in this transaction”, explains Karina Simões, Head of Hotel Advisory at JLL who advised Pestana on the purchase.
Pedro Lopes, administrator of the Algarve Region of the Pestana Group, states that “the acquisition of the Pestana Vila Sol development is the culmination of a process that began a dozen years ago, when the Pestana Group took over the management of this hotel unit and the adjacent golf course ”.
“In a first phase, we managed to recover the profitability of these units and, subsequently, reinforced the commitment, assuming the risk as tenants with a fixed market rent”, he adds.
“With the purchase of this project, we demonstrate and highlight what has been, from the beginning, our commitment to this project and to investing in tourism in the Algarve”, highlights Pedro Lopes.
Unexpected closure of the Sagres Lighthouse puts 12 out of work
The notice to close Sagres Lighthouse, in Vila do Bispo was posted unexpectedly on August 1st, and since then the lighthouse has remained unavailable to the public.
The decision left a dozen employees without jobs in the middle of summer. The abrupt closure, caused by ongoing improvement works, apparently interrupted visits to this widely visited monument.
This sudden closure surprised local officials and business people, including Pedro Domingos, who has the cafeteria and store adjacent to the museum. He said he was not informed in advance about the works, or the closure.
So far, the National Maritime Authority has not set a date for the reopening of the Sagres Lighthouse, and there is no ongoing procedure for the concession of spaces affected by the improvement works.
The Sagres Lighthouse is a unique structure, with an optical device considered to be hyper-radiant - one of the few in operation in the world. The history of this lighthouse dates back to 1846, when D. Maria II ordered its construction.
The original lighting apparatus was made up of sixteen Argand lamps with parabolic reflectors, which ran on olive oil. Its rotation mechanism was operated through a clockwork system.
Over the years, the Sagres Lighthouse has undegone several reconstruction attempts that were never definitively completed.
This temporary closure of the Sagres Lighthouse highlights the economic and social implications of improvement works in places of historical and cultural interest. It's reopening is eagerly awaited by local businesses.
Algarve: PSP radar locations in September
The Public Security Police (PSP) have released the list of speed control radars in place during the month of September, in the Algarve.
As part of the monthly “Who warns you…” campaign for safer driving, the list below may be subject to occasional changes.
11/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Rua da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa – Tavira
12/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Avenida V2 – Portimão
20/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Avenida V6 – Portimão
22/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Rua Almirante Cândido dos Reis – Tavira
26/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Avenida V6 – Portimão
26/Sep – 09:00/12:00 – Av. Dr. Gordinho Moreira – Faro
Golf courses to use water from wastewater treatment plants to irrigate
The Minister of the Environment has announced investments to be made in Vilamoura and Quinta do Lago, which will help to irrigate almost half of the region's golf courses with recycled water by 2026.
The Government apparently has “several objectives”, one of which is “finding alternative sources of water” and, “most importantly”, using water from wastewater treatment plants.
“With these 8.0 cubic hectometres we will be able to irrigate half of the golf courses in the Algarve”, said the Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Duarte Cordeiro, who was attending the two ongoing project presentations made by Águas do Algarve.
Águas do Algarve, responsible for the Algarve's multi-municipal water supply and sanitation system, foresees a global investment of 23 million euros by 2025, estimating an increase from 1.4 to 8.0 cubic hectometres per year, with 71 % to use by golf courses.
“We currently have 2.0 cubic hectometres that we use in the Algarve”, said Duarte Cordeiro, adding that “the objective is to multiply by four” by 2026.
These two investment projects will be completed using funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).
In Vilamoura, at this stage, an investment of 12 million euros is planned to complete around 12 kilometres of piping to the Vilamoura wastewater treatment plant by 2025, for the irrigation of five golf courses (Old Course, Pinhal, Laguna, Millenium, Victoria) and irrigation of green spaces, among others.
In Quinta do Lago, the investment amounts to 2.7 million euros for the expansion of the piping system for three more golf courses, Quinta do Lago Norte, Quinta do Lago Sul and Pinheiros Altos, among others, also to complete in 2025.
“In parallel, we have to be able to have a strong supervisory attitude against the misuse and waste of water, while these investments do not begin to produce results”, said Duarte Cordeiro.
Regarding the project to build another dam in the Algarve, on the Foupana river, the minister was clear: “For now, we are committed to carrying out a study”.
According to figures provided by Duarte Cordeiro “overall water consumption in the Algarve decreased up until August compared to last year by around 5.0 hectometres, to which total agricultural and urban consumption contributed”.
“I think we are all working hard and we can work better. We are all aware that we still have a lot of work to do in raising people's awareness and we can all achieve even more results with this awareness”.
Missing young man Quévin is found dead in Tavira
Quévin Andre Protseko, a 21 year old young man who had been missing from Santa Luzia for almost a month, was found dead on August 14th in Perogil, in Tavira by the Judiciary Police (PJ ). Everything points to suicide.
His parents were in Romania at the time of the disappearance, so it was Quévin's brother who alerted the local authorities about the disappearance, back in July.
Quévin, described as a quiet and reserved person., stopped responding to calls and messages the day before he was scheduled to travel to his brother's wedding in Romania.
The PJ made the sad discovery around 7:00am on August 14th. The body was found next to a crane in Perogil, in Tavira, with marks corresponding to a violent shock caused by a fall from several metres in height.
Quévin's Parents were notified at 12:00. Two hours later, at 2:00pm, Quévin's father went to the scene to confirm the identity of the body.
The PJ found 200 pages on Quévin's laptop, which strongly indicate that the young man took his own life.
Our heartfelt condolences to Quévin's loved ones at this time of great sadness and pain.
