I recently returned from a family getaway in the stunning coastal resort of Albufeira – and it lived up to expectation. The beaches were sandy, the weather was (mostly) glorious and the scenery was spectacular.
However, despite having a memorable break and making it back safely, this was not the case for everyone. While I was there, two British tourists tragically lost their lives in a place some now consider just to be a nocturnal party town.
Greg Monks, 38, from Glasgow, was found in a ravine in Albu feira. He was on a stag-do when he left a party early before reportedly encountering trouble when jumping a wall on his way back to his hotel.
A 21-year-old man was later found at the foot of a set of steps in Albufeira’s picturesque old town in what is believed to have been a drunken fall.
The deaths brought the popular Algarve resort into the spotlight, with some publications subsequently reporting on the ‘darker’ side of Albufeira that has supposedly become a “boozy bolthole” for wild behaviour.
And while my time there passed pleasantly with my partner, Ciara, and our daughter, one observation of antisocial behaviour did stay with me. Having a toddler, early starts are inescapable, and during some sunrises, I went for runs throughout Albuferia.
During one exercise excursion, I reached the mile-long neon-lit “strip” which has reportedly been nicknamed ‘The Chaos’ by locals.
I had already been there during the day time. While the atmosphere was raucous even then, it was relatively harmless, with people simply out having a good time, while clearly consuming lots and lots of booze.
But being there at 7am, it was an entirely different story. The street was completely covered in litter. It looked like a dumping ground.
In a street full of late night bars and clubs filled with tourists thirsty for fun, I didn’t expect it to be spotless. But the sheer number of rubbish scattered absolutely everywhere, including bottles, glasses and takeaway food, was excessive.
Some party folk were still staggered around having not yet been to bed, and while busy binmen loaded litter into a truck or deployed leafblowers to gather rubbish, one tourist was throwing up on the street.
It was a miserable looking scene, with my eyes being drawn to one old lady who was carefully trying to navigate the cobbles without tripping up. Another man, clearly incredibly drunk, was attempting to walk forward, but his body was inadvertently moving backwards instead.
The sight to behold reminded me of a conversation I once had with Michelle Baker, a Brit who has lived in Benidorm for 40 years, for a story.
Speaking about walking along the famous party strip in the Spanish holiday hotspot for an early morning stroll, she told me: “It really is a no man’s land and I try to avoid that street like the plague. The bins have fallen and they probably have been sick in the bins as well, it is just a nasty nasty street.
“In some parts of the strip the smell of vomit is quite offensive in the morning.”
Seeing the strip in the Algarve during an early morning run reminded me of her words, and it also made me think of the comparison with Benidorm.
Some locals now believe Benidorm authorities tackling drunk behaviour has led to party hungry Brits seeking other destinations instead, like the Algarve.
Paul Surphlis, a Brit from Newcastle who has a business by the strip, told The Sun: “Since Spain cracked down on tourism and said they did not want Brits there, Albufeira is now getting that Benidorm crowd. They want to behave as outrageously as they did in Spain, but it won’t be tolerated here.”
Another local told YouTuber Wendall that Albufeira was gaining a worse reputation than Benidorm because it attracted a younger crowd with less discipline. Drug use and public nudity is reportedly on the rise in the Portuguese family favourite destination too.
Wendall himself summarised in his YouTube video: “I thought it would be a relaxing few days in the sun but this ain’t my type of holiday… this is my idea of holiday hell.”
But he added: “If you want to let your hair down and go wild, like Brits abroad, then this is the place.”
From my own experience, I didn’t necessarily agree with Wendall, especially because Albufeira had much to offer for families (boat trips and dolphin-watching being some examples) – far removed from the boozy shenanigans of youngsters.
However, despite my opinions, one British tourist, Doreen Burywood, told the Daily Mail: “We used to go every year, loved the place, but stopped when the hen and stag parties started arriving – such a shame.”
Towards the end of my holiday, I found myself on another run, and once again I encountered the strip early one morning. This time, the scene was even filthier, with the hard-working binmen having not yet had a chance to reach all the junk.
And while I’m sure most of the revellers had a good time in the early hours, I did feel sympathy for the workers who had to once again clean up their mess.
Despite this, there have been crackdowns by Albufeira City Council to combat antisocial behaviour by rowdy tourists.
This includes a stricter dress code where bikinis and swimsuits on city streets are forbidden with rulebreakers facing fines of €1,800 (just over £1,500) – if the legislation is passed at the end of this month. Spitting, vomiting or urinating in the street could also result in fines of up to £630.
We reached out to Albufeira City Council regarding claims made in this story.