AlgarvianRoots

We had a day trip with Francisco, and it was really amazing. We enjoyed so much during the day!

I started to plan the holiday very last minute, but Francisco is very fast in response and very flexible, he accommodated all the needs we mentioned. He is very knowledgeable about the region, not only that he explains the history of what we see, but also he always knows where to go whenever I have some additional requests. We had a small tour around the coast line in the morning and did the tile painting workshop in the afternoon. Both Francisco and the artist are so patient and helpful, I felt very relaxed during the whole workshop and even my 4 year old daughter could participate in the creation and the final results are amazing! Furthermore, he prepared a lot of local snacks for us to try, which are also very interesting and unique.

All in all, we were lucky to book the last available spot in these days and we had such a good day (and was definitely the highlight of our whole trip)! I highly recommend Francisco and his AlgarvianRoots to everyone, no matter whether you want to see the coast or the mountains, or just want to have a day to experience local life with your little one, he will make your day very special!

We booked a short nature experience through AlgarvianRoots focused on cork. Francisco Simões, our guide, was wonderful. Our only regret was that we had not scheduled more experiences through his company. Francisco displayed a deep knowledge of cork, which was our primary focus, as well as the biodiversity, geology, and history of the region. He wove these topics seamlessly together for us as he patiently walked with us through a cork oak forest.

We understand that AlgarvianRoots will be augmenting its tour offerings by opening a bed and breakfast. We look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity on a future adventure.
Cecile Babich Morrow and Jim Morrow

What an INCREDIBLE day spent with Francisco and his whole family!
I contacted Francisco after finding his company name on an Airbnb “experience” listing. I knew traveling with a 4 year old and grandmother that the large hike portion of the day wouldn’t be suitable for us so I wanted to see if a different tour could be made for us. Luckily for us, Francisco was able to prepare a day just for us that was perfectly appropriate for our family.
He picked us up at our Airbnb home and drove us to Silves. We toured the marketplace (where we met his grandmother who was selling her farm fresh produce), the Gotchic cathedral, historical museum, and Castelo de Silves. All of this touring was met with historical expertise, cultural information, and personal connections from Francisco.
Then we went to his family’s farm where his beautiful 82 year old grandmother (who had just returned from the market) prepared lunch al fresco for us. What an absolutely amazing treat to be welcomed into the home of a stranger and fed the most beautiful and authentically prepared local cuisine. It was an incredible memory for our family and a true representation of the hospitality that we saw while visiting Portugal. After our meal with Francisco and his grandmother, we traveled to the home of Francisco’s parents. There, we were treated to a traditional Portuguese tile painting workshop by his father as teacher. Everyone in our family enjoyed learning about the tile making process and creating our own unique souvenir from our Portuguese travels. It seems that everyone in Francisco’s family is equally talented! We snacked, we laughed, we enjoyed our time together as families.
We picked up our tiles after they’d been fired (a few days later) and they made it safely home in our luggage.
There was nothing about this day that I felt wasn’t thought out or prepared. Algarvian Roots is a top notch touring and cultural experience. I would recommend a day spent with Francisco and his family any day!

We enjoyed our walk through the cork forest with Francisco, and highly recommend the experience. The information about Algarvian history, nature, ecosystems was astonishly broad, thanks to our guide's knowledge. Plus the life cycle of the cork trees, the uses of cork with hands-on examples were enlightening.
Sitting resting overlooking the valley, we ate local snacks, and marvelled at the view. The morning mist lifted to show the beauty before us. On the way back to the van, we stopped at the church in the village. Back at the office, we purchased some T-shirts, and walked around the grounds, finding chicken coops and frogs in a pond.
We wish Francisco all the best in his future endeavours.

We had a wonderful experience with AlgarvianRoots! Our tile painting class was with Margarida, who had a ton of knowledge to share with us about tile painting, the Algarve, and Portugal as a whole. She also fed us tasty local treats! It was a great part of our honeymoon in Portugal.

Fantastic experience!
The pottery workshop exceeded our expectations. We had a great afternoon. Jose and Francisco are great hosts. The workshop took place in the beautiful garden by the pool. Jose helps with the pottery so you can make your own creations. Afterwards a small snack was served, with a very tasty homemade cake.
All in all a amazing afternoon. We had a lot of fun. Definitely recommended!

We did a guided hike with Francisco, which started in Aljezur and ended at Arrifana beach. We walked around 8km along the coast and it was both challenging and lovely! Francisco gave us alternative routes that were very interesting, showing us his deep knowledge of the landscape and the tour itself. He was always giving us insights about the flora and fauna. We learned about plenty of plant species and historical facts, which was awesome. Francisco was an excellent guide and is extremely knowledgeable of Algarve. I highly recommend his guided hikes! Also, go check Algarvian Roots pottery and tile painting workshops, they seem amazing!

We spent the most wonderful and magic day at Francisco and Jose beautiful house and studio. They welcomed us like we were part of their homes. First time doing clay and pottery and we are leaving with magical, wonderful memories and unique sculptures ! PLEASE go 💗💗💗

This workshop is a very unique experience and we enjoyed every second of it. José is an amazing artist who showed us how to paint a tile from scratch. We were able to train the tile painting technique on the first tile and on the second one, we painted something by ourselves.
We highly want to point out the hospitality of Francisco and the artist José. At the end of the workshop they surpised us with local fruits and a delicious homemade cake and snacks.

During our stay, we felt very comfortable and relaxed. This place is just beautiful.

We would highly recommend this workshop if you‘re in Algarve and want to do something special 😊.

10/10 would book again!

I participated in the tile painting workshop and had a wonderful time. Margarida Gomes is a passionate instructor, helpful and encouraging. Definitely a great afternoon activity in Silves.

A brilliant way to spend a morning or afternoon. All set in traditional Portuguese surroundings in a beautiful house and garden. Francisco and his father are perfect hosts and the workshop was brilliant. I had never made a pot before and I made two!
It was interesting and a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.
Francisco will post your pots onto you if you can’t pick them up. 😊

We spent a lovely afternoon making pottery, Jose was very patient and Fransisco was a wonderful host. The whole experience was very authentic and we would definitely recommend!

We (a group of 5 in our mid-30s) did the pottery workshop with Jose and Francisco and it was absolutely amazing and exceeded all our expectations.
First of all, the location is just like a little piece of paradise, perfectly designed with a lot of taste and love.
This reflects also quite well Jose and Francisco‘s mindset. Both are incredibly nice and welcoming.
Jose is an award-winning artist for his pottery crafts and passionate for his work. He is highly knowledgeable and teaches you in a sympathic way on how to create beautiful pottery, which, thanks to his support, looks really nice - we are happy to take our pieces home not only as a souvenir for a fun afternoon but also to really use it. They turned out like professionally crafted vases, plates, bowls, etc.
Francisco speaks perfect English and assisted the entire workshop. He owns AlgarvianRoots and organizes also hikes and tile workshops.
During the class we were served homemade lemonade and drinks (beer, coffee, tea, etc) as well as homemade cake, snacks and fruits.
We also had the chance to listen to a mini concert of Francisco‘s band, as they were practicing for a concert on the same day at the same location as the workshop.
If you want to have an exceptional experience in a family like setup, we highly recommend AlgarvianRoots and its classes.

So great! I'm no artist but it was actually quite fun to learn how to paint tile. The location is in the heart of Silves so it worked out perfectly. Highly recommend!

We had the absolute best afternoon with Francisco! Such a wonderful experience with the fantastic artist who was so funny and very patient as we learned to make our masterpieces. The setting itself was gorgeous. I can’t wait to come back again!

Algarvian Roots was recommended to us by the hotel where we stayed, and we could not speak highly enough of the ecotourism experiences we tried.
The experiences, “between land and ocean” and “discovering ancient heritage”, took place in local and natural environments, away from city noise and crowded touristic places. This made it an ideal place to spend high-quality family time. Special mention to Francisco, as he is a fantastic host. He introduced us to Portuguese traditions and local gastronomy, walked us through the most important landmarks, and did so sustainably. In the end, we also participated in a clay workshop, which delighted the kids. Algarvian roots made us feel at home. We will come back. Highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I did the pottery workshop which was very nice! Demonstration and explanation of a real artist who clearly knows what he is doing and he is very passionate! Around the workshop space there is a lovely garden with many different trees and flowers, which brings you to another world for a few hours. In the garden you can also see all kinds of work of the artist which gives ideas for your own art pieces. Would definitely book again: this workshop or one of the other offers. Francisco is a nice guide and speaks very well English.

We did the pottery workshop with kids and adults, it was a really special experience, we had a beautiful afternoon, recommend it 100% and cannot wait for our next time. Thank you José and Francisco, you made it an unforgettable day for us 😍

We did a guided hike that started at Aljezur and ended at Arrifana beach. Everything was great and we were able to take lots of cool pictures and discover Algarve a little more. Francisco was always giving us some tips and showing us curious plants species. It was also good to see how knowledgeable he is about Algarve as a whole. I highly recommend it

We joined the tiles drawing workshop and had an amazing afternoon at Jose’s house. Thanks Jose and Francisco for the incredible experience, would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Algarve!