Dark side of Portugal's party resort where 2 Brits died as free booze & public nudity force locals into drastic action

The Sun

3 hours ago

BY day, Albufeira looks like any other enticing coastal resort in Portugal.
With its golden beaches, dolphin-watching and pastel-painted apartments, it is little wonder thousands of us flock there every summer.
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But by night, the pretty Atlantic escape is fast becoming a wild, unpredictable and boozy bolthole ­— with two Brit tourist deaths there in the last week alone.
The body of a 21-year-old man was discovered at the foot of a set of steps in Albufeira old town last Wednesday. Cops are said to believe that booze is behind the tragedy.
The news, which emerged on Saturday, came days after reveller Greg Monks, 38, from Glasgow, was found dead in a ravine in Albufeira.
He was there on a stag do and had left the party early to return to his hotel when it is thought he jumped over a wall while drunk, unaware there was a steep drop on the other side. He was missing for a week.
The fatalities shine an unwelcome light on the more dangerous and seedier side of the Algarve resort.
Once marketed as a family-friendly getaway, now a much younger crew of holidaymakers are descending on the cobbled streets, turning it into a nocturnal party town.
And the locals are far from thrilled.
'Crazy, drunken antics'
In a desperate attempt to crack down on alcohol-fuelled debauchery, enraged City Hall officials on Friday approved huge new penalties of up to £3,375 for holidaymakers flouting a strict new good behaviour code — with fines for everything from urinating in the street to getting naked.
The rules will kick in within weeks, in time for the summer season, aiming to curb anti-social behaviour.
And locals hope they will turn the tide, with nakedness, vomiting in the street or having sex in public all now coming at a price.
Badly behaved tourists who go starkers in public, or get caught bonking or simulating sex, face paying anything from £1,685 to £3,375.
Spitting or urinating in the street will be punished with fines of between £125 and £630.
And entering bars and other businesses topless could lead to a £1,250 levy. Bars and cafes which let ­customers in without the proper dress code will also be fined.
During The Sun's investigation into tourist revelry in the town, we saw how cops and medics are already forced to patrol the mile-long strip — nicknamed 'The Chaos' by locals — to keep a firm eye on the crazy, drunken antics of holidaymakers.
Little wonder some end up in a terrible state, as girls are plied with free drinks at many pubs in a bid to lure in paying lads, while every bar offers shots from £1.70.
Wild drinking games keep Brits coming back season after season.
We watched as people were sick in the street, and bar workers had to hand out water to revellers who had taken things too far.
Stay here more than one night and you'll see tourists ­having sex in the street.
At one popular bar, hen do revellers were allowed to freepour fruity alcoholic cocktails from atop the bar — but other party animals were not.
It was an effort to keep drinkers from overdoing it.
Not all venues are so responsible at limiting customers' alcohol intake.
Elsewhere, a tourist boozer was hosting a Helmet Challenge — where punters tie on an old tin hat before being whacked with a baseball bat, a spade, gas canister and, finally, an empty keg. Each thwack came with a shot of caramel vodka.
Predictably, Alburfeira is fast becoming the go-to spot for young revellers looking for a boozy break.
Local taxi driver Guilherme, 25, told The Sun: 'Stay here more than one night and you'll see tourists ­having sex in the street.
"Sometimes it's groups of naked men on balconies. It's shocking.'
Furious locals decided to bring in the new code of ­conduct after a group of British louts got naked on a bar top and ­proceeded to crawl around in broad daylight last year.
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Condemning the behaviour, Albufeira mayor Jose Carlos Rolo said: 'It doesn't make sense to have a strategy and spend money on promotion here and abroad, only for incidents like this to happen. They are deeply ­negative and don't dignify anyone.'
He insists he wants to take ­Albufeira upmarket and win back some of the families said to have been scared off by reports of drink- and drug-fuelled behaviour.
And on Friday, Jose warned that 'tourists who fall down drunk aren't needed here', as he said he was seeking a three-pronged approach of 'dissuasive measures', marketing and meetings with British diplomats — plus a call on central government to draft in more police.
He explained: 'We want security to be visible. Sending ten police officers to stay at their station isn't going to solve the problem.'
'Won't be tolerated'
Ironically, locals are also blaming BENIDORM for the escalation of bad behaviour.
They claim that since the Spanish coastal town cracked down on drunker tourism, boozed up ­pleasure-seekers have been looking for alternative spots to let rip.
Yolo Lounge proprietors Rachel and Paul Surphlis operate their business just opposite the new party strip, and are unhappy with the outrageous behaviour now blighting the town.
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Paul, from Newcastle, said: 'We've always had huge tourist numbers, but the behaviour of some is getting a lot worse.
"No one wants to see anyone getting naked. What happened with those men was absolutely disgusting.
' 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.'
When bars in this area close at midnight, the party moves a five-minute taxi drive away to the strip in Montechoro, where it continues until 6am.
I've not paid for a drink yet, and I've been here since Monday. I'm having an amazing hen.
Bride Megan, from Scunthorpe
Walking down the mile-long road covered with neon signs, you'll see groups in fancy dress hop from bar to bar, amorous couples snogging in corners and tattoo shops tucked between clubs.
Scattered among the scantily clad revellers are riot police dressed in black from head to toe — brought in from capital Lisbon to make sure nothing gets out of hand.
And doing laps of the street in pairs are red-coated medics ready to step in should someone find they have drunk too much or taken a tumble.
Drugs are also on offer here, if you know who to ask, with a gram of cocaine costing £60.
Partying women are able to guzzle booze without spending a penny as bars bid to attract male customers, who will pay full price.
Bride Megan, from Scunthorpe, Lincs, said: 'I've not paid for a drink yet, and I've been here since Monday. I'm having an amazing hen.'
One British bar owner told us: 'Many of the people in my bar are young girls and my priority is making sure they feel safe.
"If people walk around topless during the daytime, that's fine — but it gets to a point in the night when you don't need that.
'Some drunken people will get their trousers off, and there's no excuse for that. I think you can't compromise when it comes to public nudity.
"Any of the owners who aren't in support of the rules, to me, are only looking at things from a profit point of view.
'We have a much younger crowd that come here now, compared to when I started here in 2014, and I want them to have a good time and feel safe doing it.'
Vice president of the Albufeira Tourism Board, Vitor Vieira, told The Sun that Greg Monk's disappearance and tragic death was a 'very rare thing for us here'.
He added: 'We are devastated for his family that what should have been a joyful trip has ended in such a way.
'Our priority is making sure all our tourists are as safe as they can be.
'Everyone is welcome here.
'Some come for the party, others come for a relaxed family holiday.'
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