Internet access in Marina de Portimao

Created by val. Last modified on 2007-03-03 11:12:25
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Countries: Portugal

Although the Marina de Portimao is a quite large marina with over 600 berths, the possibilities for the frequent internet user are unsatisfactory. The following describes 4 different options and their cost for accessing the internet one hour every day of the month (i.e. 30 days) as of January 2007. If you want to keep in touch with relatives, friends or even business partners or colleagues you’ll know that you can easily use one hour every day.

The marina itself offers 2 options to get internet access:

1. Via two DSL cable connections and one telephone line connection from within the administration building using your own laptop. These are the disadvantages: - you have to move to the reception with your laptop - there is a risk that the designated 2 seats are taken and that you have to wait in line - there is no privacy for e.g. making phone calls via skype Cost: 90 €. My conclusion on this option: cost is far too high for what is offered and it’s not really what I want.
2. Vodafone Hotspot is available from your berth. No real disadvantages, the coverage seems to be good from what I have heard and experienced myself: this is what we want. Cost including VAT: 181 €. My conclusion on this option: ridiculously high cost for this service, not viable at all.

Alternative options to what the marina offers:

1. Walk (20 mins) or bike (10 mins) to the centre of Portimao and use the free algarve-digital wifi network. This can be done from the main square with the tunnel-shaped water fountains (never looked for the actual name of this square, sorry). There are public benches in this area and there is also a café where you can sit sheltered. Unfortunately, this network was down on several occasions during week-ends and holidays. My conclusion on this option: if you don’t mind the (sometimes fruitless) walk or ride it’s a cheap and otherwise well-functioning way to get internet access.
2. Finally, there is the option of using internet access through your mobile phone or a dedicated device that uses the mobile phone network. Depending on several factors amongst which is the selection of your provider, contract type and length, whether you are roaming or not, which speed you need and how much traffic you use, you will have a monthly cost starting from about 50€ to some unreal high amount you’d never dream of. Disadvantages: it seems that you can’t use Voice Over IP using this connection, i.e. no Skype calls. My conclusion on this option: if you stay long enough in Portugal it may make sense to contract with a local provider if you don’t need to make phone calls using the internet – if you are unsure about the length of your stay it’ll be a very expensive option.

My overall conclusion: If you stay here for a longer time, e.g. 3 month during winter and you really want internet access every day but you don’t want a lot of hazzle moving around with your laptop or pay horrendous fees: go somewhere else (at least until the marina has a better offer – after all, it’s a very nice place to be).

Here some of the alternative marinas: Sines: free wifi network available from your berth (unverified). Lagos: shorter and nicer walk to the free algarve-digital wifi network (verified), cheaper commercial wifi product accessible from berth (unverified). Vilamoura: free internet access in administration building (untested). Vila Real de Santo Antonio: much shorter and nicer walk to the free algarve-digital wifi network.

Why did I write this up? In short: I hope this can help change things. We have stayed in the Marina de Portimao for almost 3 month now and it has been a hassle to get access to the internet without spending a lot of money. After some time I talked to the harbour management and explained the need for acceptable rates for longer-term internet access. The management said that they had received this kind of request before and that they were working on a better rate of the Vodafone product for long-term users. But the internet access from within the administration building hasn’t returned its investment yet so its rate couldn’t be reduced. As of today, January 8, 2007 nothing has changed. I don’t understand why this modern marina doesn’t address this increasingly important customer need properly. Who of their clients from Great Britain, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway or Sweden isn’t used to having internet access at home and expects to have it in a modern marina as well, at a reasonable cost? How many of them would choose another harbour if it had a better internet offer? One thing is sure: we won’t stay in this marina next winter; we’ll find some place with reasonable internet access instead. It’s a shame though because it’s otherwise a real nice place.

Thomas Zaschle