It has already been granted a sought-after Blue Flag award as a symbol of its quality; it is also considered an ‘accessible’ beach, meaning it is adequate for people with reduced mobility, and a ‘healthy’ beach, seeing as it fulfils all regulations of safety and environmental quality.
José Calixto, Mayor of Reguengos de Monsaraz, told Lusa News Agency that “this beach is the first of the Great Alqueva Lake, with a Blue Flag and accessibility, with all the quality features that these facilities can have.”
The space comprises a 120-metre stretch of sand, a floating pool for children and adults, a restaurant, bar, grassy area with shade, and parking for 120 vehicles.
Twenty various awnings provide shade for beach-goers, and there is a vigilance tower for lifeguards, medical station, and public showers.
At 250 square kilometres, the Alqueva dam covers five districts in the Alentejo.
The mayor explained that “approval for the beach was not a fast process, because in addition to the necessary authorisations, analyses had to be carried out on the water over a year, to attest to its quality for bathing, and without any negative results.”
José Calixto further stressed that “municipal infrastructures such as this that can bring more people and development to the municipalities covered by the Great Alqueva Lake, and boost tourism projects of private developers, some of which have been stopped because of the limitations of the Alqueva and Pedrógão Reservoir Management Plan. So it is urgent and essential that a rapid revision of the land-use planning document be made.”