February 2024
Getting there…
We took a direct flight from Paris (ORY) to Faro in order to get to our destination of the province of Albufeira. We had a LONG day since we had to be out of our apartment at 11am and our flight didn’t leave until. 5:35pm. The airport was decent…the information guides that stood by the gates board were super nice and helpful and there was a good enough restaurant area for us to have food and beers. Once we arrived, we ran through the ran to get our rental car then made it do our apartment within an hour. Our little Fiat was not powerful nor comfortable, but got us where we wanted to go for the week.
Where we stayed…
Airbnb was our go to again. We decided to prioritize close walking distance to old town, the beach and also having a hot tub. This place “Casa Rooftop” delivered on all fronts. Our host was friendly, responsive and full of energy. The apartment wasn’t new and was tiny. The bed and ventilation left something to be desired but the private rooftop deck and hot tub with a very made up for it.
What we did…
Hiking and eating were on the top of our to do list for Portugal. We had a car and it made it possible to see all the coastline had to offer. The weather wasn’t ideal, so we didn’t get any real beach time, but we did get to walk the length of our local Praia with was long and lined with interesting cliffs. Also, I had my first “Euro Hour” experience when we wandered down to a beach so I could get my toes wet. I did not snap any photos to capture that memory.
Highlighted list of hikes (it’s pretty much the whole southern coastline)-
- Praia da Morena– public beach & cliffs
- Arco Natural– arches, & rocky cliffs
- Praia do Pau– cliffs, beaches, caves
- Arco da Praia da Letra– colorful cliffs
- Arco de Albandeira– cliffs, caves and arches
- Praia da Cama da Vaca– cliffs and caves
- Albandeira Beach– cliffs, beaches, arches
- Praia da Marinha– beaches, cliffs & caves
- Punto Panoramico sulle dune fossili– cliffs, dunes and fossils
- Ponta da Piedade– cliffs & arches in Lagos, great new wooden plank trails.
- Praia da Zimbreirinha– windy kite surfing beach on the west coast
What we ate…
There were many restaurants and bars in Albufeira. We went off recommendations from our host and visited a few that Dave had enjoyed at his last visit. We stocked our fridge with fresh orange juice (SO GOOD), local bread, cheese, and cured meats. Oh, yes, and don’t forget the Vino Verde. We had plenty of that 🙂
Here’s a highlighted list of some of the places we visited.
- Restaurante Solgamba– Fantastic first night dinner that was right around the corner from our apartment- green wine, sea bass, & meat platter. The owner who served us provided the best service we have ever had and even sold us a bottle of wine for us to take home since it was late and stores were closed.
- Club Nau– We found this little place after a hike and driving towards the town of Portimao. We had Aperol Spritz, Sushi & ceviche right on the beach. There was a table of loud talking, smoking Germans near by but the food was much better than expected.
- Mar– Took a day trip to Lagos and stopped here for a glass of Verde and a beautiful seaside view.
- O Pescador Benagil– This was a treat of a place that we found to get out of a sudden rainstorm. Fresh fish was their speciality and we had prawn curry & grilled squid with lemon risotto.
- Casa da Fonte– This was on the recommended restaurant list from our host. It featured “traditional” Portuguese fare. We had seafood kabobs & beef tenderloin. The portions were large, and we walked home feeling very full.
- Restaurant AtÃpico– We went here on Friday night upon recommendation from our host. It is a modern French tapas restaurant in which we were served again by the owner. Very
- Alfredo– This was our Saturday night dinner-we enjoyed lasagna & brazed pork tagliatelle. It was a close walk from our apartment and they had heaters and blankets so we were able to sit out on the patio in comfort.
- O Lusitano– Dave’s favorite restaurant from his last trip to Albufeira. We had the pleasure of being served by the owner and enjoyed the veal cheeks & duck with a perfect local Cab Sav.
- O Camilo– Cliffside restaurant in Lagos close to the hiking trails. We had vino Verde, oysters and calamari.
- Staar– This was an absolute gem that we found on our last night downtown, close to our apartment. The owners were lovely and the service and attention to detail was top notch. We splurged and shared the Tomahawk steak for two. They were able to cook it at 2 different temperatures for us (basically seared and medium rare) and the recommended wine was delicious.
Final thoughts….
The Algarve of Portugal is one of the most beautiful places I have been in the world. It checks all of the boxes from natural beauty to delicious food and friendly people. I would love to go back when the weather is a bit nicer, but I have zero complaints about our stay in Albufeira.
P.R.
