Warning: you may experience beach overload!
With five full days in the Algarve and 22℃-25℃ temperatures forecast for most of our stay, I had made beach-hopping our top priority. On the southern coast of Portugal facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Algarve is blessed with over 150 beaches. And they. Are. STUNNING.
After having seen seven of them (and not even the ones the guidebooks say are "unspoiled" and "paradise"), I must admit my braggart's pride in our Philippine beaches was taken down a few notches. I'll speak a little more humbly about them from now on, knowing that there are beaches like this in the world!
As I've mentioned before, our warm waters and year-round beach weather is probably all we've got over beaches like these. Because stunning rocky cliffs, crashing waves and endless stretches of golden sand aside, the water was ice cold. I got used to it by our third or fourth day and was even frolicking in earnest by our last morning. I'll say one thing about the Atlantic Ocean... it sure ain't the Pacific!
I loved all of the seven beaches we managed to visit, though I liked some more than others. Here's the rundown:
1) Praia da Rocha in Portimao was the very first beach we saw, on Easter Sunday. I'd forgotten my suit in the little town of Estombar where we were staying, a 30-minute drive away, so we'd had to double back. Then we got really hungry and detoured for lunch, after which followed a long fight for parking that made both of us impatient and cranky. When we finally came up to the edge of the cliff and saw Praia da Rocha for the first time, I almost fell to my knees.
I mean, seriously. How gorgeous is this beach?
We excitedly made our way down a long flight of cement steps to the beach, which was filled with Portuguese families and English retirees alike, hanging out in little beach bars, sprawled out on the golden sand, or cooling off under the shade of the many huge rock formations on the beach, like this one.
Yes, that's me in my Winner Retro Bathing Suit #1. I would never have posted this photo if I didn't love this bathing suit so freaking much. I got it on a last-minute shopping spree, literally less than an hour before I left for the airport, at a vintage store on the Prinsengracht. It reminds me of Liz Taylor and fits uber perfectly!
2) Meia Praia in Lagos, one of the biggest bays in Europe, was our destination for Day 2.
This is Boracay-level sand we're talking about... and there's a 4-kilometer expanse of it.
It's gorgeous, but there's not much to see except endless sand (mala-desiyerto) and the white buildings of Lagos and Alvor (the neighboring town) shimmering in the distance.
And you can also see a little bit of Winner Retro Bathing Suit #2 ;)
3) Ponta de Piedade in Costa d'Oiro near Lagos is not strictly a beach, but for breathtaking sea views, this tops the list. An old lighthouse is perched on top of a range of cliffs that rise up to 20 meters (over 65 feet) out of the ocean.
Standing at this lookout point, you can feast your eyes on a spectacular, nearly 360-degree view of the ocean and cliffs.
While we were enjoying the view, this little old man with a fishing rod started walking down the edge of the cliffs to the ocean. The path is steep and rocky, and probably no more than three or four feet wide. Can you spot the super lolo?
You can also take a very long flight of stairs down to the Grottoes, where you can hire a boat and explore all the sea caves and rock formations along this part of the coast. It seemed like a fun prospect, but I didn't want to deal with all the steps coming back up.
Besides, I had already set my sights on a nearby target...
4) Praia do Camilo is a small, sandy cove five minutes from the Ponta de Piedade. We drove by on the way to the lighthouse, liked what we saw... and vowed to come right back. "Let's just run and take a quick look at the lighthouse, then get back here asap," I remember agreeing with Marlon. Hah! Ponta de Piedade was definitely more than a quick look. But we did end up coming back to this tiny cove.
You can walk from end to end in less than two minutes (and I have short legs). So we crossed the rocks at the end of the beach...
And ended up in another small sandy hideaway sheltered by the cliffs.
We found a natural sinkhole, far prettier and much less freaky than the big ones in the news...
And a cave whose mouth framed the beach perfectly.
Great things can come in small packages. Praia do Camilo remains one of my favorite beaches of the whole trip.
5) Praia da Falesia in Albufeira was our most convenient beach trip. We simply had to take an elevator from the garden in the Sheraton Algarve, where we stayed (thanks, Ate!) and take the resort-made boardwalk to the beach.
We saw lots of windswept (and I mean windswept) pines and other trees along the way.
Here, we were pampered with shaded loungers and towel service. And I thought we'd left our life of luxury behind in Singapore! It was definitely a nice change.
It was a long stretch of beach, like Praia da Rocha but without the rocks.
This was the most unique beach walk for me. You stroll along a long, whitewashed promenade lining the cliffs, until you get to the very end of the bay and are rewarded with this panorama.
There's also an elevator that goes right down to the beach. Marlon and I decided to skip the sun-worshipping that day and just headed back to the old town after soaking up the view.
7) Praia Sao Rafael between Sesmarias and Albufeira was our last beach before we bid the Algarve goodbye. It's located in what seemed to be an affluent neighborhood, so it had its own resort-quality paved parking lot, beach bar, shower and toilet facilities, and even its own logo.
It was also small and cozy, like Praia do Camilo. Marlon and I had decided that these small coves were more to our liking. Somehow they end up having more to see and explore... more character.
By this time I had already gotten used to the icy waters of the Atlantic, so this was the beach I enjoyed the most. Huge crashing waves can be fun!
If I can only keep coming back to beaches like these, maybe I won't miss home too much! ;)
Amazing photos!!! Thank you so much for sharing these well researched tips and treasures!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Bring home some of that sunshine for me!
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