Picture Portugal Part 2 | The Algarve Dream

As a child growing up in Trinidad, I'd always get excited whenever we went to a beach that had a small cove or that involved a small hike and adventure in getting there. 
 
My sisters, friends, and I were always in desperate search of adventure by the water, and my time in the Algarve region of Portugal reminded me of that never-ending and somewhat unfulfilled quest during my childhood. Filled with coves, caves, hikes, and surprises around every corner, I felt a great sense of accomplishment for my younger self as I explored the South of Portugal.

​We booked this trip in advance, which allowed me ample time to get my "research life" in order. So I Googled (of course) from Lisbon to the Algarve, everything that we should do and where we should go, but almost a month before our vacation, I decided to just disregard much of it. I didn't feel like planning anymore, I'd figured out the basics- we'd agreed on where to stay and had rented a car. That was a good enough start- or so I thought.
 

So we got to Portugal, explored Lisbon, and then headed to the Algarve in our rented mini convertible! I'd had a picture of how we'd spend our summer days in the Algarve, and it was finally happening. So I buckled my seatbelt and got ready for the ride. 
 
*Plays Childish Gambino, Feels Like Summer

Our first stop South of Lisbon was to a small town called Setubal. It's located just two hours from Lisbon and is a small and quiet fishing town. We stayed in this town for one night at an Airbnb and also explored the surrounding beaches like Praia da Arrabida and Praia de Galapos. 
 
The beaches were a bit crowded, but there were also smaller coves which required a bit of effort to get to. Praia De Galapos was easier to get to and was void of people. We just walked along Praias da Arrabida and arrived at Praia de Galapos. The rock formations at this little beach were impressive and looked and felt a bit unreal. 

Surreal beach rocks

The next day made our way on to a ferry that took us across to Tróia Peninsula. From there, we drove down a very scenic, countryside road to and through Comporta. The views from the drive itself were spectacular and surreal, and we were even lucky enough to catch the sunset on Comporta Beach.

 
Our fisherman's house was located in a very local part of the village and allowed for us to have an authentic village experience. We were even a stone's throw away from the village square that consisted of restaurants, shops, and hosted live open-air music and dancing every night. We were also walking distance from beaches (the closest one even had a castle on the beach) and 15 minutes from Portimao (we could have seen it from our small rooftop). 

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From Ferragudo, we'd planned to visit other villages and of course, the beaches in those villages!

It took us a day or two to get acquainted with the area, and after which, we felt very comfortable to go with the flow and almost. We even became homies with the shopkeepers on our street, and once also lent me their iron! Shout out to our corner store homies!

As previously mentioned, I initially felt intimidated about planning a trip to the Algarve, but now that I've "been there, done that," I can confidently leave you with some tips that I hope will encourage you to visit sooner than later!
 
First things first…

We'd visited so many beaches on our trip that I stopped counting at 13- because you know, "Thirteen Beaches" (*Lana Del Ray voice). We ultimately ended up visiting that many because trails connect a plethora of the beaches on the coast.

 
We spent our first day hiking along the coast from Carvoeiro town, and naturally stopped off at beaches along the way. Trekking along the coast was my favorite and most memorable experience in the Algarve. The views of the ocean were breathtaking and somewhat overwhelming, and the rock formations injected an element of adventure into the hike. I must say, however, that the trails in the Algarve aren't ones filled with shady trees, so I hiked in a swimsuit and took the opportunity to get my tan on. 

My memorable beach experiences included my time at:  

•     Praia do Carvoeiro- a small beach located in Carvoeiro with lots of bars and restaurants. It wasn't in my favorite area of the town, but I liked it as a starting point to hike along the trail that led to other beaches and villages. It was also the first beach we'd visited in the Algarve. 
 
•    Praia do Carvalho- I was excited to visit this beach mainly because we had to enter through the tunnel to get to the beach. This beach is small but popular and in an isolated area. We had read that we should take food and drink to the beach and we were so glad that we did!

•    Praia da Marinha- my favorite beach visited in the Algarve and that of many others. It is located in Lagoa and is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The most impressive thing to me was the golden rock formations that beach-goers were able to climb. They led to little sandy coves, and one could even wade through the water to get to rocks further out in the sea. I was naturally tempted to go further, but the water was ice cold, so I opted out of that adventure. It was torture to see others venture out, but also torture to be in such freezing water.
 
​•    Praia de Benagil - Benagil beach was memorable as it is right next to Benagil cave. The beach itself is tiny, obtaining parking is a bit difficult and as you may imagine, very crowded as most visitors were trying to get to Benagil caves. We were also at this beach with the sole intention of getting to the caves, and we did! Keep reading till the end to find out not only how we got there, but also how you shouldn't try to get to the cave. 

Of all the villages visited in the Algarve, my favorite was Ferragudo (our base for our trip). It was a cozy fishing village that was not littered with tourists. Yes, of course, there were tourists, but not in an overwhelming way. The town still had a quietness that I'm sure we all appreciated. 
 

Castle of Arade in Ferragudo

Ferragudo is located in Lagoa and has many beaches, hiking trails, and great views. It's located on the other side of the river from Portimao, which made it easy for us to access to boat tours if needed. The most surprising thing about Ferragudo was the medieval castle called Castle of Arade. This castle was once used as a fort that guarded the mouth of the river against pirates and is perched in-between two beaches (that we were walking distance from our Airbnb)- Praia da Angrinha and Praia Grande.

 
Portimao- We stayed 10 minutes' drive away from Portimao and passed by the town many times, but it took us a missed appointment to end up in the village and explore the streets. Our Portuguese friends told us to avoid it, but I'm glad we didn't take their advice! After our missed appointment, we decided to take a quick walk through the streets, and I was pleasantly surprised. There was something a bit different about Portimao compared to the other towns we'd visited. Maybe it was because the buildings and houses seemed to be a bit more maintained, or it was right next to the water, or perhaps it was the random street art that seemed rare for the Algarve. Either way, we were glad that we had stopped by and even got a few souvenirs there. 

Silves- is a small medieval town in the Algarve that is now partly in ruins, but once held great historical significance to the region. When we visited, the degradation was evident in almost every cobbled street that we explored. Still, there was something about the rubble that was unbelievably beautiful (*thinks about a quote about life and shit).

by SHANYA Sleeveless Drop Waist Dress

The castle of Silves is a main attraction in the town, and from its walls, one can view the vast hills of the countryside. I also enjoyed the views from Café Ingles, which is a fun restaurant with great food and service that is located next to the castle.

Lagos- Lagos could also be visited in a day, and we just stayed for a few hours. In our opinion, there wasn't much to see. Lagos was once the capital of the Algarve and also a crucial point in which African slaves were traded. There was even a Slave Market museum, but it was closed, and the reviews I'd read online about the museum weren't impressive. Luckily we were able to get to the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade in time to catch the sunset. If I had to do it all over, I would go to Lagos, but just for the evening along Ponta da Piedade. #worthit 
 

Loulé- I loved this little town. It was crowded, but still had a local vibe that we are always in search of. Our experience at the Saturday market was one of our favorite memories of the Algarve, and we spent a lot of time and money there, browsing, chatting, shopping and bargaining with locals and eating local pastries, marmalades, cheese, and fruit! 

Carvoeiro- I must admit that at first, this town gave us stereotypical Jersey Shore vibes, but after doing some exploring further up, we found a bit of both charm and adventure in Carvoeiro. This town is great for restaurants and is home to the Algar Seco rock formation. Walking through these cave-like formations along the sea was one for the books and definitely for my childhood self. And to add to the pleasure was Boneca Bar, a trendy outdoor bar that stood amid the formations. There is also a boardwalk and lighthouse close by, and we even caught the magical reflection of the moon on the vast ocean at one point. We'd searched for the charm, and we found it!

Being on the coast meant that we had lots of fresh fish at our reach every day and ate to our heart's content! Salted codfish, dumplings and ground provisions is my favorite Trinidadian dish, so I deemed it fate to be in a land abundant in bacalhau (salted cod). I must say though, that I didn't enjoy the style of cooking the bacalhau in Portugal as much as I do the Trini style of preparing it, but I enjoyed the pastry called Pastéis de Bacalhau (codfish cakes).

My most memorable dining experience in the Algarve was eating at Restaurante Flôr da Praça, a very local no-frills restaurant located in Loule. It was very crowded at lunchtime, but we were lucky enough to find a seat and partake in more great local fish with the traditional sides of cooked potatoes and vegetables. We were also even given free sardines at the end of our meal, so you can imagine how stuffed we were. We then ran into

Jaya Coffee & Brunch right after "Livin la Vida locale" and was invited by the owner to sit and enjoy a real Italian coffee. His café was like an oasis in the middle of the rubble, one with a welcoming and homey vibe, which made us stay longer than we'd planned.

It was a welcoming surprise also to see that many restaurants in Portugal now cater to the "healthy eaters"- the vegans and vegetarians, and this restaurant in Carvoeiro called Earth Shop & Cafe seemed to be a hotspot for tourist. Once again, Carvoeiro unexpectedly came through!

We visited the South of Portugal in July, and it was one.hot.summer. But of course, many nights were a bit chilly, so be sure to pack warm clothes and even maybe a light scarf. Although the days were hot, the sea was coldddddd. Y'all, I was desperate to enter the water, but my feet couldn't even stand the temperature of the wet sand!

Oh yes, as promised, I'll end this post with our misadventure to…
 
The Benagil caves- these caves need a special mention as it was a picture on Instagram of these caves that got my attention on the Algarve. I'd been stalking Benagil cave pictures ever since and dreamed of the time when I'd get to them! Well, guys, I must tell you once again that Instagram is "thief head." 
 
We'd spoken to some locals who recommended that we simply just swim from Benagil beach to the caves, as it was only a 5-10 minute swim. Then on a stroll through Portimao, most of the tour kiosks recommended that we do a boat tour to visit the caves as many people get stuck or injured trying to swim to the caves. We were convinced and decided to take the boat tour to get to the caves.
 
To make a long story short, we did the boat tour, which was bogus, especially since it couldn't fully enter the coves. We finally got to the Benagil caves and to our disappointment, only got to view the caves from a distance in the boat. We stood there with black stares, feeling like suckers as we witnessed many people making their way over to the cave by either swimming, renting a kayak or stand up paddleboard (SUP).
 
We headed directly to Benagil beach after that "tour," and I vowed to spread the word about getting to the Benagil caves.

So my dear adventurous readers, what's the best way to get to the Benagil Caves?
 
By canoe!
 
From Benagil beach, rent a canoe and carefully make your way across to Benagil Caves, it's right next to the beach (200 meters). You may be a bit intimidated at first, as I must say that I was terrified! But it made me want to make it there even more. Unfortunately, all of the canoes were sold out by the time we got there and had to suffice for a SUP. Let's just say it was an adventure, and I'm glad we made it to and back alive!
 
Also, rent a waterproof cellphone case and note that it's a cave with a small opening to the top that allows light to enter. So if you're pressed about taking pictures in there, be sure to coordinate it with the time of day that you visit!
 
With all that said, the adventure is worth it!

Have fun guys and be sure to tell me how it went down!
 
The beaches. The villages. The food. I traveled, I saw I conquered! The Algarve was a dream, and I'm so happy that I finally made it there for my childhood self and me!