A Weekend in the Algarve (Poritmão, Portugal)

Summer tourism in Europe has really taken a hit because of COVID-19. In late May/early June, things were trending in a good direction, and there was a strong marketing effort to “Reopen Europe” by high tourist season in July. This marketing effort was largely successful, until people actually started to travel again, and cases began to spike in popular tourist regions. That being said, some countries have definitely had better luck in welcoming tourists than others. Portugal is one of those countries that has had a very successful time reopening to tourists. The Department of Tourism for Portugal (Tourismo de Portugal) launched the “Clean and Safe” campaign with the goal of encouraging tourists to return to Portuguese hotspots like Lisbon, Faro, Portimão, and Porto. This initiative has been largely successful to date and gives tourists an extra layer of comfortability booking a hotel that has the “seal of approval” in terms of cleanliness from an official branch of the Portuguese government. Katie and I decided to take advantage of these extensive efforts and booked a weekend sipping wine on an ocean view balcony and laying on some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. With the beginning of the planning for our transatlantic move looming, we wanted to get one last getaway to reach maximum levels or relaxation before things went to chaos.

Living in Maastricht, we are within reasonable driving distance from about 10 different airports that service the best budget airlines that Europe has to offer, looking at you Ryanair. Driving to these airports to fly out is literally one of my least favorite activities, but we have done it upwards of 60 to 70 times in the last 3 years (not even an exaggeration), so I have come to get used to it. I wasn’t thrilled when Katie told me that our flights were from an airport almost 2 hours away, but I knew this was likely our last trip, so I said why not. About 3 hours later, which feels like an eternity as a 6’3” person on a Ryanair flight, we were welcomed by views of the beautiful Faro coastline and the tail end of the Atlantic Ocean. We hopped into our rental car and drove about an hour to the beautiful, cliff-lined city of Portimão. We had very few requirements in terms of accommodation. All we asked was that there was a sea view balcony, a very short jaunt to the beach, and definitely on the cheap side. Thankfully we came across Litoral Mar Apartments, hosted by a delightful woman named Celia. Everything went smoothly, there was on-site parking, a large, comfortable private balcony, and it was literally 2 minutes from Praia dos Três Castelos. There was even a tiny bodega type grocery store a few steps away that had all the necessities you could need for a beach vacation. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover this little bodega until we hoofed it all the way to the closest SPAR, which felt like it was forever away. Are there nicer hotels in Portimão? I am sure there are, but this one certainly did the trick, and I definitely feel comfortable recommending it!

The dramatic limestone cliffsides that line the Portuguese coast make for a beautiful backdrop to your sunbathing

After settling into our apartment and getting some groceries, we were starving so we decided to go across the street to Restaurante O Viriato . Ever since I watched Anthony Bourdain’s episode of “Parts Unknown” in Porto, I have been dying to try a francesinha. Actually, one of the first things I told Katie after we landed was that my priority was to try a francesinha and a pasteis de nata. I very excitedly checked the francesinha off of my food list our first night in Portimão. Restaurante O Viriato is known to have the best francesinha in the city and damn it did not disappoint. Look at the picture below and try to tell me that that doesn’t look freaking amazing. A francesinha is essentially two thick pieces of white bread with smoked ham, sliced in half linguiça, a few slices of cheese, and in my case, a grilled chicken breast shoved in between. Not enough for you? Well once the sandwich is stuffed sufficiently with meat and cheese, and then topped with a few more melted cheese slices, it is then promptly drenched in a thick tomato and beer sauce. You can also add a fried egg on top, and of course I did so. Typically, this dish is served with fries, which also taste delicious dipped in the tomato/beer sauce. I have said before that trying new food is at the top of my list when traveling, and food experiences like this are exactly why. Francesinhas are 10 out of 10, highly recommend finding some way to try one. Absolutely wonderful. Another great food place that we found was a little street food, taco place called Salty. I don’t think we have gone to the same restaurant twice while on vacation, but we went to Salty two nights in a row. The queso we got from this place was so dang good, and the tacos were just as good. I love some good seafood tacos, and their shrimp tacos were fresh and delicious. You can’t come to Portugal and not have at least some seafood!

Behold: the francesinha in all its glory

More of the beautiful limestone cliffs. They just photograph so well.

When we travel, we usually pack our agenda full of stuff to see and do, but this trip we decided that our main activity was going to be laying on the beaches around us. We had three magnificent beaches to choose from: Praia dos Careanos, Praia dos Três Castelos, and the more well-known Praia da Rocha. We stayed on the first two, as they were a little less busy, and right across the street from our apartment. The beaches are just so stunning with the orange hued, rocky cliffs, and the unbelievably blue water. Unfortunately, the water was freezing cold, so you really had to brace yourself before you flung your body into the frigid depths of the Atlantic. When we weren’t laying on the beach reading, we decided to take a boat trip that took us along the coastline and into some of the caves that the Algarve coastline is famous for. I can almost guarantee that you have seen Benagil cave on your Instagram or Facebook feeds, and this tour took us directly inside. We booked this tour on Trip Advisor through an operator named Manguito, and honestly it was a pretty poorly run tour. The departure point listed wasn’t correct, and when we talked to the person that was working their little sales hut, she told us we better run (literally) to the correct departure point that was about half of a mile away. Once we got to the correct departure point, it was kind of just unorganized chaos. The boat trip itself was fun, but I think you can find a better one, with a better operator. The caves and beaches that dotted the coastline were definitely worthy of exploring if we were feeling more ambitious. We saw plenty of people cliff diving, and plenty of beaches that only had one or people laying on them. Overall, this is just an awesome region for exploring and finding secluded beaches.

Just the most beautiful views along the coast. This is why I recommend taking a boat tour!

If this does end up being our last trip in Europe for the time being, then I am very content with going out on this note. Waking up, having coffee and breakfast on the balcony, eventually moseying over to the beach, and then having some local food at a beachside restaurant while watching the sunset is a life I can get behind. Before COVID hit we had grand plans of spending over a week in Portugal. We wanted to spend a few days in Lisbon, and then drive down the coastline to the Algarve, but I am actually quite content with what we ended up doing. Now that we know Portugal is freaking awesome, we are motivated to get back in the future to explore Lisbon, Sintra, and Porto.