Aljezur

2019

Last month I went to Portugal for 5 nights with 5 of my best friends…
Click here to see the trip video 🙂

Flights
Flights were cheap – London to Faro outbound with RyanAir & return with EasyJet were only £67.20. This included priority for RyanAir which allowed us to carry on our suitcase. Always check SkyScanner for best rates.

Accommodation
We were SO lucky as we were able to stay in our friends family holiday home in the middle of an amazing nature reserve.

If you like the look of the area from my pics then you can find lots of gorgeous places to stay nearby on AirBnb / booking.com.

Currency is the euro. Check conversion rates before you go- it was pretty much GBP 1 for EUR 1 when we were out there 😦

Transport
If you’re staying anywhere near us I’d definitely recommend hiring a car. Check the small print before you go (we got in late and were confused about additional charges) and make sure you have the right amount of EUR available on a credit card so you don’t have to pay for additional insurance. If you’re staying off the main road then I’d suggest a hiring vehicle you can take off road… ours was a little small!

Uber is available around Faro airport but not in more remote areas where taxis are hard to come by. We thought we were stranded at dinner one night but this amazing taxi company came to rescue us – +351 967 910 227. (By taxi company I mean a woman in a car).

This wasn’t a sight-seeing holiday, more beach-bum chill with a book vibe. Still, here’s what we did…

– Praia da Arrifana Beach

Stunning long beach a 15 min drive from where we were staying. Seemed to be very popular with surfers – you can book half day / full day surfing lessons if you fancy giving it a go yourself.

There’s a bar near to the parking area where we enjoyed a delicious G&T whilst we waited for the forest fires to die down. There’s also a restaurant almost on the beach which I’ll talk about later…

Delicious filled doughnuts are sold on the beach for EUR1.50 so have some change ready for when the man comes around.

– Praia de Monte Clerigo

Another beautiful beach which was busy but not overcrowded. The sea can be rough at times with currents coming from all directions but good for body boarding / surfing. There are some nice shops / restaurants one side of the beach if you want to get out of the sun for a while.

– Praia da Pedra da Agulha

Very quiet and untouched beach a 30 min walk from where we were staying. Again, the current is strong so be careful!

You can get the most stunning sunset view from this beach… we took champagne and olives down with us – bliss!

– Food shopping in Aljezur

There’s a large supermarket in Aljezur for the basics as well as a cute market for fresh fruit and nuts. Wine sold in the supermarket is delicious and incredibly reasonably priced.

There are a coffee shops as well as other little shops to look in. Make sure you try the fresh Pasteis de Nata (Portuguese custard tarts). They’re nicest with a bit of charring on the top – yum!!

– Exercise
It was a very active holiday – we had to do a lot of walking as we were in the middle of nowhere. We also enjoyed cycling / jogs and HIIT sessions by the house! Got to burn off those Pasteis de Nata 🙂

We ate most meals at home having bought ingredients from the market and supermarket in Aljezur earlier in the week.
Fresh fruit, muesli and yogurt for breakfast, tomato and mozzarella rolls for lunch and salad / pasta / pizza for dinner (and lots of wine).

Restaurants we ate at…

– ShaBouco

We ate in local restaurant ShaBouco which was a 30 min walk from where we were staying. The fresh grilled fish was tasty, staff were welcoming & prices were fair. We also picked up pizza to takeaway from here one night – yum!

– Restaurante Praia Arrifana

Enjoy lunch / dinner as the sun sets at Praia da Arrifana beach.

I would definitely recommend the tuna and potato skins to start. The seafood pasta had a nice flavour but needed sauce. Next time I’d stick with the grilled fish as it seems to be what Portugal does best 🙂

This area of Portugal is truly stunning and perfect for a relaxed holiday. You’ll enjoy stunning views, sandy beaches, great surf, scrumptious food and delicious wine. Not much better than that 🙂