Locations: Carvoeiro, Benagil, Lagoa and Monchique.
In June 2018, my girlfriend and I visited Carvoeiro in Algarve, Portugal. One of the main reasons we opted for Carvoeiro was that it was within a short commute of some of the sights we planned to visit and there are fairly good transport links and fantastic hotels in the area.
We stayed at the Tivoli Carvoeiro – definitely one of the more 'up-market' hotels in Carvoeiro. It was recently renovated so all of the rooms are decorated and furnished to a high-spec and it offers some amazing views of the sea and cliffs to the rear of the hotel. I would strongly recommend opting for a sea-view room if you decide to stay here, it's well worth the upgrade!
The location of the hotel is excellent. It wasn’t right in the noisy town centre but it was only a short walk away, giving you the perfect balance between peace and quiet, and convenience.
Carvoeiro beach and town centre lies only 10-15 minutes walk away, with plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from, not only when you get to the town centre but also along the way. You can take the more direct route and just walk straight down the main road, or you can take the more scenic route along the boardwalk and enjoy those coastal views, which only adds an extra 5-minutes to your walk - well worth it!
The rear of the hotel and the small cove.
View of the cove from our hotel room balcony.
Carvoeiro beach is not one of my favourite beaches in the Algarve but it is nice enough. It can get rather busy and it's not particularly big so don't expect much personal space. On the other hand, there are plenty of shops, cafe's and restaurants in close proximity and the beach does have toilet and shower facilities. You can also enjoy some live music in the evenings and all of the shops, bars and restaurants are open until late.
Carvoeiro beach.
Carvoeiro town centre in the evening.
If you are looking for a more practical beach and are willing to trade off on having as many nearby restaurants, then I would suggest 'Praia do Vale de Centeanes' as a happy alternative. The sand is finer, the beach is more scenic and moderately bigger, and [albeit, only slightly] less crowded.
If you are staying at the Tivoli Carvoeiro hotel, then you are looking at an extra 5-minutes walk compared to Carvoeiro beach but in my opinion it’s the better option. As mentioned there aren't many restaurants in close proximity but there are toilet facilities and adequate parking if you drive.
Clifftop view overlooking Praia do Vale de Centeanes, early in the morning.
Another location worth visiting in Carvoeiro is Alfanzina Lighthouse - not for the lighthouse itself but rather its scenic surroundings. When we visited the lighthouse it was unfortunately closed. At the time of writing, it is to my knowledge that the lighthouse is only open on Wednesday's between 2-4pm.
Our visit was not wasted however, as the surrounding area offers some amazing views of the coastline, small coves, sea caves and natural sinkholes. There are trails laid out through the trees and bushes. It is advised not to stray too far from these trails and to avoid getting too close to the edge of the cliffs, for obvious reasons. Also, take some water with you and wear comfortable shoes as you will want to keep walking and exploring the further you go.
Alfanzina Lighthouse is approximately 30-minutes walking distance from Tivoli Carvoeiro hotel, or a mere 5-minutes drive - parking is available here.
Sinkhole with Alfanzina Lighthouse in the background.
Views from the cliffs surrounding Alfanzina Lighthouse.
On our third day, we travelled to Benagil beach and went on a boat tour of the many nearby caves, including the infamous Benagil Cave. I wouldn't really recommend travelling to this beach if you're just planning on sunbathing unless of course you are staying nearby. Again, it's not the biggest of beaches and it's pretty crowded but on the plus side there are a few companies based there which offer boat tours and kayaks for hire, as well as having good facilities and a couple of cafe's.
The boat tour company we booked with was Taruga Benagil Tours - one of the more established companies in the area, boasting really good TripAdvisor reviews. They offer tours of varying duration and price. At the time of writing, the options range from; a 30-minute tour costing €15.00 per person, to an hour-and-fifteen-minutes tour costing €25 per person - this is the option we opted for and I would recommend it as there is so much to see and explore! The company also rents out kayaks and paddle boards.
The tour visits caves on either side of Benagil beach. Benagil cave is of course what most people go on the tour to see. Unfortunately, tour boats are not permitted to allow passengers to disembark inside the cave. Taruga Tours does however, allow you 5-minutes or so for a quick swim to shore for a picture inside the cave.
Inside Benagil Cave.
Arco Natural rock formations.
If you do wish to explore the cave at your own leisure, I would recommend renting a kayak or paddle board. The cave is approximately 150-metres or so from the shore of Benagil beach, so it might be an option to swim there if you're a strong swimmer but beware of the risks. The tour takes you as far as Praia da Marinha, which is arguably one of the most scenic beaches in the whole of Algarve and is considered one of the top 10 beaches in Europe and top 100 beaches in the world - more on that later.
After the tour we exited the beach and walked uphill to the clifftop overlooking Benagil beach - the view from there was fantastic! We followed the trail and walked for approximately 2-hours, covering all the beaches between Benagil beach and Praia da Marinha. The views were incredible and definitely the highlight of our entire trip! Again, be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take water with you - there are no shops up there.
Clifftop view overlooking Benagil beach.
Praia da Corredoura, one of several beaches we passed on our cliff-walk.
The trail starts off easy but as you near Arco Natural, just before reaching Praia da Marinha, there are a couple of moderate climbs and steep declines. This can be avoided by taking detours, walking around the long way but doing so would mean missing out on some brilliant views, as well as adding more time to your walk. If you go slowly and tread carefully however, it really shouldn't be a problem!
The views overlooking Arco Natural and Praia da Marinha were breathtaking! I struggle to think of any other place I've visited which can top those views. By the time we arrived at Praia da Marinha it was just after lunch time and to no surprise the beach was completely crowded. It is a pretty sizeable beach but unsurprisingly it is very popular with both locals and tourists alike. If you plan to spend the day here, I would recommend arriving early in the morning. There is a cafe on the beach selling quick-bites and beverages, and parking is available.
Cliff view of Arco Natural.
View overlooking Praia da Marinha.
Arco Natural and surrounding rock formations.
On our fourth day, we had a complete change of scenery and visited a place which has very different landscapes to the rest of Algarve. That place was Monchique. We did a 7-hour jeep tour with Algarve Jeep Safari And Boat Tours. We met the tour guide in Portimao and headed to 'Parque das Fontes' which is a park surrounding a major spring in Estombar. From there we drove through the old, historic town of Silves and eventually arrived at the Monchique mountains and town centre where we stopped for lunch.
Monchique offers some stunning views, very different from anywhere else in Algarve. We skipped through most of the stops in Silves as we had visited just last year, but I would highly recommend visiting separately, if only just as a day-trip. It is an old town full of history and culture, especially for Algarve's Moorish roots.
The tour involved plenty of off-road routes and stopping off at various locations, including Odelouca Dam, cork tree forests, and honey and firewater tasting. At the end of the tour we were driven back to Portimao - which itself is worth visiting for some of the local shops and the tourist hotspot; Praia da Rocha.
As mentioned previously, the tour was 7-hours in duration and cost €65 per person, which included a free lunch in Monchique. The company also offers tours to Sagres and Silves, varying in duration and cost. If you're keen to take the wheel, you can also opt to drive a jeep yourself, with a guide driving in a separate jeep - this of course costs more but you are charged per jeep, not per person so it might be a good option if you're in a group. Be warned though if you're not used to driving off-road I would advise taking the passenger role!
Monchique mountains.
Odelouca Dam and surrounding mountains.
This pretty much concluded our holiday. We spent the rest of our days enjoying the facilities in our hotel and spending time in the local area. Overall, I would highly recommend Carvoeiro, but I think what made it special was actually the hotel for it's facilities and views. As mentioned earlier, a big plus was the fact that the hotel wasn't located right in the busy town centre, but still close enough for convenience.
Carvoeiro town centre has a very touristy feel which I personally prefer to avoid, although it is not as bad as Albufeira - there are plenty of local-run establishments which balance out this 'touristy-feel' ever slightly. Aside from a couple of beaches, some cliff walks and the town centre, there really isn't much to do in the immediate area. Luckily, Carvoeiro has some fairly decent transport links and is a short-ish commute to places such as; Lagoa, Ferragudo, Portimao and Benagil.
Would I stay here again? That's a tough question. For the location I would say no - I've seen and done everything that I wanted, and there is so much more of the Algarve to explore! I did however leave with a very high regard for Tivoli Carvoeiro and I would certainly consider staying again, if anything for a relaxing short-break! I would certainly visit Praia da Marinha again.
Finally, a couple of notable restaurants worth mentioning in Carvoeiro town centre; Restaurante A Gale - authentic Portuguese cuisine, moderately priced and our favourite restaurant in town. Cant recommend it enough! Another good restaurant we thoroughly enjoyed was A Marisqueira - again, authentic Portuguese cuisine, very fairly priced and all of the food is prepared outside on the grill. These restaurants are fairly busy, especially in the evenings so it is recommended that you call up in advance to book a table.
Lastly, if travelling to any of these locations by train or coach, do check out Trainline - Europe’s biggest train and coach app available in 45 European destinations.
Thank you for reading! Leave a comment with any questions or feedback you may have.