Algarve – Benagil
The next stop after Faro was Carvoeiro and the Benagil area for 2 nights. Carvoeiro is in the west-central area of the Algarve and is close to the Lagoa municipality as well as the famous Benagil caves. Therefore, we chose this as a good location due to its proximity to Benagil. Luckily, there was a great deal on a villa to rent which was the icing on the cake for our wallet.
We arrived at the Estômbar-Lagoa train station using our Eurail passes and took an Uber about 5km to the villa. This was a very small rural train station and the area was very quiet and not a tourist to be seen, except for us. We arrived at the villa and checked in with the manager’s wife since he was away at the time. She handed us the keys and showed us to our villa.
The Villa
There were approximately 8 brand-new villas with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths each at the location. They had just filled the pool for the first time since construction; everything was new and clean. Along the walkway between the villas, there were little signs with poetry or quotes written on them. Unfortunately, some of them didn’t translate well and required some head-scratching to figure out. It was a neat idea and we walked around to see most of them.
We had some dirty clothes since we last did laundry in Torrevieja. The villa had a laundry service, but it would take 2 days. We were only spending 2 nights there and if any delays occurred, we would not have our clothes. However, they were able to do a light load and would get it back to us the next day.
A short 10-minute walk from the villa was a grocery store. We needed to go to the store for some snacks and sandwich items to have in the villa. Also, someone needed coffee every morning and I didn’t want grumpy people on the trip with me, especially in the morning.
Beach Time
We took a break at the villa for a couple of hours. Then, off we went to the nearest beach so we could walk around and check out the boat trips and other activities we could do while we were there. Unfortunately, the boat trips were all booked for that afternoon. Therefore, we booked a trip for the next morning from one of the other launch sites closer to the well-known and I believe the largest cave in Benagil. Although we couldn’t take a trip that day, we were able to enjoy the beach and the area that is made for tourists with restaurants, pubs, and shops.
The restaurants were inexpensive for the most part and there was a good variety of options for picky eaters. The area was much livelier at night with music in the streets and the eateries were quite full considering we were there before the main tourist season.
After dinner, we walked around for a while to see the area and to take some more pictures and videos of the nightlife. Due to it being almost 10 PM, we requested an Uber; it arrived in about 20 minutes to whisk us away to the villa.
Boat Tour
The next morning we grabbed an Uber to the beach for our boat tour of the caves. This area is beautiful with the golden cliffs reaching down to the blue-green waters. We boarded the boat and set off to see the caves and coastline. If you are claustrophobic, you will not enjoy this boat trip as the cave openings are very tight for the boat and you may have to duck as you enter. Below is a video from our boat trip to see the caves around Benagil.
The tour lasts about 90 minutes and covers about a dozen caves and several remote beach areas. The most well-known cave is quite large and will show up in every internet search for “Benagil” as one of the first pictures. This is a large impressive cave that has a nice beach inside for taking pictures. They do allow you to exit the boat onto the beach if the tide is right and there are not too many boats in the cave. Unfortunately, it was busy when we were there and we were not able to go to the beach.
Along the coast, there is a place where boat tours let people swim, so my kids dived into the water. It was quite cold; my daughter was out so fast it looked like she bounced off the water and back into the boat. My son did swim for a few minutes along with another person on our tour. We returned to the boat launch area and enjoyed the view for a while before going back to the villa.
Need More Time
We only booked the villa for 2 nights, and we wanted to see more of the Algarve before heading north. Therefore, we asked if we could extend our stay another night. Luckily, our villa was available the next night, and we still had plenty of time to make it to Lisbon for our hotel reservation the next day. Our last-minute change worked out great for us.
Laundry Time
Now we had more time with the extra day at the villa, and more dirty clothes. So we filled a backpack with clothes and walked to the store to do laundry. We were lucky that they had an available washer when we arrived and everything fit in there. We started the laundry and walked into the store to look around and get something to drink. The washer finished in about 40 minutes; we had to wait for the dryer for about 10 or 15 minutes though. Clothes were in the dryer and we were almost done and we were ready to head back to the villa after about 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, the villa was up a steep incline at the top of a hill and we were well below the villa. It was getting warm; we were tired (lazy), so we grabbed an Uber back to the villa. It did save us about 15 minutes vs walking back up the hill. I am going to say we weren’t lazy but supporting the local economy. That’s my story and I am sticking to it. We took a short break in the villa before grabbing some dinner in another area about 10 minutes away by car.
Day Trips
We took a day trip to Portimão and Lagos on our last day; see the blog post here.
Last Night in the Algarve
After returning to the villa to relax for a few minutes (and to drop off the free beer), we went back to the beach area where we were the first night. Luckily, the conditions were perfect for some of my favorite pictures of the area. We spent an hour on the beach just doing nothing, except taking pictures. I couldn’t decide which picture I liked the most, so you get an assortment below.
To beat the dinner rush, we found a side street with a little pub for dinner at about 6:15 PM. It was situated a block away from the ocean-side cliffs which gave us more opportunities to take pictures of the stunning views. When you think of the Algarve, you have to think of the views we had that night. The rest of the night was for taking it easy and getting back to the villa to pack for our trip to Lisbon the next day.
The next morning we checked out and were about to request an Uber to take us to the station when the villa manager said he could take us. Therefore, we accepted the offer and went to the station with him. Also, we left the beers and some snacks we did not open for him and his wife. Eurail passes in hand, we were ready to see Lisbon.
Location
The location of the villa was not great if you wanted to walk to the beach, which was about 5km away. Fortunately, that was only a 4-6 euro Uber ride. Therefore, it was quite convenient if you wanted to stay away from the crowds except when dining out or at the beach. There were several places to visit close by, Benagil, Lagoa, etc. that could be reached in 5-20 minutes by car.
A car would make using these villas easier, but the value was great and the Uber cost was minimal. We took several Uber rides to and from and spent about 60-70 euros in total during our stay. One of the trips was 30-40 minutes long. Also, there is limited parking near the beach and in most towns, so that would have been an issue with a car.
Final Thoughts on the Algarve
The Algarve from Tavira to Lagos is beautiful, the people are friendly, English is almost an official language, and it is quite affordable for what you get. You do have to be aware that it is a tourist destination and you might have to deal with some crowds or rowdy people occasionally. That can be said for any vacation spot; it was just a warning in case you were expecting 100% peace and quiet. I would recommend visiting in May or early June before European schools are out for the summer.
One of the reasons we went to the Algarve was to see if it would be a good retirement location. I would say it has some potential. However, you need to pick a location that is not primarily a tourist destination. With that being said, Lagos would be the exception as it could be a good location. In my opinion, Faro would be a great option as well or a place about 15-20 minutes away from the beachfront tourist havens like Benagil. The Algarve area is great for day trips if you are centrally located.
The Algarve is safe; we saw these cars in the parking lot at the store while doing laundry. They were not concerned that someone would steal them or their contents. I am not sure if I would leave the top down on a $250,000 car at many places in the US.
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