Algarve, Portugal
Day 1 - Getting There
Algarve is an entire region located on the southern coast of Portugal. Faro International Airport is the best airport option, but unfortunately, I could not fly direct to that airport and my flight landed in Lisbon. The flight from Lisbon to Faro is about 50 minutes and the flight I was looking at was about three hours after I landed in Lisbon. I had a choice to rent a car or do a layover to Faro.
Since the Algarve is the entire southern coast, it’s a pretty large area. I did a lot of research to see which part of it I wanted to stay in and I chose Carvoiero and Lagos. Carvoiero is about 40 minutes from Faro, so I figured an Uber might be a little expensive. I decided to rent a car from Lisbon and drove it down which should have taken a little less than three hours, but I must have gotten lost because it took me closer to four hours. It wound up being quicker to drive though than my flight option.
The drive was pretty easy. There are roundabouts in Portugal which we are not used to here in the U.S, but most weren’t that crowded and they were easy to navigate. Some of the roads are very narrow, but there weren’t that many cars on the road so it really wasn’t an issue.
After reaching my hotel, I explored the hotel a little and relaxed and had some drinks by the pool. I can’t sleep on planes, so I was pretty exhausted. I took a short nap before getting ready to go out to dinner.
I walked into town and found a restaurant that was on my list - Touriga Wine and Dine. The owner was really nice and let me sit at the bar even though they typically didn’t do that. The owner and waitress were really good in helping me pick out the wine I wanted to try. Portugal has green wine which I had never heard of. I bought two bottles to take back to the hotel to drink for the week. After dinner I explored the town area and also walked around Algar Seco. I was not wearing the shoes for it so I didn’t stay too long.
Where I stayed…
Tivoli Carvoiero Algarve Resort
Chilling on the Cliffs: Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort
This hotel was in the most beautiful location I have ever stayed. It is located on the cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean is pretty much your backyard.
Tivoli Carvoeiro is conveneiently located to all the top things to in the Algarve. It’s about a 10 minute walk to Carvoiero beach where you can take a boat/kayak to see the Benagil caves, Algar Seco and the beach town area with restaurants and bars. It’s about a 10 minute drive to Praia da Marinha and the Seven Hanging Valleys trail. The hotel offers a tuk tuk which can take you to town if you don’t feel like walking. It also has locations in town to pick you up to bring you back to the hotel.
The rooms are pretty large in size and offer stunning views of the ocean. It also features a furnished terrace or balcony. The hotel offers six different restaurants and bars which serve a mix of local portuguese cuisine and international dishes. The buffet was huge offering many different options. The basic stuff was the same every day but they did switch up certain things every day. The hotel also features a rooftop bar called Sky Bar which is perfect for sunset cocktails overlooking the ocean.
I went in the middle of a heat wave so it was almost 100 degrees every day, so I pretty much ended all of my days relaxing by the pool. The pool water was freezing though - Although we were in the middle of a heat wave, it was a little too cold. I don’t know if it’s always like that or if it was just extra cold due to the heat wave.
I enjoyed my stay at this hotel very much and would definetely book it again. This hotel is listed as a 5 star hotel, but I did read some reviews stating it’s more of a 4 star hotel and it gets the 5th star due to its location. I could probably agree with that. It wasn’t 5 star service or amenities but the location is stunning like nowhere I have ever stayed.
Day 2
I started off the second day by eating breakfast and heading into town and grabbing some water bottles, bug spray and anythig I may have forgotten to pack. I decided I was going to do some hiking and a beach within walking distance from my hotel. There was a hike within walking distance from my hotel - I forget the name of it, but I actually think it was part of the Seven Hanging Valley’s trail, but the end of it (maybe?). The hike was along the cliffs so I had to walk up what seemed like over a hundred stairs which I later realized if I started the hike in the right spot, I should have been walking down the stairs instead of up. The hike was absolutely beautiful - I am deathly scared of heights though so walking along the cliffs, there were certain points where I wanted to crawl. I wasn’t even that close to the ledge.