The Beach

The weird thing about staying at the harbor in Faro, is that you are not actually staying at the beach. From Hotel Faro, we had an amazing view of the little boats coming in and out, loaded with passengers suffering from varying degrees of sunburn, but no sand. The Ria Formosa nature reserve stretches out in front of the town, providing a wildlife filled lagoon with storks and other (unidentifiable) birds.

Whilst you can get the bus to the beach (why would you) or the local ferry, you can also travel in style in a fancy, hotel run boat. This option allows you to recline on their leather seats, admire the view and feel like a movie star! By leaving the hotel at 9:30 am, we arrived to an empty beach, stretching out for miles. The sun loungers lay empty, waiting for hot and sweaty bodies to relax on them. The clear sea, with its inviting waves encouraged us to take a refreshing dip! The water was cool and refreshing, making you forget how crazy hot it was; the waves big enough to jump over and dive through – it was fab!

Over the course of the day the place filled up, it was a great mix of life; old ladies digging up worms, old men snoozing under umbrellas, parents keeping an eye on their children as they ventured into the water, returning screaming as the waves caught them. Young couples walked hand in hand down the beach (some did a bit more than that – but we won’t talk about that!)

There are plenty of places to eat and drink along the main road that runs through the sand spit. Praia de Faro is an unusual place, with one side opening out onto the ocean and the other onto the Ria Formosa reserve, providing two very different outlooks. Go explore – take your sunscreen.

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