Last year I was in Spain for two months and loved every minute of it! I met some people who had gone to Portugal and saw their photos and was inspired by the beauty and wanted to go check it out. I am back in Spain, this time for 3 months so I made time to go to Portugal.
From Seville, Spain I took an Alsa bus (www.alsa.es) to Faro. There are no trains that go from Spain to Portugal. I had reservations at the Best Western Hotel Dom Bernardo so when I arrived at the train station, I took a taxi to the hotel (About $5E) Faro is a capital city so is fairly large. I was shocked at first to see so many stores closed. For sale, for rent, and just plain 'ole closed. You can see the impact of the economic downturn here more than in Spain.
Faro is not a "pretty" town in my opinion, but there are some nice things to see. It is quiet here, food is inexpensive, taxis are not. I spent 4 nights in Faro and took the local train to Portimao. You buy your ticket the day of travel, no reservations needed. I had reservations in the Praia do Rocha at the Apartamento Jardins De Rocha. It was a one bedroom condo with a small kitchen with a washer! Very clean, comfortable, and fabulous views of the ocean and town!
Praia do Rocha is really beautiful! At last, the beautiful beaches I had seen in photos. The condo was one block from the boardwalk where all the restaurants were and of course, beach. It was beautiful. Lots of high rises in Portimao, but if you want a place to sit in the sun, and enjoy the restaurants and relax, this is the place!
I only had one night there and I went on to Lagos, again by train. In Lagos I stayed at Canavial I & II which were little efficiency rooms. Very nicely done, quiet, clean and reasonable. This property is within walking distance of a beach, but it felt like it was far from everything. It is surrounded by residences. It was here I realized I really needed a car and the hotel arranged for a car from Luzcar. Reasonably priced, it was a great rental experience. I got an almost new Ford Fiesta for $160E a week, insurance included. With a car I was able to drive around more freely, and the beaches in Lagos are incredible! Fine sand, some beaches with surf, some beaches flat, some right next to these amazing cliffs and grottos. The old town is really nice. Small narrow cobblestone streets, many of them just walking streets now. Cute shops, lovely architecture, pretty marina, lots of history.
After 2 nights I went off in my rented car to Sagres - the end of the world!
Sagres is a short drive from Lagos, but beautiful countryside! I drove to Cape St. Vincent first. This is the end of the continent. It is amazing to see water on three sides of land! There are some interesting forts and lighthouses here. I then went to Sagres which is right next to Cape St. Vincent. I parked and went into Henry's fortress. I wanted to see the location of the first school of navigation. I later found out this is a fable. No school of navigation was ever here! The fort though is interesting. There is a huge compass in the middle. You can take a walk out to the end of land where the incredible cliffs are. They have this really amazing structure called a wind rose. With the waves coming in and out beneath the surface, it makes this incredible sound! The landscape is incredibly beautiful!
I stayed one night in Sagres at Hotel Santa Catarina Algarve. The price here included breakfast, and for $28E it was a good deal. The room was very large, very clean, had a nice bathroom, wifi and TV. The next day I went up the coast.
continued...