Olhao, Portugal - perfect destination for a short trip

Sometimes, you just need, and only have time for, a few days of sun. In September Portugal was a perfect choice, with a relatively short flight, no time difference (so no losing an hour), and a short 15 minute transfer time to the town on Olhao, near Faro. This time I was with girlfriends, so no need to worry about activities, big swimming pools or buffets! We just wanted to eat and drink well, soak up the sun and do some gentle shopping!

Although the Algarve is well-known, not so Olhao. As my friend commented when we left the airport ‘oh, we’re turning left!’ Yes, it’s on the opposite side of Faro to the main Algarve resorts. Olhao is a coastal fishing town, and that’s evident everywhere you look, from the fish on every menu, to the many fishing boats in the harbour and most of all, the huge traditional fish market on the sea front. It’s housed in a beautiful historical building and on Saturday mornings there’s all sorts of other produce too. The market is bustling, but the vibe is laid-back and authentic - this is not a tourist trap.

For relaxation, we took the ferry over to the Island of Culatra. It’s about 30 minutes away but feels less, ‘cruising’ along the beautiful coastline with the sun in the sky. Culatra is part of the Ria Formosa national park and it’s beautiful. We walked off the ferry, through the colourful car-free village, which had a distinctly Central American feel, and straight on the long boardwalk to the beach. It was a huge beach, stretching as far as the eye could see. The sand was lovely and soft to lounge on, but, intending to take full advantage of not having to do anything all day, we opted for sunbeds instead. The perfect place to read ‘Hello Beautiful’ by Ann Napolitano, a modern day Little Women inspired story. It was so peaceful….and then at 5pm from nowhere the beach hut/bar started playing Christmas music! Apparently a tradition that runs all season. If the aim is to get you to have a drink, it worked, our glass of rose on the beach was fabulous!

Back in Olhao we feasted at the charming restaurant Cha Cha Cha and relaxed on our hotel rooftop admiring the amazing view over the sea. Rooftops are a big thing here, when you look around ,you see that’s where everyone is chilling out. The next day we wandered the narrow streets, purchased some pottery souvenirs and marvelled at how affordable and uncrowded everywhere was. I loved it so much, I can’t wait to come to the region again as I feel I’ve only scratched the surface. It reminded me of how much variety there is in Portugal, from the fun activity and golf filled resorts of the Western Algarve, to the smaller towns and rural properties of the Eastern Algarve including Olhao and, a little further East, Tavira. And that’s before you even take Lisbon, Porto, Alentejo, and the Western Atlantic coast into account!