We took advantage of Paddy's school holidays in August 2020 and the warm weather of the Portuguese land to get to know the Vicentine Coast, or for those who prefer long names, the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. This Park is located on the southwest coast of Portugal and covers the regions of Alentejo and of the Algarve, as you can see from the lighter area on the map below (below Odeceixe is Algarve, in case you didn't know):

We were very pleasantly surprised by the beaches, the charming white villages and the restaurants we visited. Although we went in the height of summer, the places were relatively empty, especially compared to the trip to the Algarve in August/2016.

It could be an effect of the pandemic or maybe this region is actually calmer than the more “popular” part of the Algarve, but I’ll only be able to confirm this when all this madness is over, right? lol

Now let's get to the important stuff! 🙂

Road map

The 9-day itinerary was divided into 2 parts, the first with the objective of getting to know the beaches of the Costa Vicentina in the Algarve, further south, and the second to get to know the beaches of the Costa Vicentina in the Alentejo. It ended up like this:

Detailed posts

1. Ferryboat from Setubal to Troia
2. Troia, Comporta and the Carrasqueira Stilt Wharf
3. Luz, Burgau and Salema Beaches
4. Sagres, Cape St. Vincent and Martinhal
5. Lagos Zoo
6. Amado and Bordeira Beaches
7. 5 days on the Alentejo Coast – Vila Nova de Milfontes, Zambujeira do Mar, Almograve, Porto Covo and São Torpes.

Hotels

As we are in the middle of a pandemic, I wanted to change hotels as little as possible and only stay in establishments with the Covid-19 safety seal (Clean&Safe – find out more here) in Booking. I even thought about getting hotels with rooms with kitchens, but I thought it was only fair to give us a break from my cooking. Everyone was happy with the decision! lol

I therefore chose the LuzMar Villas (note 8.8) in Luz Beach and the Boavista Farm (grade 9.0) in New Town of Milfontes to be our bases in the Algarve and Alentejo, respectively. Both with empty pools, gardens and breakfast with several precautions related to Covid-19, including social distancing, gloves, masks, alcohol gel and disposable items. I was positively surprised by both places and, fortunately, also by the guests, so I would certainly return to stay in them.

Map with beaches, attractions and hotels

Beaches and attractions in the Algarve

To choose the beaches we would visit, I used these 2 as references posts (here and here). We went to many of the beaches on the list I prepared, but we didn't stop to enjoy some of them calmly, we just saw them from above.

These were the beaches and attractions (in yellow) that we visited from our hotel in Luz Beach:

• Luz Beach (bathing)
• Burgau Beach (bathing)
• Salema Beach (bathing)
• Martinhal Beach
• Mareta Beach
• Tonel Beach
• Beliche Beach
• Amado Beach
• Portinho do Forno Beach
• Zimbreirinha Beach
• Bordeira Beach (bathing)
• Cape St. Vincent
• Sagres Fortress
• Lagos Zoo

We didn't pass by Odeceixe and Arrifana this time, because we had already gone on the 2016 trip, but there are definitely 2 beaches that deserve to be highlighted on the Costa Vicentina. Take note, ok?

Beaches and attractions in Alentejo

From New Town of Milfontes, we set off to discover the following beaches and attractions (in yellow) on the Costa Vicentina Alentejana:

• Zambujeira do Mar (bathing)
• Almograve Beach (bathing)
• Furnas Beach (bathing)
• Franquia Beach (bathing)
• Malhão Beach
• Buizinhos Beach
• Small Beach
• Porto Covo Big Beach
• Sao Torpes Beach (hot bath!!!)
• Cape Sardao Lighthouse

Restaurants

To avoid too much exposure in restaurants, we took a lot of snacks with us and at the beginning of the trip we only had one full meal per day. At the end of the trip, we were already hungrier (lol) and started going out twice a day.

The most popular restaurants required reservations during the height of summer, even with the pandemic, so in Vila Nova de Milfontes (VNM) we went to some of them and made reservations for the following days. We don't like having to wait for a specific time and have that pressure on our heads, but since we wanted to go to some of the recommended places, we paid that “price”, right? They were worth it! 🙂

Here is our list:

In the Algarve

• Fortress of Light – Praia da Luz – I was enchanted by the view and the delicious monkfish.
• Sangam – Praia da Luz – Indian restaurant with great service and very generous and good portions. Very spacious because it is not in the city center.
• Royal Pizza – Praia da Luz – Mini restaurant with a so-so atmosphere but delicious pizzas and fair prices.
• Caramba Restaurant – Barão de São João – This was our choice when we left Lagos Zoo. The food took a long time to arrive and wasn’t that good. I really wish I had gone to Cangalho, which is next to the Zoo, but we went on a Monday and it was closed.
• MicroBar – Carrapateira – Mini kiosk with glass doors that open completely in the middle of a square with delicious light food (tapas, sandwiches, salads).

In Alentejo

• HS Hotel Milfontes Beach – Vila Nova de Milfontes – the only restaurant with tables available when we were hungry, with a scheme All You Can Eat for 13 euros. Various types of food (tasteless) and very bad service, but that was what saved us.
• Blue Bar – Vila Nova de Milfontes – good burgers + drinks! Celo satiated the longing for one pint from Guinness.
• Oasis Restaurant – Furnas Beach in VNM – restaurant on the sand with good seafood and fish options, but expensive because of the location.
• 18 and pikes – Vila Nova de Milfontes – light and tasty food with fast service in a very pleasant little square. It gets very busy, but we managed to go 2 nights for an early dinner.
• Ritual – Vila Nova de Milfontes – wonderful food at this super trendy restaurant! We made a reservation to go for lunch one day and had ceviche, salmon tartare, minced meat….yummm…everything was delicious!
• La Sicilienne Pizzeria – Vila Nova de Milfontes – pizza for takeaway, but there are few tables outside where you can eat them without much comfort. They were good and cheaper than in a restaurant.
• Blue Sea – Almograve – Indian/Nepalese with a somewhat old-fashioned atmosphere, confusing service, but well-served and very tasty dishes. The only restaurant in the area that had tables available around 2pm.
• Celso's Tavern – Vila Nova de Milfontes – one of the most popular restaurants in the village, with excellent service and even better dishes, but expensive for the region. We only managed to book a reservation for lunch on the last day, but it was worth it!

Our favorites (write them down!)

Here I will summarize what we liked most about the trip:

• Ride of Ferry Boat from Setubal to Troia: The view of the crossing is stunning and Patrick was really excited about it. ferry with cars inside and with the possibility of seeing whales/dolphins/sharks/fish in the sea. We only saw fish...lol.
• Visit to Lagos Zoo: Although I went with low expectations, perhaps because of our experience in Badoca Safari Park and in the Tambor Rural Park, I thought the tour was really, really cool! The zoo is very well looked after – unlike the other 2 above –, there is a great variety of animals and you can even go into the water with the penguins nearby.
• Sagres Fortress and Cape St. Vincent: Wow! What spectacular places… Definitely a must-see for anyone who admires the beach views and impressive cliffs. Lots of wind and a great walk inside the Fortress. Oh, It's free for those who live in Portugal. We only found out at the time.
• Beaches: The ones we liked the most were Praia da Luz, Praia de Burgau, Zambujeira do Mar, Praia de Furnas in VNM, Praia de São Torpes because of the warm water and Praia dos Buizinhos in Porto Covo. Oh, and the car ride through the Carrapateira region, with many beaches with beautiful viewpoints!
• Villages: Vila Nova de Milfontes, Praia da Luz and Burgau. All three are very cute!
• Restaurants: Tasca do Celso and Ritual in Vila Nova de Milfontes, Fortaleza da Luz in Praia da Luz and the MicroBar in Carrapateira.

The trip in photos

Now comes the part I love the most posts: the little photos! <3

This post is part of a 9-day trip through the Algarve and Alentejo. Read about the entire trip in links below:

• 9 days driving along the Costa Vicentina (Algarve and Alentejo)
• Setubal Ferryboat until Troy
• Troia, Comporta and the Carrasqueira Stilt Wharf
• Beaches of Luz, Burgau and Salema (Algarve)
• Sagres, Cape St. Vincent and Martinhal (Algarve)
• A day at Lagos Zoo
• 1 day exploring the beaches of Amado and Bordeira (Algarve)
• 5 days on the Alentejo Coast (Vila Nova de Milfontes, Zambujeira do Mar, etc.)