For the third stop on our month-long Portugal adventure, we stayed in Carvoeiro, a beach resort town on the Algarve coast.
Carvoeiro differs from most other Portuguese towns in that it doesn’t have several centuries of history. While it started as a small fishing village, its development began in the 1960s in response to the growing tourism industry. Almost all of the buildings are noticeably newer than in most other Portuguese towns.
Carvoeiro is noticeably more affluent. Its rolling hills are dotted with impressive upscale homes, many of which are probably vacation homes for wealthy Europeans. Our place was originally one home that was later subdivided into rentable units. This is the view from our patio.
The apartment itself wasn’t impressive. There was little decor, and the kitchen was very basic. It was awkwardly arranged; the bed, the two-person couch, and the kitchen table were all in the same room, which made it difficult for one person to stay up later than the other. But it was sufficient.
We’ve learned a lot about staying in B&Bs (which are really just Bs – none served breakfast), which we’ll discuss in an upcoming post.
One day, we drove to Portimão, a 20-minute drive west of Carvoeiro. It’s located on the west bank of the Arade River, about 2km upstream from the ocean. We toured the Museu de Portimão, housed in the former premises of a canning factory which was one of Portimão’s largest employers from 1902 to 1980. In its heyday, canned fish was considered a delicacy, and the company exported their products all over the world. The museum presented the entire process of catching and canning fish in great detail, with much of the original machinery on display. It was interesting.
While we were in Portimão, we visited the 3D Fun Art Museum. Calling it a museum is a bit of a stretch, but we had fun taking goofy pictures against backdrops. Here’s one; you can see more of those photos here.
On another day, we visited Sand City near Lagoa, a few miles to the north. They had an impressively large array of sand sculptures of every subject imaginable – at least 120. They were very well done. Here’s one; you can see more here.
Now for the obligatory food porn…
In Carvoeiro, as in Tavira, we found that the menus of most restaurants were strikingly similar: several varieties of fish, shrimp curry, several varieties of steak, including Portuguese-style steak, and a few other items. The appetizers and side dishes were similar too.
We found a few restaurants that stood out and enjoyed some delicious dinners.
For our last night in Carvoeiro, we treated ourselves to a slightly more upscale dinner at the Lighthouse Grill & Bar. While the service was formal and stuffy, the location, a covered outdoor dining area with a view of the ocean, was lovely.
Up to this point, we’ve had no access to a scale. It will be interesting to see if we’ve gained, lost, or maintained our weight. We are getting more exercise. We are eating lightly for breakfast and lunch. So… we’re keeping our fingers crossed.