Loule 5 day tour - day 4. Today we continue our visit of Vilamoura and then move on to Boliqueime. This is day 7 of our Algarve tour. Vilamoura is home to two amazing beaches, Praia de Vilamoura and Praia da Falésia, aka Rocha Baixinha, it was in this last one that I chose to spend my last morning in town.
The name, Falésia, comes from the bare cliffs that frame this long stretch of sand that starts in Vilamoura and continues east until Olhos de Água, a small town in the district of Albufeira. If you’re feeling brave you can walk from one end to the other in about two hours or follow the hiking trail above the cliffs to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the beach.
Vilamoura also offers several water activities including dolphin-watching tours, parasailing, jet ski, fishing and more. You can even rent a yacht and sail away for the day, the perfect escape from the crowded beaches in the summer.
I decided to stay at the beach, enjoying the cool breeze from the ocean whilst softly burying my feet in the sand. When lunchtime came around I simply walked over to NoSoloÁgua, a restaurant-cum-bar-cum-club set on the edge of Praia da Falésia and famous for its sunset parties. I had a quick snack before getting back on the road to Pestana Vila Sol for another golf lesson.
This time, I arranged the lesson with the Algarve Golf Guru. Whether you’re just starting out or are already a professional, their team will cater to all your needs, from booking your green fees to scheduling a golf lesson or simply providing you with clubs. Two lessons in and I was already feeling like this could be the start of a new hobby…
After the lesson, I continued on to Boliqueime, a quiet village nestled on a hillside that overlooks the ocean. Despite its small size, the village has many places of interest, including a church, a museum and old windmills that once supplied water to its residents but are now part of the tourist trail. Before leaving the village, I stopped at O Retiro for dinner. This cosy restaurant serves a great selection of meat and fish meals and has a fantastic wine menu featuring Portuguese and international wines that you can drink here or take it home with you by ordering a bottle from their shop.
From Boliqueime I drove towards the mountain villages of Algarve - Salir and Alte. I stayed at Quinta do Freixo, a farmhouse with over 1000 hectares that markets itself as an agritourism property. Besides offering sleeping accommodations, Quinta do Freixo has an area of plantations and a small production factory that helps sustain the farm. In the factory, they produce their own jam using fresh fruit that is picked here, including oranges, tomatoes, pumpkins and figs that is later sold on the farm and in many shops across the country. As a guest, you have the privilege of watching them make these delicious treats if you want or wait until the morning and have them for breakfast, which is what I planned to do.
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