Algarve Off The Beaten Path Tips by Bwana_Brown Top 5 Page for this destination

Mountaintop View

Well, this isn't the view from the top of the mountain, more what the top of the mountain would look like if people hadn't got there first! Our short stay at the top of this 3000-ft (900-m) peak, the highest in the Algarve, was not one of the high points of the trip (if you will pardon the pun!). The top of the mountain is covered by tall communications antennae of various shapes and heights, including a Portugese military base. This complements a very ugly looking tourist restarurant/trinket shop also perched on top of the peak! Compounding our problems, was the haze on this day. Although we could see the coastline off to the south, it really was not clear enough to warrant even a photo. Still, on the way back down the road to the top, I felt compelled to at least take one shot from up there, just above the tree line!

Normally, the drive up would have been better as well but the severe forest fires that raged in Portugal during the summer of 2003 had even reached these slopes. At least the damage was not as bad as some that I have seen in Canada, so hopefully the forest will be able to recover in a few short years.

The best parts of this trip were stumbling onto the Quinta de Sao Bento at the 800-m level on our way down (see my Restaurant tips) and seeing the nice 'azulejo' plaque at the summit (see Local Customs)!

Listen to the Waves

Once we had satisfied our need to dip our feet in the cool ocean waves, we found a nice spot to spread our towel beside the basalt cliff at the edge of the beach. The waves were actually quite large but, because this was a gently sloping beach, they broke quite a way out. With our binoculars we watched cliff-fishers on the headland behind us as they cast their lines out into the surf. We stayed here sipping our wine and enjoying the sun and breezes, as well as the sound of the waves coming ashore, until about 7 PM. Then it was time to head back to Aljezur to see what we could find in the way of a restaurant!

Sea Fog

We had not started the day well in Lisbon with our unexpected delay (you will have to see my Lisbon page for details on that!), followed by the long drive south to Aljezur that afternoon. By the time we had found our accommodations, it was already 4:30 PM. We wanted at least a little taste of the ocean on this 29 C day, so we very quickly headed for a nearby beach (only 5 km) on the not so touristy western Atlantic side of the Algarve. The beach at Monte Clerigo was just what the doctor ordered - a long smooth expanse of sand with hardly another soul there! These seaweed covered rocks greeted us as we strolled down to the sea fog rising from where the cold Atlantic waters met the hot sandy beach!

Our Own Beach

This was the first time since we had arrived in Portugal 4 days earlier that we had been able to visit the seaside! It was very refreshing to wander along the beach and feel the cool water washing around our feet. This mid-May time of the year seemed to still be a low tourism period from our experience. Combined with the great sunny weather, that suited us just fine! This particular location was not overbuilt, just many smaller beachfront houses - most of which still seemed to be deserted on this Monday evening.