From Terry and Jana Joseph: It does feel good to get back home after being away on holidays, but I have to say, a little part of my heart will always remain in Benagil, Portugal.
Terry and I have been extremely fortunate to have stayed in this quaint little village along the Algarve coastline twice over the years. We loved it there when we first visited in 2019, so we were more than happy to go back again this winter to spend another month with very close friends from Winnipeg, Helen Tack, her husband Greg, and good friends of theirs from the city, Pat and Nola Andrews.
This small fishing village, with a permanent population of less than 100, is known for its picturesque beaches and sea caves. Walking paths right out your door run along the coastline for miles and take you by the most incredibly rugged cliffs, pristine beaches and charming towns.
A bonus this year was the addition of some pickleball courts at the neighbouring “Rocha Brava Village Resort.” We met some wonderful people there and managed to book in for their group sessions (5 euro per player) several times during our stay.
A car is a must when staying in Benagil and enabled us to drive to different points along the spectacular southern coastline to take in more of the crashing waves, vibrant skies and towering sea cliffs.
Pictures do not do this breathtakingly beautiful coastline justice. The inland towns of Monchique and Silves are also well worth visiting. Silves, the oldest town in the Algarve and at one time the capital, is known for its red brick castle which is Algarve’s largest and best preserved ancient monument.
Although there are very few restaurants open in Benagil at this time of the year, the surrounding area has lots of little restaurants and outdoor pubs. We especially enjoyed trying their “catch of the day” specials (generally golden bream or sea bass) and absolutely loved the pork cheeks. Fresh oranges grown right in the Algarve were a daily treat that we are so missing, along with their yummy olives, vast variety of tasty cheeses, crusty rolls/bread and the cheap Portugal wine that is “oh so good!”
English is widely spoken in this area of Portugal, but it doesn’t hurt to know a few phrases in Portuguese.
We stayed at the “Terracos de Benagil” condo complex and booked directly through the “Benagil Holidays” office. Some large grocery stores are just a short drive away and we had a well equipped kitchen for cooking our own meals. If you ever get a chance to visit the Algarve, I would highly recommend going during the winter months when it’s not busy. The weather in Jan/Feb is similar to our spring temperatures here, and on some days, actually reached a high of 20C. I would also recommend staying where we did in Benagil if you are okay with renting a car. If not, Albufeira would be a better choice.
After spending a wonderful month in the Algarve, Greg, Helen, Terry and I flew to the Azores and spent 12 nights in Lagoa on the island of Sao Miguel. Entirely different landscape is this area of Portugal with a rainforest like setting. It takes about four hours to drive around the entire island, and from where we were located near the middle, you could reach either end of the island in an hour to 90 minutes.
It’s no wonder Sao Miguel has been nicknamed “The Green Island” with all its lush vegetation, beautiful lakes, sandy beaches, rolling hills, high mountains, majestic waterfalls, green plains and blue ocean. There was an abundance of dairy cattle in this region and some of the hiking trails actually took us right along the farmer’s field, up close and personal with all the cows.
The island is volcanic in origin and features many black sand beaches and dramatic black stone outcroppings. The Fumas valley area is a giant volcanic crater which last erupted in 1630 and is known for its thermal pools, steam holes and hot springs.
In the town of Fumas we tried their famous Portuguese meat stew (cozido) which is slow cooked for approximately five hours underground by volcanic heat on the shores of Lake Fumas.
Despite a few overcast/foggy days, we managed to do some fantastic hikes, stop at some magnificent viewpoints and take in all the beautiful countryside when driving around the island. Weather here wasn’t quite as nice as we had experienced in the Algarve, but still pretty warm (around 14C), even on the days when the sun did not shine.
We only got wet on a couple of our hikes, and on the rainier days, it never seemed to settle in for too long in any one area. Once again, I think the best way to see the sites throughout this amazing little island is to rent a car. We did talk to some tourists who were paying a private tour guide to take them to some of the major attractions, so that would be an option if you weren’t wanting to drive.
The Azores has been on my bucket list for quite some time, and the island of Sao Miguel was so worth seeing, not like anywhere we’ve been before. Not sure where our next travel destination will be, but for any of you out there with a bucket list, make sure you add on Portugal. Wonderful people, spectacular countryside, great food and extremely cheap wine, what more could you ask for?
