We headed to the Algarve for new adventures to find the best places to take great photos and we were not disappointed. The first place we went to was Ponta Da Piedade.
To get there, you have to go down Game Of Thrones-style stairs leading to a bay filled with boats.
The rock formation there is just superb. We met a man there who was trying to lure us towards his boat by blowing into his shell. He was looking at us in the distance in a slightly strange way, making the situation quite comical... But we got through it well.
Then Craig wanted to get up a bit to look at the view but I was too scared to follow him. The view from above is truly breathtaking and, from a distance, you can even hear Mr. Shell.
Next, we decided to go to the city of Lagos, famous for its very colorful buildings, cobbled streets and ice cream that can be found absolutely EVERYWHERE! We ended up in a Burrito Cafe (yes, yes it's typically Portuguese...) to fill ourselves up and gain strength to take even more photos.
The next day we found a company that offers tuk tuk tours in Albufeira city. Their promise was to take us to hidden places in the city.
How to refuse? So Aimee decided to dress like a giant bag of popcorn for the occasion.
Paulo, our guide, was really funny. The sun was beating down very strongly but we were flying over the streets in our tuk tuk, our hair blowing in the wind.
Paulo did not disappoint us, the first place he took us was a beach buried in a cave, there was absolutely no one there!
He also showed us the most beautiful beaches and the coast while recommending his best restaurants. He then dropped us off in the old town to wander around a bit.
Aimee was in the stars and had fun in all the little boutiques. This little tour of the old town was really excellent: whitewashed buildings, smiling people, stalls to get your hair braided and the scent emanating from the bakeries.
Our next adventure is truly a waking dream that we still find hard to believe. We had the opportunity to see a lagoon and its waterfall in the middle of an orange farm. To get there, we had to drive 40 minutes from Albufeira to Pego Do Inferno.
We walked through a farm, passed an abandoned building and came upon this lagoon after walking through some woods and following the sound of the waterfall flowing. It was just perfect: there was a rope to swing on, rocks to jump on and the water temperature was perfect for recovering from our 6 minute hike.
After this discovery, we were looking for other hidden places in the Algarve and therefore decided to explore the Benagil cave.
We had heard about it but we weren't sure of its existence... So we had to go and check it out with our own eyes. So we went there and rented a paddle for €25 per hour (we got ripped off a bit, didn't we?).
It only took us 5 minutes to get there and it was truly fabulous! It was a completely natural environment with such clear water: pure joy! We explored, swam and had to leave to return the paddle boards we had rented.
On the way back from Benagil, there is the seaside resort Carvoeiro and its superb site of Algar Seco. This is another place where there are beautiful rocks forming a waterhole where one can swim freely and jump from the cliffs.
This site is also surrounded by small tunnels, which allowed us to watch the sunset from the cliff. It was the finishing touch for one of the best days this year.
For our very last day in Portugal, we went on a “beach exploration” mission, starting with Praia Da Camilo.
This beach has large stairs that you have to go down where you find two small beaches connected by a tunnel that has been carved into the cliff (so cool!).
Then we headed to Praia Da Marinha. This beach has huge arches which are blocks of rocks in the sea, sand-colored.
I asked Craig to do the worst possible handstand in front of one of these rocks and I think he outdid himself.
Overall, the Algarve is one of the most beautiful, unique and photogenic places we have ever visited. If you are still wondering which place to visit in Europe next summer, we recommend this place 100%!
