Golden beaches, grilled sea bass and a laid-back atmosphere: Discover Algarve

I had made the very first footprints in the sand. Stretching out in front of me was a golden beach, washed smooth by the waves and waiting expectantly for the day’s sunbathers. But there wouldn’t be very many of us. 

I was on Ilha Deserta, or deserted island, an island on which nobody lives and nobody even stays overnight. Off the coast of Faro, just a few miles from an airport that brings millions of holidaymakers to the Algarve every summer, I was one of only a handful of people laying out towels on the buttery sand. 

That’s because getting to Ilha Deserta takes a little effort. The ferry crossing from Faro took about 45 minutes, though 

it was a good opportunity to spot egrets and storks (pictured left) in the wetlands of the Ria Formosa. Navigating through this area of low, grassy barrier islands means often taking an unlikely route through the rare, deeper channels and is a hint to the abundance of fresh local seafood that appears on menus up and down this coastline.

The shallow waters here are ideal for clams in particular and at the solitary restaurant on Ilha Deserta I dug into a dish of them, deliciously bathed in olive oil, garlic and coriander. I followed this up with a charcoal grilled sea bass and salty chips, a feast I enjoyed at a table overlooking the ocean and the beach. 

The rest of my day was spent swimming and sunbathing, and I was almost sad to be returning to Faro as the sun went down. I consoled myself with a sundowner at O Castelo, back in Faro town centre, watching the sunset over the islands offshore as starlings wheeled in the purple sky.

I was staying a few miles along the coast from Faro, in Tavira, an attractive but often overlooked town that straddles the Rio Gilão. Before the river silted up, this was an important trading port and remnants of a grander time remain, in the arched Roman bridge and the stately mansions with their wrought iron balconies.

I spent a lazy afternoon on a balcony above the river at Tavira Lounge before heading to the 16th-century convent, now a historic hotel, the Pousada de Tavira, and the best restaurant in town, Restaurante Mouraria. 

I indulged in my second seafood feast, this one a tasting menu with real local flavour. 

It started with oysters and fresh crab claws, before the main event of tiger prawns and lobster. I washed it down with a crisp bottle of Alentejo white, the tinkling fountain in the courtyard the soundtrack to an unforgettable meal. 

The next morning it was time to visit another sand island, this one the better known Ilha de Tavira. My hotel, the Vila Gale Albacora, faced the island and even had its own boat service, taking just a few minutes to travel across to this seemingly endless sandy beach.

This is the best beach in the Algarve, some 11 kilometres of unspoiled sands that run all the way from Tavira to the fishing village of Fuseta, but few visitors flying into Faro head east to find it, preferring instead the more built-up resorts of the western Algarve.

This means the beach is quiet; its only crowds at this far eastern end, closest to Tavira. I walked away from the beach massages and loungers for rent, kicking my shoes off to walk westwards, my feet paddling in the water. I stopped when I felt like it, for a swim or to soak up the sunshine, making my way slowly towards Barril beach, the only part of the island to be connected to the mainland by means other than boat. 

That means is a small train, one of the last vestiges of the tuna fishing industry that was once the mainstay of the local economy. These days, the train takes excited families across the wetlands to this popular beach, still spacious enough to absorb the holidaymakers that come. 

This was the end of my stroll along the sands. I’d worked up an appetite and was looking forward to the final seafood feast of my trip. This one was in Santa Luzia – the self-proclaimed “octopus capital” of Portugal.

I took a seat on the terrace of Restaurante Polvo & Companhia (Octopus & Company) to test out the town’s claim and gazed at dish after dish of octopus on the extensive menu. I chose octopus with mustard and honey sauce to start, followed by the octopus cataplana. 

It was packed with flavour and was a delicious final feast on this seafood-focused, sun-soaked trip.

Way to go

Numerous low cost airlines, including Ryanair, Monarch and easyJet, 

fly to Faro. From Faro airport, it’s an easy 35-minute drive along the motorway to Tavira. Hire a car with Holiday Extras (holidayextras.co.uk, from £31.85 a week), who can also book airport parking in the UK and lounge access at the airport. Vila Gale Albacora can be booked through HotelsCombined.co.uk, a site that combines hotel deals from all top sites. Three nights start from £108pp, on a B&B basis, based on two sharing.

Ten things you must do in and around Tavira

1 Get up early to check out the fish market in Olhão at its liveliest.

2 Dine out on fresh octopus in self-styled “octopus capital” Santa Luzia.

3 Drink cocktails with Faro’s fashion-conscious crowd under the arches at Columbus. See barcolumbus.pt.

4 Feast on the fabulous seafood tasting menu at Restaurante Mouraria. See pousadas.pt.

5 Stroll across Tavira’s Roman bridge, ice cream in hand.

6 Escape to desert island Ilha Deserta. See ilha-deserta.com.

7 Ride the train to Barril beach on Ilha de Tavira.

8 Check out Tavira’s Moorish history at the town’s Núcleo Islâmico exhibition.

9 Visit the gritty fishermen’s village of Fuseta for a no-nonsense lunch.

 10 Use Praia de Faro as your departure lounge, a sandy beach just five minute’s drive from the airport.