The Coast With The Most

Take a road trip through the Algarve, exploring secluded beaches and picture-postcard villages, eating at traditional taverns and visiting local markets, and you’ll discover why Portugal is one of Europe’s most affordable destinations right now.

A PARAGLIDER LAUNCHES from atop the ragged schist cliffs of Praia do Castelejo near Vila do Bispo in the western Algarve and floats over the golden sands below, where a circle of surfers are stretching before they charge into the icy waves of the Atlantic. His friend leaps over the rocks near me, documenting it all on a GoPro, while his family – a woman and toddler – cheer him on from their camper van. He lands smoothly, running as if in slow motion on the sand, to raucous cheering and clapping.

Viewed from these cliffs, the Algarve, southern Portugal’s 200-kilometre stretch of coastline, seems remote and wild, a far cry from the bar-lined streets and beach clubs full of sunburnt tourists often associated with the area. It’s October and the masses of holiday-makers have left, but the sun remains and my husband, Jelle, and I take advantage of the fairly empty beaches and quieter roads to drive coast-to-coast from Arrifana in the rugged west to Vila Real de Santo António, the closest town to the Spanish border in the east. Our goal? To feast our way, on a modest budget, through the popular Algarvian dishes and seasonal fruit and vegetables for sale at the produce markets and corner shops.

Grilled sardines, octopus salads, garlicky clam-filled tomato stews and freshly squeezed pomegranates fill our days and provide sustenance. Along the way there are also famed Michelin-starred restaurants like Vila Joya in Albufeira, but it’s the homely tascas (taverns), marisquerías (by-thekilo seafood restaurants) and adegas (wine taverns) that we find irresistible.