A Coast of Many Colours

HIGHLIGHTS: Restaurant at Salema right by sea. Coffee bar in Bergau watching the waves and people watching - we love watching the sea waves as we live so far from the sea. We found the coastal walks suited us best but forest walks gave variety and insight to countryside. The little fish bar restaurant in the square in Villa da Bispo was excellent. Both the cook and bar man were so friendly in the evening. Our fish supper was simple but one of the best.

We had a lovely holiday. Great to be walking through herb scented hills in shorts and Tee shirts whilst it was windy and sleety back home. The coastal sections were spectacular though some of the inland sections became a bit monotonous. Possibly we were between flowering seasons. It may be a good idea to become a keen bird watcher. We enjoyed all the hotels which were clean, comfortable and in good locations, though to echo previous comments, Casa Fajara was a cut above. The staff are superb and the ambiance is stylish and yet cosy. A lovely hotel. A couple of eating recommendations. Lume Brando in Salema, A modern glass cube beyond the Sao Lourenco. It veers towards fine dining whilst using local ingredients and traditions. Expensive, but a lovely treat to start the holiday. Another glass cube in Carrapateira is the micro Bistro in the village square. The homemade lemonade and iced tea will revive you after a long dusty walk and the sandwiches take lunch to another level. Yum.

This is a beautiful part of Europe, and the walks were varied and interesting. We have been on many Inntravel holidays and this is one of our favourites.   We enjoyed the wild flowers which were everywhere in late February and perhpas we were lucky that the weather was sunny and warm almost every day.  We walked in shorts and t shirts.  Evenings were cooler. Hotels were good and fresh fish in local restaurants was excellent.

We really had the most wonderful walking holiday, in fact, one of the best holidays we can remember. Stunning varied scenery, amazingly diverse flora and, luckily for us, beautiful sunny weather and not much wind. Crashing waves, empty beaches, sand dunes full of life - and the scents from the orange and almond blossom and wild narcissi and freshias accompanies your walking. End February/early March is a perfect time to go. We met some lovely fellow Inntravel walkers too and had jolly, sociable evenings whilst keeping our independence during the day. We turned up exhausted, frazzled and recovering from the after-effects of flu, really wondering whether it was a good idea at all. We left feeling restored, healthy, and - given world events - strangely at peace with the world.

A particular 'thank you' to James for his advice for our second week, to go east to the Rua Guardiana. Such a contrast from the West of Algarve but lovely rural scenery so we continued with our walking, really getting into our rhythm in the second week and improving our fitness. Different plants and flowers and amazing birds - storks, eagles and flamingos. Maybe Inntravel could add some two week itineraries to your choice of holidays?

We had a truly wonderful time, especially as we only had an hour of drizzle which barely wet the waterproofs.

The walk notes are excellent, we hardly put a foot wrong and when we did, it was only because we had not been careful reading.

The wild flowers were unexpectedly diverse for February.

The second long day was the most memorable for scenery.

We could have stayed a lot longer at the wonderful Casa Fajara.

Perhaps the nicest restaurant meal was the superb fresh fish at Ribera do Poco in Vila do Bispo. As the village is quite big, it took us a while to find it. Perhaps a short note of where it is would help others? 

We were a group of 5 friends on this holiday, 2 of whom are keen bird watchers. For us the very well described and detailed walks meet our expectation of being neither challenging nor too easy, with enough time for spotting over 50 different bird species. We were probably too early for lots of flowers en route but the walking temperature was very acceptable. The friendliness of all that we met en route was a delight.

We really enjoyed this trip. Your restaurant suggestions are always helpful. Other good restaurants include Restaurante Farol de Santa Luzia in Alfama in Lisbon, Romaria de Baco in Sintra, and O Lourenco in Salema [on A Coast of Many Colours holiday]. A personal highlight in Lisbon was the carriage museum. A friend had told us about it, and it is fabulous. Your notes never even mention it. You should definitely suggest it. We got there on the tram.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our city break Lisbon & the Palaces of Sintra with our walk A Coast of Many Colours

The coastline portions were spectacular. We loved the ocean breezes. The inland portions could be hot if done at wrong time of year. The innkeepers were all delightful.  

Lovely walks in which we hardly encountered anybody. Always good terrain to walk on. Plenty of up and down hills, but nothing too steep, as per description. Great wildlife of birds, butterflies and insects. Fantastic beaches, but not always possible to swim due to the height of the waves. Excellent, punctual, friendly taxi service for us, and for our stuff, which was always there when we arrived. It’s definitely worth exploring towns and villages along the route. Breakfasts were always very good, and where meals were included - Pedralva and Casa Fajara - the food was excellent. A night in Faro was a good addition. We explored the old city the afternoon and evening we arrived, then spent a lovely half day going on the ferry to Ilha Deserta, before our return flight.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Faro city add-on with our walk A Coast of Many Colours

This was one of the most successful holidays that we have done of this type. Combining the two holidays [A Coast of Many Colours and Along the Costa Vicentina] worked well for us and we were able to join the two holidays with a good walk, which completed the Fishermen’s Trail. The second week got progressively harder, with increasing distances of soft sand and dunes to walk through, but fortunately our fitness also improved. We walked in trainers with no big problems though we did have to empty sand out most days. The coastline is beautiful, with great scenery but not too much in the way of hills. We did see just two storks but it was late September. It was nice to be walking against the flow on Costa Vicentina (Fishermen’s Trail); it was quite busy North to South.

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Pleasant walking holiday with varied landscapes along the coast with sand dunes, valleys and wooded areas. Food at Casa Fajara was exeptional. Food at Sitio do Forno was highly variable and the fish very oversalted, so although the views are stunning, would recommend eating there with caution.

It was a particularly hot week for walks that offered little shade! However we enjoyed the holiday very much, with all arrangements running smoothly. The beaches we visited were spectacular and the hotels were all comfortable and friendly. We were very impressed with the accommodation in the last two villages, where each stay offered a unique setting with lovely facillities and  a relaxing environment.

A lovely walking holiday through rural, remote countryside seeing a wide variety of birds and butterflies. The real highlight was the walk into the abandoned village Pedralvo and also the high quality accomodation throughout but especially the last stop in Casa Fajara. Our best Inntravel hotel yet.

Our criticisms are minor, overall this was a superb experience and the choice of accommodation was wonderful. Case Fajara was sublime. This is our sixth holiday with you and no doubt we will be back!

The routes were excellent and the wild flowers, butterflies and wildlife generally magical.

This was an excellent mixture of coastal and inland walking for which we were blessed with great weather, if a bit too windy towards the end. Casa Fajara was a superb boutique hotel with a very attentive owner and staff and a great sense of spaciousness in the public areas inside and out - a real pleasure to stay here. We enjoyed great meals as follows: stone bass en papillotte at the restaurant Agua Na Boca in Salema; shared a wonderful simply cooked and filleted Golden Bream at the Atlantico in Salema; an interesting Portuguese fish stew (not so sure about all the ingredients such as Cod Roe - but big enough to leave some and still be full) at what seemed the most popular restaurant in Vila do Bispo - Ribeira do Poco; the dish of the day (fried baby squid with potatoes and salad) at lunch at Sitio do Rio at Carrapateira on our last day (but ate a bit much to fully appreciate our octopus salad and cod in cream that evening!)

We are keen birdwatchers and clocked up a total of 70 species and that was before most summer migrants arrive. I will send the list separately, but highlights included: The sheer number of Stonechats, Corn Buntings, Sardinian Warblers and Zitting Cisticolas (used to be Fan-tailed Warblers) heard and seen throughout the week, not to mention the elusive Cetti's Warblers, the beautiful Azure-winged Magpies and the occasional Hoopoe. On Day 2, the rather rare views of a Ring Ouzel; a Chough flying nearby as we enjoyed our lunch at Ponta de Torre and a Dartford Warbler later on. A Short-toed Eagle looking for prey above Pedralva before we set out on our walk on Day 3. A small party of Kentish Plovers and a few Audouin's Gulls (mixed in with other gulls) battling winds on Bordeira Beach on Day 5. On an even windier day 6, getting a great view of a Black-crowned Night Heron fighting the wind in the valley of the Lavadouro as well as a party of Black-winged Stilts and another of Avocets along the shore line at Amado Beach.

We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. The organisation was seamless. The countryside was beautiful and the spring flowers were lovely. The hotels were well chosen and we felt really welcome.

We had an amazing holiday. Portugal is a beautiful place to go walking. The accommodation was excellent, the hotel at Bispo was a little corporate, comfortable and clean with friendly staff, just not the same character as the other places which were all excellent. The walks were just the right length and difficulty level for our first visit. We’ve recommended to friends and will definitely be booking with you again next year. 

A very enjoyable trip, with excellent and varied accommodation. We recommend a night in Faro as a prelude to the walking. If you are tempted to add a night in Vila do Bispo to walk to the Cape, which we thought was worth doing, bus one way is a good option. However it only goes right to the Cape on weekdays. We particularly enjoyed the final days at Casa Fajara - they currently have an excellent cook! At the beginning of March the flowers were not often spectacular but there was plenty of botanical interest. There had clearly been rain but we were lucky with the weather and we only had to walk in the rain for half a day. The surf was spectacular!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers enjoyed our Faro City add-on at the Aqua Ria Boutique Hotel before travelling on to the Coast of Many Colours self-guided walking holiday.

The staff at Casa Fajara were very helpful. Phillip on reception and Rebecca the chef. Her meals were outstanding. We liked the contrast between coastal and inland walks. The grading was about right for a 1-2 but we felt we could have done a bit more.

A really relaxing, easy paced and enjoyable break. Breezy at times on the coast, but luckily we didn't need waterproofs. Good mixture of places to stay and a variety of walking routes including different coasts and rural countryside. There were a small number of tourists about, though the coastal sites look like they could be pretty busy later in the season. We enjoyed some excellent fresh fish meals. Despite visiting in early Spring, the bird life was notable both in terms of diversity (over 60 species in the week) and the numbers of individuals. In particular the first part of the first walk out of Salema was notable for the number of calling and singing birds. Highlights over the week included white storks in the fields, azure winged magpies and firecrest in the woodland, hoopoe, ring ouzel and numerous black redstarts in coastal vegetation, choughs and ravens along the cliffs and crag martin and red rumped swallow flying overhead. Good range of butterflies and early spring flowers too.  

We had a wonderful, well organised trip from our transfers ar Faro Airport right through to the days a packed lunch was provided. The walks took us through some beautiful areas and the notes were comprehensive and accurate. Our accommodation was comfortable and well chosen. This was our first trip with Inntravel. We have recommended it to all our friends and will be booking again!

This was an excellent holiday. We enjoyed every moment. It was especially interesting to visit the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast. We highly recommend this trip. For extra days we would recommend staying in Salema to enjoy the wonderful beaches. 

Our favourite memories are of taking a swim halfway through a days walk, enjoying the stunning scenery of the coast of the Algarve and more interestingly experiencing the inland views too. We loved the accommodation provided at each stop and the friendliness of the people and we definitely enjoyed the slow pace of life.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our A Coast of Many Colours walk with Lisbon & the Palaces of Sintra.

An excellent Inntravel walk, with no large impersonal hotels. Beautiful walking in a lovely area.

The quiet nature of the tracks. You've done a very good job of finding walks off the beaten track yet also well defined. It meant we could concentrate on the landscape rather than route finding. The variety on each walk was a highlight. The flowers were stunning. The bird life was fascinating. Apart from bird song and insects buzzing we heard nothing: that was a wonderful contrast to the usual noise of 20th century living.

Lots of highlights. Can't single out any particular one.

The holiday exceeded our expectations in almost every way. The walking instructions were good, with plenty of unambiguous landmarks given for reassurance that you were on the right route. The accommodation was excellent and there were useful recommendations for local restaurants when meals were not included. Having three nights in one place at the final destination was a great way to relax and wind down at the end of the trip.

As other people have commented, these walks may not have the variety of other holidays with Inntravel but the wild flowers at this time of year are delightful and the coastal scenery is lovely. There was a strong wind on most days which made some of the walking a bit onerous at times but otherwise the weather was very good - not too hot and usually sunny. The overall quality of accommodation and the friendliness of the staff at the hotels made this a very enjoyable trip. The last three days at Casa Fajara were a real treat - great accommodation, very helpful staff and delicious food.

The walking was not taxing but it was very interesting.  The wildflowers were stunning, not to be missed at this time of year, before the sun burns them off. We have never seen mile after mile of white Cistus in bloom. It really was a botanist's delight.

We particularly enjoyed staying in Salema at the Casa Praiamar and also Pedralva and Casa Fajara. Staff at the latter two were lovely.  We were not particularly impressed by The Hotel Mira Sagres: the receptionist ignored us for five minutes on arrival while she spoke to another staff member but she was then perfectly friendly and took us up to our room. The aircon unit did not work and although we arrived promptly at the advertised time for breakfast, all the tables were taken and we had to wait to get places. Breakfast start time is obviously to be ignored or else had been changed without us being told. We guess that there is little accommodation choice in Vila do Bispo suitable for Inntravellers.

We did see the cliff-nesting storks but we were highly amused by the stork which had built its nest on the lamp post in the beating heart of Faro, oblivious to all the people, traffic and children's carousel pumping out music beneath it.  If you like bird life, you will see other storks nesting in the centre and if you take the bus to Estoi, at this time of year, some houses are covered in martin nests. We watched swifts from our window at the AquaRia Hotel. We enjoyed two snacks at Cafe Allianca which is right next door to the hotel: the business, initially a dairy, is 110 years old and has a beautiful interior.  It now calls itself a Cerverceria. The staff were very friendly and helpful with the large choice of beers. Up till now we had been drinking Vinho Verde so beer made a welcome change.

Rather too many highlights to name - but the peacefulness, the wildflowers in April, the views of the coast, the excellent hotels and food and well-designed walks are some of them!

Although we had a very nice walking holiday, in many aspects it was not as good as our previous trips with Inntravel. Some of the accommodations (the first two) didn't meet our expecatations - they were very plain and uninteresting. The picnics were very mediocre. The fact that dinners were served only in the last two hotels (and were only average) was a disappointment. Also, the area is nice but not spectacular, but we knew this before setting out. We enjoyed eating fish and seafood very much during this holiday.

We liked walking with two other couples who happened to take the holiday at the same time we did. Finally, we would like to suggest that those who do decide to take this trip should do it during April as this is a wonderful time for flowers and the weather is generally good and very comfortable for walking. We were very lucky in these aspects with the holiday.

This was the first time we had been on a self-guided walking holiday and did not quite know exactly what to expect, there seemed to be so many things that could go wrong in moving from place to place, with luggage going a different route. We arrived at Faro late due to a Ryanair cabin crew strike earlier in the day so missed our intended onward train. However, the taxi was waiting for us when we arrived at Lagos and the lovely taxi driver couldn't thank us enough for letting her know that we had been delayed. We arrived at our first hotel late, but still had a very warm welcome. From then on, all the hotels were amazing, the staff were welcoming, and we had some amazing Portuguese food either provided at the hotels or in the recommended restaurants nearby. We were extremely lucky with the weather - it was bright sunshine every day, with nice cool breeze. The walking routes were so easy to follow that there was really no need to look at the maps - and certainly no need for my compass or satnav! We managed to do each day's walk  in pretty much the same time as estimated, and appreciated the options for visiting additional sights and the warnings about water crossings (although the weather had been dry enough to keep all streams and rivers passable). All in all, it was a super holiday and we would certainly do it again. Only other advice we could give is that ATM machines are few and far between, so it's a good idea to take out cash whenever you see one because lots of the smaller cafes and restaurants do not take credit cards!

We very much enjoyed the hills and coastline that this holiday offers. The colours and rock formations on the coast are amazing. The spring flowers could be seen everywhere and we were delighted with the smell of the mimosa blossom. This is a relaxing holiday giving every opportunity to enjoy the variety of the wonderful scenery.

We had a very nice fish meal at the Restaurante O Laurenco in Salema.

Highlights: the variety of the terrain and the walking paths were pleasantly unexpected, and after heavy spring rains, the countryside was green, and wildflowers were starting to bloom. The rains did make for a few problems with river/stream crossings. The weather was variable while we were there but the wind off the Atlantic was always present! It is an unpretentious and unspoilt area with an atmosphere of ease and relaxation. The people in restaurants and stores were friendly and helpful as were the staff at all the inns and hotels. Fish eaters will enjoy the variety and abundance of fish and seafood, which goes well with the excellent Portuguese wines.

Suggestions: to extend the holiday we would suggest adding a night at Vila Do Bispo to add a walk to Cabo de S Vincente. One can walk there following the waymarked trail and catch the 1500 bus from the bus stop outside the lighthouse back to Vila do Bispo.  We also enjoyed an extra night at Carrapateira where the staff prepared delicious meals accommodating our preferences for local cuisine. An extra walk at Pedralva was also easy to plan and it was a charming place to stay. Can highly recommend “Restaurante O Lourenco” in Salema, where we had dinner two consecutive nights. It is very popular and reservations are recommended as is 24 hour notice if you want to order a cataplana. The owner and his son were very professional and the service was excellent. Don’t expect much night life – it is very quiet in all the towns. We would recommend buying the Rota Vicentina Guide book and map for added detail and additional walks in the area covered by Inntravel and beyond in southwest Portugal (www.rotovicentina.com).