Hi, has anyone travelled from Carvoeiro to Armacao? Is it far? We are staying in Armaco in a few weeks time, but would love to visit Carvoeiro for a day at least. Have read some great reports on the resort thanks to this site.

Also, if you don't mind me asking (I know this site is just about Carvoeiro), I have found it quite hard to find info. on Armacao, so if anyone has holidayed in this resort and could recommend things to do/bars and nice restaurants I'd appreciate it.

Now, back to Carvoeiro, where would you recommend we go for a nice lunch - maybe somewhere with a nice setting/view of the beach??

Thanks for your help!!

I have just returned from a weeks holiday in Carvoeiro and would suggest that you visit O patio in the square for lunch. It is the first restaurant on your right hand side as you walk towards the beach. Excellent food day or night and good service - enjoy!

Hi annie 2,we have a place in armacao,which i think youll find is very portugese...beach is out of this world ,loads of resturants and some good bars a few discos,and its about 15 mins from cvo,listen i have to go to work but if you don,t get any more info i,ll be back onto you and give you as much as i can.sorry bye for now,
gerry

Armacao de Pera is less than half an hour away, unless of course youre walking

Thanks very much for all the replies. We will definately make the trip into the village, as we have read so many good reports on the area, and it was also recommended to us by a Portuguese couple we met. I will make a note of O Patio, and we will go there for lunch.

Gerry, thanks for your reply. We are staying in the Quinta das Figuerinhas (sp). I think it's in the Senhora de Rocha area?? Our accommodation is about 1 1/2 km from Armacao centre. Is Armacao lively? We are not sure what to expect, as we don't know the resort at all. We have though been to Albufeira, Vilamoura and Lagos. We are not into clubbing, but enjoy a nice meal and a good bottle of Vinho, and any advice on where to eat out/have a few drinks would be great!! Thanks for your help!!

Annie 2, I suggest you visit the area just to the east of CVO as well, either on your way to CVO or as a separate adventure. There are a couple of marvelous beaches and cliff walks along this way as well as some excellent restaurants.

On your way from Armacao along the 125, turn left after Porches (or through the International School to get left in the first place), the exit would read "Benagil, Praia da Marinha and Caramujeira". See map:

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi? ... =15&up.y=6

Plan a lunch or dinner at Marinha Brasserie on the lovely Marinha beach, or at the more sophisicated O Velha Casa do Pescador in Benagil.

Follow the signs to CVO via say Rocha Brava and the road by Centianes beach. Check out the view from Algar Seco, cliffs, ocean, CVO and Portimao to the west and ocean and cliffs to the east. All along this route, you will find magnificent views, although sometimes you have to perservere to get closer to the ocean. Sometimes, it's best on foot.

Not to be missed.

I envy you. Enjoy!

Showwwy, I so agree, our house is this side of cvo and the little beaches from Benagil towards Senhora da Rocha are lovely and the cliff top walks are great.
Annie 2, we were taken to the Hera Restaurant in Armacao de Pera by some very good friends, it is by the fishermans beach, if you take the coast road east out of Armacao centre, and follow it along you come to the fishermans beach area, Hera is on the left, we have had lovely meals there, quite Portugese in essence, and the fish cooked in tomato and vegetables is lovely.
We stayed at Senhora de Rocha when we first started to come to Portugal some 10/12 years ago now, it has changed but is still very nice. There is a good Italian restaurant, (take the road opposite the complex and follow signs to restaurant) it has a lovely round pool and the restaurant has a good terrace area around the pool, very good food and friendly service.
Have a lovely trip.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply to my post and giving me lots of information. Have noted everything you all have said, and really looking forward to visiting Armacao and Carvoeiro. I just have 2 more questions, if someone could answer them please.

1) Is Armacao expensive for bars and restaurants? (we spent a lot of money in Vilamoura last year, so not sure what to budget for).

2) Going out at night, is it casual or dressy??

Thanks again to all who replied to my original post. Best wishes!

Hi, I don't believe you will find it as expensive as Vilamoura, there are some lovely little restaurants which do good basic Portugese food at reasonable prices (30 - 40 euros for two) or larger slightly more expensive ones, I like to look at the menues outside, check out the costs and the food before I make a choice.
Dress casual but not beachy. But what the hell, you are on holiday, wear what you want, go have fun.

Hi Gerry, if you get a chance, could you give me your recommendations on bars/restaurants in Armacao. How much to you think a taxi from Armacao to Carvoeiro would be? Is there a bus service from Armacao? Also, is it worth taking a trip into Portimao? Thanks for your help.

Hi annie ,
i don,t think i can be of to much help to you ,as we tend to lead a very quite life when on holidays..but here goes....taxi to cvo i guess less then 20 euro...cant remember names of restraunts but if you go right down to the beach the rts are all very good..you,ll know by the look of them...going back in from the front you,ll come to a pedestrain only street this seems to be the main st for watering holes ..some nice little cocktail bars and shopping...the whole place is very different, say from albuferia or cvo...at the porches end of the beach theres a nice cliff walk..some great villas and resorts..if you hire a car and i strongly advise that you do take the sea front road towards porches when you hit the top of the hill theres a petrol station...turn left and carry on that road for about a mile ..lovely rst..great view ..nice little church ..plus if you look down you,ll see a beach restraunt/bar which is a real treat at night...one great little restraunt not to be missed..right on the seafront in armacao is just as you walk up from the beach on the left ...looks like a hole in the wall but the fish is great...there are a few places here and their all good...keep walking back toward "the nautulis" nice classy hotel type restraunts here and the hotel oppisite the beach does the best cocktails...overall the prices really are so much better then elsewhere as they are geared more for the local holiday market....if you could give me more of an idea where your staying or if anybody else could pinpoint it ..say relative to "the viking" maybe i can be of more help....for instance theres a grand little english owned bar called the blues bar round the corner from our place but they,d give you all the info ye like theres no point in dragging you half way across alamancil just to a drop in bar...when are ye heading off and if i think of anything else i,ll pop it on here before ye go, have fun and let me know how you get on,
gerry

Thanks digger

Hi Gerry, thanks very much for answering my post. I hope I'm not bugging you with all my questions!! Our complex is in the Senhora de Rocha area. http://www.quintadasfigueirinhas.com
It's about 2km from Armacao, which isn't a problem as we love walking, and if we are feeling lazy, there's a shuttle bus from the complex. You said that Armacao is not like CVO or Albufeira, is there any resort it is like? Would it be like Quateira (near Vilamoura)? Just wondering what to expect really!! Are nearly all the restaurants seafood, or can you get a steak/meat just as easily? Thanks again for all your help!

P.S. What part of the country are you from? I'm from Waterford.

hi annie im from dublin but based in carrick on suir.whereabouts in waterford? yea no problem getting steak...bit like quateira