Faro is a tiny city that attracts numerous tourists for it's sun, sand and seafood.
The first thing you notice is the airport itself, which is pretty big and modern compared to the size of the City.
There are Costa Coffees, Paul's and loads of other places to spend your time at the airport, and during these football days, most of them even sport big screen TV's.
The only regressive thing about the airport is that you need to show a physical boarding card as the bar code on the digital one is apparently not readable from the phone.
Tip: Plan to be early at the airport for such exigencies since contrary to popular belief, Faro airport is small, not ordeal free.
The city centre is barely 10 minute taxi drive away and waiting for the bus is most recommended. However, if cab is still preferred, try Uber, since the airport taxis typically charge 1.5-2x higher.
The Marina is the primary attraction of the City centre. A small dockyard of tiny boats overseeing the vast Mediterranean Sea.
The old Town is the other and only remaining attraction of Faro within the main lands.
One of the only big hotels right at the Marina is Hotel Eva. Costs $200 per night when booked in advance and nearly $500 for last minute booking.
$200 is actually not too expensive for Faro as most hotels go for this price, at least at the city centre.
Tip: Book hotels well in advance, stay near the Marina, and be prepared to shell out a decent amount of money.
Visiting the islands near Faro is the main attraction off the main land. This can be done by renting your own boat for $200-$500, or by taking a boat tour, or by boat ferry service.
The boat tour is a fixed itinerary through each of the islands, while the ferry is a hop on hop off where you can get off at any island, spend as much time and take the next ferry to another island as per your convenience.
We took the boat ferry only because we were late for the tour, but this turned out to be a private tour since we were the only 2 passengers on this ferry!
Salt and Sea was the name of the boat ferry and Alvaro our Captain. Most recommended if they're still around the next time someone reads this.
Alvaro took us first to Farol island where we saw some beautiful houses, cafes, lighthouses, and the southern most tip of Portugal.
Culatra was the next island where we lunched at O'Rui, with one of the best sea basses we've ever had.
After lunch we walked across the length of the island passing through an arid desert and reached a beach on the other side which was really beautiful.
The beach has calm waves and chill waters and time can be spent either in the water or lying in the sun.
Options to laze under the sun are directly beneath the vast sky, or under the umbrella or on a bed under the umbrella. The first option is free, the second is $6 and the third $15.
Next we went to Armona which is the last island on the tour. This is a completely virgin beach with very few people on it.
Tip: Farrol and Culatra are the most important islands to visit, and if time short, just these 2 will suffice.
Super Bock and Sagres are the common beers here. Super Bock is a lot lighter and seemed to be the more popular.
Super Bock had set up this big screen right off the Marina showing the football matches with beer and snacks. Great addition to the quiet of Faro.
Restaurants we ate at:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g189116-d3221529-r590236609-Restaurante_Costa_Algarvia-Faro_Faro_District_Algarve.html
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g189116-d12524292-r590110622-Taberna_ze_ze-Faro_Faro_District_Algarve.html
