10 of the Best Beaches in Estoi

The Ilha da Armona, on which the Praia is situated, is one of three islands off the coast around Faro that form part of the extensive Ria Formosa National Park, a small archipelago of lagoon islands that stretches east 50km from Faro to the Spanish border. Armona, Culatra and Farol, known as the sandbank islands, all feature long, sandy beaches, made peaceful by their relative inaccessibility.

The Praia da Armona is...

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The Ilha da Cultura is a small, but very sandy island located just beyond the Ria Formosa nature reserve off the coast of Faro. It is only accessible by a ferry from Faro which guarantees it never gets super busy. However, unlike the neighboring Ilha Deserta (Deserted Island) there are a few permanent residents at the western end of the island in Farol - which is Portuguese for...

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Faro's main beach is a long, narrow sandy bar reached by a road that crosses the lagoon just south of Faro airport. A typical 'ilha' beach, Praia de Faro is a long sweep of sand with both a sea-facing side and a sheltered lagoon-facing side.

This beach is not for lovers of peace and solitude. Its proximity to Faro and the airport mean that it gets very overcrowded in summer and the narrow strip of sand is stuffed to bursting with restaurants, bars...

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The seemingly endless stretch of golden sands that form the Praia do Ancão sits roughly halfway between Faro and Quarteira. It is also lies within the so-called "Golden Triangle" which is an area containing the Algarve's most affluent resorts; Vale do Lobo, Vale do Garrão and Quinta do Lago.

Ancão forms the western boundary of the Ria Formosa Natural Park and as such is backed by pristine sand dunes along much of its length. There are however also plenty of facilities as this is a...

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Situated within the Ria Formosa National Park, just off the coast of Faro the Ilha Deserta (Deserted island) lives up to its name. There are no permanent inhabitants here and the only significant structure on the whole island is the surprisingly popular O Estamine Restaurant at the eastern end of the island. The highly rated food here is prepared in the restaurant's solar powered kitchen.

The sandy island is around 7km (5 miles) long and only 600 metres wide at its widest point. One...

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Praia de Garrao is one of the principal beaches that serve a collection of high-end resorts known as the 'Golden Triangle'. Originally consisting of little more than sandy beach and pine forest, the Vale do Lobo was developed for tourism in the 1960s, closely followed by the neighbouring Quinta do Lago. The Vale do Lobo boasts a riding school, which offers fantastic rides along the beach, and the most famous tennis...

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The Vale do Lobo is one of the Algarve's premier and exclusive resorts. Located within the so-called 'Golden Triangle' it is known for its upmarket hotels, high end golf courses and pristine beaches.

Directly in front of the Vale do Lobo resort is the long sandy beach. Stretching for just over a kilometre the beach is backed by the typical Algarve ochre-coloured cliffs.

This section of the Algarve is something of a golfer's paradise. The beach here is backed by two of the coast...

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Despite being located within an easy walk of the resort of Quarteira the beach at Praia do Almargem is surprisingly unspoiled. Here, instead of high-rise seafront apartments you will find a backdrop of sand dunes and pine trees.

The beach here is among the most tranquil and laid back sections of the 15 km long stretch of unbroken fine, golden sand between Quarteira and Faro. This doesn't mean it is without facilities though, the Blue Flag award guarantees this. As well as the seasonal...

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Given the long stretch of golden sand that lies in front of Quarteira it is little surprise that the resort was one of the earliest to be developed on the Algarve coast.

The beach is backed by Quarteira's long broad promenade (Avenida Infante de Sagres) which is lined with palm trees and innumerable cafes and bars. As you would imagine from such a well established resort there are no shortage of facilities at hand, both on the beach and in the town behind. As a Blue Flag beach you...

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Vilamoura beach is a decent sized strip of golden sand set between the Marina to the west and Quarteira harbour to the east. It is relatively developed although nothing like the scale of Quarteira next door. In fact it has a much more open feeling with plenty of space between the nearest apartment blocks.

Given its location between resorts on the Central Algarve it is no surprise that the beach is popular. In fact during the summer it is positively heaving. If you are...

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