Praia da Ilha da Culatra
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 lighthouse.
Praia da Armona
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.
Ilha da Barreta (Deserta)
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.
