Instead of Lagos, Visit Olhão
Southern Portugal's tiny, picturesque fishing town is the ideal place to chill the F out.
I know I mentioned my super lovely Southern summer in last week’s post, and I promise I’ll get back to that soon (so many things to talk about, like how the MICHELIN GUIDE is finally making its way to Atlanta?!), but today I want to swing back to Portugal for a bit and share this incredible hidden gem I discovered in the Algarve.
After my trip to Lisbon in May, we took a train down to Faro in Southern Portugal. Easy peasy. I always recommend train rides over flying if and when you can, it’s just so seamless. I want to emphasize that what I know about the Algarve is that it’s generally packed full of people in the summer. Lagos and Albufeira are the more well-known towns, but I landed firmly on my feet in Olhão, a whitewashed, nature-filled fishing town that dates back to the 1300s.
Just one hour from the Spanish border, Olhaõ is a Portuguese dream come true where fresh fish abound and hundreds of crabs can be spotted in the marshes—not to mention flamingos, storks and other birds I’m not used to seeing out and about. And the family-owned Casa Modesta is the perfect place to wake up every morning and watch birds migrating, shellfish gathering and salt harvesting from your rooftop terrace. In the evenings, there is nowhere better to stargaze with a little nightcap in hand; this trip, I learned how big the natural wine movement is in Portugal and LOVED it.
Casa Modesta sits at the entrance to Ria Formosa Nature Park, one of Portugal’s seven wonders, and has an organic garden (where the owner Carlos and his partner gather fruits, herbs and other ingredients for daily breakfast), an honesty bar, a lovely pool, plenty of places to lounge and free bikes for guests to explore the surroundings. Carlos’s sister, an architect based in Lisbon, designed the home-turned-hotel and didn’t forget one single detail. The siblings’ grandfather built and lived in the property, previously. I’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels at this point in my life and if you ask me what makes a hotel great or what the recipe for the perfect stay is, Casa Modesta really, truly fits the bill. It’s not ultra luxurious; there was actually no tub in my room and having a tub is a big thing for me when I travel, but everything about this property feels so organic, so natural and so beautiful including the design and the warm way visitors are welcomed as if this home is their own. I appreciated the circular shape of the room, the tiles, the art, how laid back everything was, how clean the air felt. Comforting.
There is an interesting old NYTIMES article about salt production the area here, which I liked. I purchased and brought back some Portuguese salt for my family.
Just a seven-minute taxi ride from the hotel, Olhaõ’s historic old town is laid back, with little shops, bakeries, pharmacies, salons and a couple rooftops. One historic church is the focal point and it’s most entertaining seeing the cubist architecture and local alley cats and dogs from above. I encourage you to stay longer than three days (that’s how long I had before heading to Madrid by way of Seville) and to book a quick speedboat ride to Ilha Deserta, one of Ria Formosa’s five barrier islands. It’s unbelievably beautiful and was empty when we visited. Spend the day here and when you get hungry—you WILL get hungry—grab a late lunch at Estamine, the only restaurant and the only structure, really, on the island. Make a res, I believe the last seating is at 4 or 5 PM. If you don’t like seafood skip it, but it’s some of the best in the world. So maybe don’t skip it. You’ll also want to try cheese from the Azores and, of course, a bottle of something bubbly, natural and cold.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to say I live in Southern Portugal part time. Until then, I’ll continue to research for my next visit (whenever that might be) and enjoy the gift that is Portuguese food and wine.
