Boutique hotels
-
Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel
- Style
- Fabulous family affair
- Setting
- Wild western Algarve
-
Memmo Baleeira
- Style
- White and bright
- Setting
- Sunkissed Algarve shore
Sagres Overview
Portugal
- Coastline
- Land's end
- Coast life
- Seafood, surfing and seafaring
This wild, windswept patch is Europe’s most southwesterly point, a land the Romans thought was the end of the world…
Sagres in Portugal’s sun-baked Algarve is part of a dramatic coastline once explored by Christopher Columbus and Henry the Navigator, two key players in the Age of Discovery. Henry’s legacy encompasses a maritime school out on the promontory of this rugged shore, lined with whitewashed houses, hilltop villages and sleepy fishing towns. The beachy backdrop makes it heaven of the watersports variety; some of Europe’s best surf washes up on these sands. The rest of the Algarve is more developed, but this remote corner has a national park to protect it – the Costa Vincentina runs up the West Coast and not much gets in its way. In Sagres itself, the Moors left their mark and there’s lots of architecture to admire.
Suitably Sagres
The Algarve is home to some of the largest cork-tree forests in the world. It’s no surprise, then, that the country manages to produce 30 million corks a day. We know they love their rosé…
Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- Taxis don’t really roam these parts and there aren’t any ranks, so your best bet is to book one ahead. Try Táxis Salmonete on +351 282 624 501/450.
- Packing tips
- The Atlantic may look inviting, but it’s temperatures aren’t – anyone hoping to wade into its waters will be grateful for a wetsuit. The cliffside setting means things can get a bit breezy, so pack some lightweight sweaters and scarves.
- Regional specialities
- From the sea, sardines, sea bass, razor clams, cuttlefish, octopus and tuna pate make regular appearances. Cataplana is a seafood stew, sharing its name with the vessel that cooks it and often containing pork, black olives and hard-boiled eggs. Another popular dish is eel stew with mint, and they love their piri-piri sauce. The Moorish legacy in terms of food is in the chicken, served with xerem (ground corn) and mussels. Sagres also has a bottled beer named in its honour.
- Currency
- Euro (€).
- Time zone
- GMT +1.
- Dialling codes
- Portugal: 351; Sagres: 282.
- Do go/don't go
- This sunny spot sees little rain throughout the year. Temperatures peak between July and September, ranging from 26°C to 35°C. Spring and autumn are pleasantly twentysomething degrees, and winter never gets more nippy than around 10°C.
Don't go home without...
…ordering some percedes at a beach bar. These ugly, claw-like clams grow on nearby rocks and taste like the sea. Ask a local how to eat them – they’re not for the faint-hearted.
