Nearest towns: We are located in the heart of unspoiled Eastern Algarve: Olhão, Fuseta and Moncarapacho are all located within a 5 km radius of Casa Flor de Sal. Tavira and Faro are 20 min. away.
Fuseta (3.5 km east) is the closest village to us and can easily be reached by foot or bike using the path in the Natural Park called ECOVIA. This is a small village of 2500 permanent inhabitants living from fishing, shellfish farming and tourism. It has promenades along the lagoon and riverfront, several restaurants and cafés, a market with fresh fish and vegetables and a supermarket. All year around you find fisherman mending their nets and retired locals and tourists playing petanque. Fuseta has two very good beaches.
Olhão (5 km west) is at least 650 years old. It is very Algarvian, very un-touristic and lively. It is a Moorish-looking old town, with a crumbling, charming and faded center and cobbled pedestrian streets full of shops and cafes. These take you to the waterfront with its markets - including the best fish market of the Algarve -, a long row of restaurants and views to the Ria Formosa lagoon. Olhão has several supermarkets and a small shopping center with cinema and health clinic called Algarve Outlet. The island beaches in Armona and Culatra can be reached via a short ferry ride.
Moncarapacho (5 km north) is a tiny country town in the middle of orange orchards and vegetable farms. The 'center' of Moncarapacho is a charming cobbled square alongside the church where you can sit and have a drink or a meal beneath the jacaranda trees. Here there are 2 very good restaurants: António and Da Anas where you can find traditional Portuguese food. This is also where one of the best artisan olive oils in the world is produced and a visit to the olive grove and mill is well worth it: Monterosa Olive Oil.
Tavira (14 km east) is the most picturesque and charming town of Algarve. When visiting it, you can be forgiven for forgetting what year it is! The town´s origins date back to the Bronze Age and it has been home to Phoenicians and Arabs. It was elevated to a city in 1520 by King Manuel I and was the very wealthy main trading port of the Algarve during the 16th to 18th centuries. When walking about town, history can be seen everywhere: Phoenician excavations, Islamic-decorated doors, Baroque flourishes, as well as richly decorated Algarvian town houses. Tavira has some of the finest churches in the region and they are more than 20! The 13th century castle has fantastic views of the town and surroundings. A wonderful way to visit Tavira is to cycle there via the bike path Ecovia and return by train (bikes go free).
