Noa Cafe Bistro is a trendy spot in Vilamoura. You can find Noa Cafe across from the Vilamoura McDonalds and at the end of the block Mourapao is located on.
What we ordered.
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Well, technically piri-piri (or peri-peri) is a type of spicy pepper that is said to have made its way to Portugal from Africa.
Colloquially, however, piri-piri refers to traditional portuguese grilled chicken and you can order it spicy (with piri-piri pepper oil) or not spicy. For our first frango piri piri (chicken piri-piri) in Portugal we visited O Piri Piri in Vilamoura. |
What we ordered.
Piri Piri Chicken.
Pork Ribs
Again, I have to laugh, because as an American you will probably be thinking.. this must have been the skinniest pig in all the land - there is no meat on those bones!
It's true, these ribs don't have a bounty of meat, but what they do have is a bounty of flavor. I'm not sure what they are marinating these in or if it's just the grilling technique, but on our visit the pork was muito saboroso.
Algarvian Carrots.
On an absolute whim we ordered the Algarvian carrots and boy were they intriguing! This carrot dish is cold. But the carrots seemed soft, as if they were first boiled. They are marinated in what I assume is a combination of olive oil, a touch of vinegar, rough chopped garlic, and cilantro.
o piri piri review
O Piri Piri is a churrasqueira in the heart of Vilamoura, an area of the algarve known for prosperity. The prices reflect the location. The food quality was high. To date their piri piri chicken is one of my favorites that I've had in Portugal (it's all in the spicy oil guysss) and the same is true with the cenouras algarvias (algarvian carrots). We've had them other places and they just weren't nearly as flavorful as at O Piri Piri.
The algarvian carrot saladinha (little salad) is so unique that it's something I would like to learn to make well and feature in Cooking Inspired by Travel. I am thankful that the first place I tried it was O Piri Piri, so that I knew how absolutely delightful this seemingly simple dish could be!
Let's visit pão & pão boutique for fika.
There is a lot of outdoor seating at this cafe in Vilamoura and we decided to sit outside for our treats,
What we ordered.
We ordered two portuguese pastries and 2 cafes. Remember, when you order a "cafe" in Portugal, you are always ordering an espresso. That is the default here.
In certain regions, like Lisbon, you may hear people order a "bica" and this also refers to an espresso in Portuguese.
While we're at it, you can order a "cafezinho" (pronounced cafe-zeen-yo) which is another way of ordering espresso.
Tarte de Maçã
Maçã is the Portuguese word for apple. A tarte de maçã, or apple tarts, is often available in Portuguese bakeries and cafes.
It's no substitute for a classic American apple pie, but it's still an enjoyable apple pastry with warm cinnamon spice and I'm always a fan of the tarte crust in Portugal.
Bolo de Arroz
Bolo de arroz is another Portuguese pastry which literally translates to "cake of rice".
I loveee bolo de arroz. They are like a very tall muffin and they remind me of a mix between a muffin and cornbread. Bolo de arroz is lightly sweet and it has a dusting of crunchy sugar on top which adds a nice texture!
Chances are high you will wish you had more time in the southern coast of Portugal and a one-day visit is going to make for a long day, but it IS definitely possible and oh so worth it.
In this post:
Looking for something specific? Jump ahead:
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Benagil Cave Boat Tour
Benagil Cave by speedboat
Tips: Try to get in the front of the boat and a seat on either end for the best views.
The boats can only pull so far into the caves so the people toward the front will have the best view. As the boats are usually traveling roundtrip from the same town if you start out on the side of the boat facing the ocean, on the way back you will face the shore. Typically the return trip is faster, though. You've already seen what they want to show you and now you are turning back. So if you really want the best photo ops go for the left side of the boat (when inside the boat) if you are departing from Portimao Marina Boat Tours.
Benagil Cave by Pirate Ship
The pirate ship is equipped with a bar selling beverages and snacks, but many bring their own snacks on board. The ship has two smaller boats at the back that you can board to actually get a closer look at the caves as the main pirate ship is too large.
Benagil cave by Kayak Tour
Pre-cruise snack at mel & Canela
As our boat trip was leaving from Portimao Marina, we stopped at this spacious cafe called Mel & Canela, meaning Honey & Cinnamon in Portuguese. We just got some classics like a bifana com ovo (pork sandwich with an egg) and a pork bitoque which came with a side of French fries, a simple salad, and an egg on top.
Post-cruise snack at Sorbetto Gelateria
The girls working in this Gelateria were especially simpatico (friendly) and actually made this sweet treat an even sweeter experience!
We definitely recommend this gelato in Portugal - Sorbetto Gelateria. They use fresh, natural ingredients and make everything in small batches and that is totally our style.
Algarve Beaches
Praia dos Três Castelos
By the way praia is the Portuguese word for beach. =)
Praia Grande Ferragudo
The fishing village of Ferragudo is also not to be missed. It's a great village to walk around in as it is filled with cute and funky shops, great restaurants, and quaint cafes.
Praia de Carvoeiro
Before you catch a bus home, if you're around long enough, I can't recommend highly enough getting a pizza at Forno do Fraser. This is the best pizza place in Carvoeiro we've had to date and it's a short walk up the hill from the beach.
If you want to dine in, I recommend you make a reservation. Depending on the day the dining room may be packed and unable to accommodate walk-ins. Although we have picked pizza up to eat at the beach as seen above.
Forno do Fraser deserves a full review for our Pizza in Portugal series, so stay tuned for that.
one day in the algarve is simply not enough
How to get to algarve from lisbon
Of course you can rent a car and drive (check car rental prices), but if you're not interested in messing with that I can recommend the train or the bus.
BuyPortugal train tickets at the Comboios de Portugal (Trains of Portugal) website: cp.pt
Buy Portugal bus tickets through the Rede Expressos website rede-expressos.pt/pt
Buy Portugal bus tickets through FlixBus website flixbus.com/bus/portugal
While it depends where exactly you get on and off, the bus takes around 3 hours between Lisbon and Algarve.
Which stop should you get off at?
Albufeira is popular with tourists, but you can also take the bus to Armação de Pêra, Portimão, or Lagoa if you'd like to visit Carvoeiro beach town.
How much is the bus from Lisbon to Algarve?
The bus is incredibly affordable with seats starting at $5 euros. An incredible value!
Do note that the cheapest seats will be at the back of the bus and the ticket price increases as the travel date nears. My best tip for you is that as soon as you know when you want to make your trip from Lisbon to Algarve, if the dates are available for purchase, buy your tickets! This way you get the best price and you're guaranteed to see some of the amazing this shared in this post! ;)
FYI: In some cases the tickets will only be available approximately 1 month before a travel date.
You'll also like:
- PORTUGAL TRAVEL TIPS: 9 THINGS TO KNOW WHEN EATING AT A RESTAURANT IN PORTUGAL
- FORNO D'ORO PIZZERIA DI TANKA SAPKOTA LISBON PIZZERIA REVIEW
- PIZZA IN NAPLES - DAY 2 SUN PRINCESS MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE WITH GREEK ISLES, ITALY & TURKEY
- THE ALDI "CHOCOLATE LOG" PASTRY WE PRETEND IS HEALTHY - GROCERY REVIEW
- EATING AT IKEA IN PORTUGAL
We were really happy to discover we could take a direct flight from Faro airport in Portugal right to FCO in Rome ahead of the Sun Princess Mediterranean Cruise.
This trip would consist of many firsts:
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How to get to faro airport from Western algarve
Typically we would fly out of Lisbon which requires taking the bus 2.5 hours and staying in a hotel the night before or paying around 50 euros in tolls plus gas each way not to mention parking.
So to be able to fly out of the airport less than an hour away and park our car there for around 100 bucks seemed great! Then the other shoe dropped. When I went to book the parking, the saver price was sold out and parking would now cost over 200 euros for the same time. UGH. :( We had to adapt. I was able to book an uber in advance for a 3am pickup. Yes, you heard right... 3 am pickup. It was about 55 euros. The ride back from the airport, this time via Bolt was 45 euros. In the end we paid about the same to be driven to the airport as we would have paid for parking after driving ourselves if we had gotten the cheaper price. And since that price was no longer available, we basically saved 50% off the prevailing rate by taking uber/bolt. It worked well! |
Check parking prices at Faro airport here.
Flying Out of Faro Airport
We arrived at 4:05am for a 6:20am flight to Italy. The airport was already abuzz with activity.
Boarding Ryan air at Faro Aiport in Portugal
Ryan Air FLight Safety Card
Arriving in Italy
How much does it cost to fly from portugal to rome?
First impressions of ryan air:
I would not hesitate to fly Ryan Air again based on this experience. Let's hope they are all as good!!
RyanAir Travel Tip: Buy a cabin bag to get priority boarding ;)
How early should you fly ahead of a cruise?
We would have preferred to arrive a day before the cruise started as it's just best practice, but since flights are only available a few days per week out of FAO Faro Airport to FCO Rome Airport, we didn't have much choice other than to fly the day of the cruise and assume some risk.
We calculated the risk and if something happened and we were to miss embarkation we felt relatively secure since our flights had been booked with our Sapphire card which has built-in travel protection. And we figured worst case scenario we could take a train to Naples and hop on the next morning. Much less risky than if we had been traveling from the States.
If you are traveling to Europe from the US, for example, I would never risk arriving the same day as the cruise. It could be so much more stressful if anything went wrong and overall I recommend arriving a day or two early at least to combat jetlag ahead of your amazing Mediterranean cruise!
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Oh, Hey!
We're Justin and Marissa
We love to travel and eat!
Traveling Through Food is a place to share some of our adventures in travel and food so you can find inspiration for your next big trip whether it's around the world or down the freezer aisle at the grocery store. :p
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