Casa Flor de Sal

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Surroundings

Casa Flor de Sal is placed in the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve, a labyrinth of lagoons separated from the sea by a coastal dune system which is broken up by various natural inlets. Ria Formosa has had status of Nature Reserve since 1978. This means that even though it is close to well known tourist resorts and cities, it is a fairly quiet area, and the small roads and footpaths invites for gentle walks or bicycling trips. Even if you are not a dedicated birdwatcher, it is hard not to enjoy the rich birdlife in the area.

A short walk from Casa Flor de Sal takes you to the lagoons, which offer protected swimming in clean water which is a few degrees warmer than the open Atlantic on the south side of the barrier islands - this is particularly an advantage early in the season.

From both Fuseta and Olhão, you can take a ferry and cross to Ilha de Armona (the island in front of Casa Flor de Sal). These ferries cross the lagoon on regular intervals. Where you get off the boats there are some cafes/restaurants, and if you find it too crowded the solution is simply to wander a bit along the broad white beach.

From Olhão, you can also take a ferry to Culatra or Farol, two other of the islands that protect the lagoons.

Olhão is convenient for shopping, not only for its supermarkets but also for its fish and seafood market. You can find scabbard, sole, sardines, tuna, moray eel, all sorts of shellfish or even fresh as well as dried squid eggs.

Tavira, a bit further east at the river Gilão, is a very charming town where is it easy to spend a lazy afternoon strolling about.

More activities

Apart from swimming and walking, there are plenty of roads suitable for cycling. Golf is of course big in the Algarve, why we made a page for that.

The lagoon near Fuseta (3.5km) is also used for kitesurfing with a local company supporting this, there is also a sailing school. You can of course also bring your own windsurfing, canoeing or sailing gear.

If you are interested in birds, there are plenty to watch in Ria Formosa. (This year a couple of storks have choosen Casa Flor de Sal to have young). In addition, there is also an important wetland at Castro Marim, and quite different habitats are found 30-40 km north towards and into Alentejo.

This is also fine terrain for more challenging mountain biking.

Outings

Depending on your preferences, there are plenty and varied places to go, both in the Algarve and further afield. To see parts of the Algarve most people don't know exist, try www.ilha-deserta.com. One of the islands of Ria Formosa, as the name indicates it is uninhabited, but this company arranges trips to and aroud the island, with guides explaining about Ria Formosa and its wildlife. There is also a restaurant at the island.

The theme park Zoomarine has dolphin-, bird- and seal performances, and if you want to see dolphins in their natural environment you can try a trip with www.algarve-dolphins.com.

A trip to Sagres and Cabo de Sao Vicente gives you a view of a different Algarve, and the coast north of here is wild and fancied by surfers.

Would you rather look at shop windows, architecture, cafés and restaurants, make the short trip to Faro. For powershopping, a good bet is Forum Algarve on the N125 between Faro and the airport. There is also a hypermarket in this shopping centre.

Of other, slightly longer trips, we can suggest Mértola, Sevilla (2h) or Lisbon (2.5h)

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