Olhão is one of south Portugal’s most peaceful destinations. Situated a short drive east of Faro airport in the eastern Algarve, it’s a pretty fishing port. However the architecture of the city is distinctly influenced by North African villages that you would see across the sea. Therefore most houses here are square & white with flat roof terraces and outdoor staircases leading to rooftop viewpoints. What I also found out while planning the trip was that it’s a peace haven, without the crowds. We were on our way.

The flight from Lisbon to Faro took 45 minutes. It hardly took us much time to pick up our luggage and we were soon outside the exit. Mariana, our lady chauffeur was there waiting for us. But she didn’t look even a bit rebellious or bitter, as her name suggested. Instead she was just the opposite. Very friendly & smiling. We were soon off to our accommodation in Olhão 12 kms away, a twenty minute drive as she informed us.

Avenue Hostel & Suite – Our accommodation

I have been a great fan of Booking.com over the years for our hotel bookings. And with my Genius status with them, it entitles me to not only a 15% discount on room rates and free breakfast in listed properties but also early check-in & late check-out benefits without charges, whenever possible. We were lucky that since there were no bookings the previous night in our suite room, the friendly hosts had agreed in advance for an early check-in at 11 AM.

The Avenue Hostel & Suite has a suite with a private bathroom and 3 dorm rooms with shared bathroom, male, mixed and female, for a maximum of 4 people each. There is a shared kitchen and terrace at the property. This property also has one of the best-rated locations in Olhão. Being a TripAdvisor reviewer for more than a decade, I was so impressed with the place that I wrote a review while staying there. That is how I had felt.

My Review on TripAdvisor

What a wonderful place to stay!

Had booked this place after seeing good reviews from travelers and its wonderful location. However after reaching here I realized why people have rated it so highly. It’s a 5 minute walk from the river with lovely restaurants, Tapas bars, Coffee shops, Ice cream parlors & variety of eating joints. Also the boat trip companies which are a must to experience Rio Formosa Natural Park & the islands including Santa Maria Island on Atlantic Ocean are all located here.

However you need to book early to get the only double room available. The facilities including the complimentary breakfast is out of the ordinary. Although I normally write my reviews after I have finished visiting a place, however in this case I am still staying here & will leave 2 days later. The reason is that I have fallen in love with Avenue Hostel & Suite. What makes this place so special is the hospitality of the owners, Andreia & her husband Alexander. They really have gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable & special. Very well maintained, lovely place. Hence would love to be back again sometime.

Let’s check out the place

Come have a look as I take you around. Aren’t holidays are also about putting your feet up and enjoying those relaxed moments sipping your favorite drink, as the sun sets down? This certainly turned out to be the ideal place to do that. And hence we didn’t let go of the opportunity. Although our 4 days in Lisbon had been fantastic, it was a little hectic too. Therefore our first day here in Olhão was planned for lazing around a bit, exploring the neighborhood and having some good food after a relaxed couple of drinks on the terrace.

Olhão – A bit of history

At the end of the 18th century, Olhão was no more than a gathering of fishermen’s huts sprawling onto the beach, but its prosperity changed dramatically during the terrible sieges of Cadiz and Gibraltar when the town’s boatmen took the opportunity to offer their services to both sides. Hence by earning gold coins in lieu of their services, the local fishermen replaced their huts with fine square houses and painted them white. In that manner, a cubist town was born and today Olhão is still remarkable for its dazzling white buildings and tall palm trees clustered in the many squares and gardens.

Based on an original historical drawing, this replica depicts, as truthfully as possible, the Calque of Olhão. One of these fishing boats named ‘Born Sucesso’, left on 10th July,1808 and arrived at ‘Rio de Janerio’ in less than three months exactly on 22nd September.

It was one of the most extraordinary facts of our sea history. Without maps or orientation instruments, the Olhanence people crossed the Atlantic Ocean coast to coast. The boat had between 15-20 m length by 2-3 m width. On it there were 17 crewmen all from Olhão, who gave the Regent Prince the good news that the French invaders has been thrown out of the Algarve. As a reward Dom João VI (the King) granted them the Royal Charter of 15th November,1608 which raised Olhão to the ‘Vila da Restaurãcão’.

– Doctor Professor Antonio Rosa Mandes

It was a cool afternoon. And we got going

Lunch time

The riverfront is full of restaurants and you could try out some of them during lunch time or in the evenings when you are around here. The choice is varied starting from the Pizzas, Chinese, traditional Portuguese or the Tapas-style restaurants serving delicious & fresh Sushi. You also have an Indian Restaurant. We went in for ‘Pizza na Pedra’ known for being the best Pizzeria in Olhão.

Then it was time to relax a bit

Olhão by night

Back to our den, where apart from the two of us, there was only this lady from Iceland that night who comes and stays at ‘Avenue Hostel & Suite’ every year for the two months of May & June. I knew why she keeps coming back. Because Olhão is a peace den. And you can take turns to visit the best beaches in the Algarve from here.

I still remember what I had thought that night. ‘Tomorrow is a new day. An exciting day. Being in water, with the birds, flora and fauna at Ria Formosa Natural Park. The fishes, sea animals, the beaches, the two lovely islands and being next to the mighty Atlantic on our day out on a boat’. It had sounded so exciting. It surely was. Will be back soon to take you on that trip.

If you loved being in Olhão, PIN it for later & friends