Life Back in Ferragudo

After a weeks of lockdown and gradual easing of restrictions, it was great news that the weekend lockdown was lifted in Lagoa last weekend. Coinciding with Mother’s day in Portugal, the square was suddenly lively with a great buzz! All the restaurants are maintaining social distancing and sanitising, so even with lots more people it still seems safe. After seeing the UK weather forecast for the last few days, we certainly appreciated sitting outside in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying food and drink at our favourite restaurants and bars. It was great also to see live music back at Club Nau! And if you have been missing live music – try V5 bar this coming Saturday, just off the square on Rua 25 de Abril.

Walking along the river away from the square, good to see Borda do Cais and Sueuste restaurants also open with lots of outside space. A few minutes drive away, or a leisurely 4k stroll, Quinta dos Santos has also just re-opened. Lovely to sit and enjoy the views over the vines whilst sampling the sharing dishes washed down with a fabulous selection of home brewed beers and Quinta dos Santos own wines.

Life is definitely back in Ferragudo – enjoy!

Day Out at NoSoloÁgua

We’ve had a great day out at the beach! If you’re staying in Ferragudo, the beach club NoSoloÁgua is just a few minutes away by car – or by water taxi, which is our favourite way to go. From the water taxi, you get a fantastic views of the castle with Praia Agrinha and Praia Grande either side. Also a good view of Praia da Roche marina as the taxi approaches. NoSoloÁgua is only a couple of minutes walk from the taxi stop.

At NoSoloÁgua, you can choose to go either beachside or poolside, both are lovely, although we prefer beachside with sunbeds right on the beach. After relaxing for an hour or so, enjoying a swim and a drink or two, we dined in the beachside restaurant. Lots of menu options – on a special occasion we went for the 100 suchi platter – wow!

Check out the NoSoloÁgua website for details: https://nosoloagua.com/nsaptm/

Spoilt for Choice

We have an great variety of restaurants appearing in the square in Ferragudo – European brasserie style menus, Italian, Indian, Kebab. Fusion burgers, just off the square, is newly opened offering a range of homemade beef, chicken and fish burgers. Another new choice, which we sampled last night, is at Sunsubiro – already with a great Thai food menu for most evenings, Thursdays is now Indian curry night. Very much enjoyed!

Magic Sunday – Live Music at Club Nau

One of our favourite things to do is spend Sunday afternoon at Club Nau, watching the band over some food and a drink or two. The Covid-19 lockdown put an end to this for several weeks, but now “magic Sundays” are back!

Club Nau is a great beach-side restaurant/bar – enjoying a cocktail, looking out over the palms across Praia Grande’s beautiful white sand to the sea, you could easily be in a tropical paradise. The music is always good, as is the food and drink which is served by welcoming, friendly and efficient staff.

This week we went for the yummy prawns cooked in a tomato, garlic and herb sauce, along with a man-size Club Nau sandwich. More than enough for us to share – although as ever we were tempted by other menu offerings, including Club Nau’s delicious Sunday roast, which is a good as any we’ve eaten in the UK.

Club Nau special prawns and club sandwich

Even though it was busy, social distancing was very well managed, plenty of space between tables, cordoned walkways for entry/exit and access to the toilets and hand sanitiser everywhere. We felt safe and very able to enjoy the magic Sunday atmosphere. See video clip of the band, Mad Cats on our Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/p/CBs_dIwlTWE/ and check out https://www.club-nau.com/

Thai Food Tasting at Sunsubiro

The sun was shining, the evening was warm and Sunsubiro restaurant in Ferragudo’s village square was the ideal location. As if that’s not enough, we were there to taste new recipe dishes from the Thai menu. Tasty starters included a new addition, “Lettuce Platter” – I must say, I am thinking it needs a new name as this doesn’t do justice to the delicious chicken and mushroom combination with tamarind, ginger and spice dipping sauce! Followed by traditional Thai red, green and massaman curries cooked to perfection this was a real feast. Definitely a recommended evening out for anyone who loves Thai food.

During the day, Sunsubiro serve a good range of tapas of all kinds, including Thai, and light meals.

Food and drink prices are very reasonable and the staff are lovely and friendly. Sunsubiro is a good place to sit and enjoy the square at any time of day.

Visit Monchique!

A trip to the mountains is a real treat. There are a couple of routes from Ferragudo, but whichever way you go it’s a drive through lovely countryside with spectacular views as you wind your way up the mountain.

Monchique itself is a small market town about two thirds of the way up to the peak of Fóia. With plenty of cobbled streets, restaurants and bars, it’s worth a visit on its own, or a stop-off for a couple of hours on the way to Fóia.

Fóia is the highest point of the Serra de Monchique and, at a height of 902 metres, actually the highest point on the Algarve. As you can imagine, the panoramic views across the south and west coasts are amazing. On a clear day you can see from Cape St. Vincent in the west, to Faro in the east and even to the Serra da Arrabida (near Lisbon) to the north. Drinks and snacks are available from the cafe and lots of local/artisanal products for sale in the craft centre and store.

After soaking up the views, it’s great to meander back down the mountain and stop off for lunch – several restaurants with fantastic views. One of our favourites is the last restaurant on the right (going up) or first on the left (going down). The Paraíso da Montanha has plenty of inside seating, but what we really love is to be at a table on the terrace. We’ve never ordered from the menu, simply ask for chicken piri piri which is delicious and comes with plenty of fries and salad. Sample some local olives and cheese whilst you’re waiting and wash it all down with a crisp vinho verde – what could be better?!

Restaurants Re-opening

After two months of closure, Ferragudo’s restaurants are allowed to re-open. Great to see tables, chairs and sunshades re-appearing. Table are spaced apart and plenty of sanitising going on, so it feels safe and soooo good to be eating out!