faro: day two

On my second (and last) full day in Faro, I took the first ferry to Ilha Deserta (or Ilha da Barretta, whichever you want to call it) and spent the most of the day on the island. It was magnificent. Just so beautiful, and so deserted. As I took the first ferry, there were literally only a handful of people on the whole island. Which is great if you want to be where the people aren't. (Haha.) The beach was lovely, the nature was lovely, the weather was lovely, everything was lovely. It was magnificent and made me a very content explorer. Ilha Deserta also hosts the southernmost point of continental Portugal, but reaching this point was quite anti-climatic as, honestly, the "monument" looked mostly like a pile of rubbish to me. It's cool and all to have been to the southernmost point of Portugal, but experiencing the island as a whole felt much more meaningful and I just loved walking round the whole island. After my island adventures, and a quick walk around a part of the city I'd not been yet, my airbnb host offered to drive me to Vilamoura for a little visit. (I had the best airbnb host and she had the cutest dog.) I liked visiting Vilamoura for a couple of hours, but was glad to be back in Faro after it. Vilamoura is so touristy and even in April was full of British and German holiday-goers. Which I'm not saying is a bad thing, but it's not for me. I spent my evening chilling on the balcony, looking at Faro and lamenting the fact that I had gotten quite lobstery. I'm not sunburnt anymore, but still have questionable tan lines from carrying a rucksack for a good portion of the day. I only had time for Ilha Deserta, but I'd love to go back and see what all the other islands have to offer. When in Faro, taking the ferry or a boat tour in the lagoon and the island(s) is one of those things you really should do. Ilha Deserta was definitely one of my favourites from my whole Algarve trip!

If you've not seen it yet, my first day in Faro can be read here.