Cabanas

Just outside of Tavira, is a town called Cabanas, which once was a fishing village made up of cabanas or cabins where the fishermen kept their tackle and gear. Now it is a tourist area with condos, hotels and restaurants. We kept seeing signs to it so we decided to see why it was so popular.

I ‘borrowed’ an aerial photo of the area to gave it some perspective. From the ground, it doesn’t look very impressive. You can see the 7 km sand-spit/island that has an amazing beach. To get to the island, you have to take a water taxi.

Also, you can see an old star- shaped fort that has been made into a hotel. What you can’t see are all the condos to the right of the photo. It is winter now so the town is fairly empty and seafood restaurants are mostly closed, but we can imagine that in the summer it is a hopping place with the beach so close by.

We drove to Cabanas on some very narrow lanes through orange orchards and farm fields. When we got to the fort, we parked and got out and walked on a long boardwalk beside the waterway. The sun was shining and it was very peaceful and quiet.

We drive home and walked to a well-spoken-of tapas restaurant that is close by called No de Gosto. Delicious food, a homey atmosphere and wonderful service! Our friend Donna will have to go there when she goes to Tavira!

We met a Swedish couple there who have a holiday home in Cabanas and we ended up having a wonderful conversation about Portugal with them. It was an interesting night.

A little note...the lady next door to us heard Chris coughing and brought him a jar of honey to add to his tea. So far, Portuguese people have been living up to their reputation as kind and caring people!Read more