Chickens, deer and golfers in Ralph Lauren -Shirts are the most passengers on my Ryanair flight to Faro.
We are about to land in the Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal, famous for whitewashed fishing villages, sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. And of course, vast resorts and championship golf courses.
Albufeira, Portimao and Lagos are the ruling party Hotspots – a trio ruled by British who leave their inhibitions from June to September.
But I am not here to party, I am here to find out or a tap video of 30 seconds of one abandoned beach framed by sun bleached dunes what the hype makes. No hotels, shops, roads, cars or people – were visible. I was sold.
I brought 1,489 miles to Barreta Isand To see if one of the most remote destinations in Portugal is indeed the secret paradise that it promises to be.
Tom Hanks in Cast Away
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Only a handful of people step on board the ferry to the island of Barreta.
There is an ornithologist armed with a few binoculars that cost more than my rent, a Portuguese couple with their son and a woman holding a waitress uniform, probably living – work for her service in Estaminé, the only restaurant and building – on the island.
It is only 10 a.m., I tell myself, imagine that crowds of tourists are still asleep and will come in later in the day. After all, this is the Algarve. I refuse to believe that every piece is immune.
I see the coast of Faro disappearing behind us. The journey, which lasts 45 minutes, is the perfect opportunity to read what to expect.
Barreta is one of the islands that form the Ria Formosa Natural Park, a 35-mile piece of protected coastal lagune in the Algarve. The park is one of the most ecologically important wetlands in Europe and acts as an essential shield between the Atlantic Ocean and the mainland of Portugal.
I learn that the other name is Deserta – Portuguese for ‘abandoned’. As soon as I get off the ferry, I agree that it makes his title come true.
A wooden walkway leads from the dock to a lighthouse at the start of the beach. There is no one to greet me, no one to rent a parasol, nobody to fight for a Zonnestaan, no instructions for what to do or how you can enjoy yourself.
Only myself and my free will, and the sound of the waves that dump on the beach. It is a bit disorienting.
I feel like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, minus the bloody volleyball.
I fall out of the buckles of my sandals to dig my feet in the warm sand, I notice that the only steps are for me from birds.
The island is a refuge for birds and 200 species inhabit the street of five miles. In the meantime, the surrounding waters are the home base of bottlenosis and striped dolphins.
I don’t know what to do with myself, walk, collect sea shells spread throughout the beach, an unlikely but welcome return to a childhood hobby.
I will spend in and out of the water in the coming hours. I even try to build a sand castle. I notice that I only reach my phone a few times, to photograph the serene landscape and to control the timetable for the ferry.
For everyone looking for loneliness, Barreta is one of the last places in Portugal where blissful silence really exists.
The crowd of tourists I suggested never arrived and nobody bothered me for the rest of my stay. The island is large enough that I only have a glimpse of my colleague ferry passengers in the restaurant about a glass of refreshing wine.
The heart of the Algarve culture
In the early hours of the evening, the ferry drops me in Faro. The city is small enough that every charming restaurant and bar on the roof is well within reach.
One of the relatively new additions to the marina is Santa Maria Petiscaria, recommended by Christophe de Oliveira, co-owner of the Modernist, a Bohemian apartment with the atmosphere from the 70s, where I stay.
The architecture lover who, in addition to his wife Angélique, argues for the modernist heritage of Faro, has a wealth of knowledge about what is good in the city.
A crowd of Faro locals was gathered in Santa Maria to watch the Portugal-German football match on the TV in the corner. Although I am not the biggest fan, I feel welcome and not out of place.
Manager Ricardo Couto praises me because I don’t stumble into one of the many ‘tourist’ restaurants in the city center.
“Watch out for Portuguese people who dine in the restaurant you choose, this is important, and especially at the weekend,” he tells me.
‘The Portuguese usually have a late lunch on Saturday and Sunday. If you are in the Algarve, the restaurant will always serve fresh seafood – fish, octopus, oysters … it must come directly from our sea. ‘
Food is the only issue that Ricardo will become serious. Otherwise, his relaxed attitude only exposes the grim differences in lifestyle between London and the Algarve.
‘In Faro everything is closed after midnight’
In recent weeks, parts of Portugal have been affected with demonstrations against mass tourism, in addition to Spain and Italy.
But in the Algarve this is the industry that the locals most trust. Many are forced to hire several jobs outside the high season.
This is perhaps one of the reasons that Ricardo does not mind the tourists.
Speaking of the reputation that some visitors have from the UK, he says: ‘I don’t mind, as long as they keep it in Albufeira. If you want to enjoy the party scene, you have to go there. It obtains the reputation of Ibiza.
‘For example, Faro is one of the quieter places. Everything is closed after midnight. ‘
Drink under a 2,000 year old olive tree
Eating good food and drinking good wine is central to Portuguese culture.
That is why I end my journey under the heavy branches of a 2,000-year-old olive tree in the 23-hectare vineyard of Morgado do Quintao.
The organic farm in the Algarve, about 40 minutes’ drive from Faro, hosts Intimate dinners with wine tasting While the sun goes over the Monchique -Bergen.
Portugal has a long and rich wine tradition, so there are a number of vineyards that offer guided tours, all available at Getyourguide. But this family treatment is like something from a movie.
Learning about the history of the region and what it has to offer in such a picturesque setting is a pleasure that is worth making the journey.
Inspired by a real local, Cristiano Ronaldo …
It is not every day that I notice that I stay in the same five -star hotel as a football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pine Cliffs, a luxury collection resort, is above the coastline of Algarve, above the brutal resort of luxury, where Portuguese celebrity came last year for summer training next to his Saudi -Arab football team.
In contrast to him, I avoided the FIFA-agent ultramodern sports complex but fully benefited from the wellness facilities and the swimming pools.
At the time of my visit, the hotel is almost full capacity, but the atmosphere is still calm and relaxing, along with the rest of my journey.
Gergana Krasteva was a guest of Pine Cliffs Algarve, where the prices start from £ 481 per night for two people, including breakfast. With the modernist, prices start from £ 132 per night. Wizzair, Ryanair, Jet2 and British Airways run direct flights from London to Faro in the summer.
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