Praia Da Rocha, Algarve, Portugal

5chris p 5:00 PM Dec 31, 2019

Winter Break fo 2
We decided to try escaping the UK cold for some winter sun and booked an apartment for 2 weeks end of December into early January 2020. We found the resort to be perfect being relatively quite with fabulous coastline and beaches. It may well not have suited us in the summer when I guess its very busy but for us perfect for a winter break. The weather has been and is still unbelievable blue sky no clouds at all, thats for every day we have been here. Just a tee shirt and shorts in the day with long trousers and a jumper for the evening remarkable temperature in the shade has been 16c / 20c and the sun much hotter, perfect. The town is aimed at tourists with plenty of restaurants coffee shops with food to suit all tastes but not all the bars and restaurants are open. It’s a stretch of coastline worth exploring.

4retireeVancouver 5:00 PM Dec 16, 2022

Enjoyed a walk along the shoreline as water not suited for swimming, IMO
We walked down many steep stairs at the Hotel Jupiter bus stop to the wide crescent shaped beach at the resort town of Praia da Rocha on a Sunday afternoon. There were other stairs also along the beach, conveniently spaced to accommodate residents in the apartments above the cliff. Street access to the beach without the steep stairs is more likely at Fortaleza with car parking nearby. At the bottom of the steps, we walked on a wood boardwalk which stretched end to end on the long beach, from Fortaleza to the Three castle rocks. Soft white sand, about the size of a football field, stretched ahead from this boardwalk to the shoreline. Families with strollers would appreciate another shorter boardwalk leading out to the water area. There were eateries along the main boardwalk, but in October I couldn't see WC and changing areas. There was a foot wash near one of the cafes, about mid-way. The cafes sold refreshing drinks, fish plates for entres (15E), meat plates, sides, appetizers, pizza, salads, sandwiches, etc. Prices seemed to be comparable, but, the ones with less comfortable seating, had lower prices. In October, loungers weren't being rented, beach volleyball nets were unused; people were satisfied to just walk at the water's edge, sunbathe, or build sand castles. I wouldn't recommend this beach for swimming, or for children, as the waves appeared to be forceful and high when they rushed in. The beach is free of sea weed and the sand looked clean. The Three Castles rock formations ran second to just experiencing this sandy beach.