I recently went to Portugal with my other half, on the last day we decided to explore a bit further afield, to the island of Armona. I mean, we would have done that sooner, but we didn’t because of me and my silly body.
The Boat Ride to Armona
So off we went to the harbour, I’m not sure where we got the idea from (maybe Google), but nevertheless, we were looking for the best route to the island of Armona. The boat trips were very confusing, the ticket booth looked as though it had been closed for 20 years, and that was apparently the only way you could get tickets! Anyway, an hour went by and we got our tickets and boarded the boat!
The boat to Armona was very bouncy, busy, and not very attractive to the eye, that’s all I’m gonna say!
First Impressions
So then we got to Armona and I have to say, I was honestly blown away. On either side of the walkway there were two beaches, behind these were bars and restaurants, then immediately houses that were covered in an absolutely stunning beautiful array of flowers.
As we walked further into Armona I could see why the boat was so busy, for such a little island! There was just one main footpath on the island and a few little ones leading from it to access the houses, which I regret not going down.
A Path to Paradise!
The houses on this footpath were so beautiful, you can see how much pride the people here take in looking after the appearance of their houses. I’m now going to tell you a few of my favourites! The first one looked like a pirate’s house or something from an abandoned island. It looked very majestic with its selection of palm trees sitting on a bed of bark. In the middle was a wooden staircase leading to a little blue and white house. In my mind, I could see a sailor living here, which makes sense if you look at the previous picture.
The next house that blew my mind was a house that made me wish we came a little later in the year, but on the other hand, working at a garden centre, I know deep down this house was quite happy with the not-so-scorching weather.
As we walked a little further down I could see these beautiful bright pink Azaleas looking right at me (not literally), as I approached them, I could not resist taking many pictures, and, need I say more, just look at it! To be honest, I didn’t even notice what else was in the garden.
And finally, before we get to the most spectacular bit, let’s just look at the last house.
The Gardens of Armona
Now I admit myself, and I should hope the homeowner agrees that this garden needs a little work, but to be fair, I think they may have been doing a bit of work on it when I saw this, as I think I took this on the way back, but this also looks like a sailors house! I mean, there isn’t much garden, but the little pathway looks so dainty and cute leading to what looks like the perfect beach home, don’t you think? This house was situated opposite a new bar they were building, which is probably finished now, but I didn’t take a picture of it, because, why would I?
Let’s go to the Beach!
So literally just turning to my right of this photo I began walking down the footpath to the beach, and need I say more? Just look at this! The only downside is that it seemed to take FOREVER to walk there.
When we got to the end of the walkway, I was literally in heaven, aside from the really annoying wind and ridiculous idea we had to carry a massive bag full of rubbish in (not literal rubbish), we collected some shells that we’d kept for posterity.
Cafe Stop
On the way back we went to have a little drink and a hot dog, at the same time we seemed to be doomed with a wasp/ant infestation but we didn’t let that stop us from enjoying our beautiful views, unfortunately though, the bar from was set a bit far back so you could only see tiny hills and no sea.
So that is it!
That is my review of the beautiful island of Armona, we departed from Olhao and, to be honest, I wouldn’t stay there again, and I wouldn’t personally stay in Armona, just because of the little things to do there, I wouldn’t definitely recommend a day out there though, it took us around 20 minutes to reach the other side of the island, there it was really windy on the beach, so we decided not to sunbathe.
We didn’t see one car on the beach, we only saw peddle bikes and a quad bike, so I assume that’s how they get around, aside from walking. I’d probably retire there if I could, maybe if there was a bit more to do, and if I liked boats.
But yes, that is it, thank you for reading! And I hope this maybe inspired you to go discover the island for yourself.
If you’ve stuck around to read all this, please leave a comment and let me know if you have any travel suggestions for me to try!
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