I relied on this group for a lot of info, so wanted to share my experience and a few tips 😊

We  spent an amazing few days in Algarve and had a wonderful time. We stayed in Portimao and drove around. Was a perfect base location as it is centrally located in Algarve. The driving time to any place was less than an hour, so we could spend more time exploring the places.

* Did a boat tour on the Ria Formosa. Was lucky that we were the only people on the boat, so got a private tour 😊
* Did a Benagil Caves & Dolphins Watching with Biologist boat tour. Was such an amazing experience watching hundreds of dolphins surround our boat and jumping from the water!!
* Explored the beached and hiking trails around Praia João de Arens and Praia dos Três Irmãos
* Explored Ponta da Piedade hiking trails and boardwalk
* Did a boat tour of Ponta da Piedade
* Did part of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail. After looking at the Benagil cave from the top, we were happy and ended our hike
* Did a Dirt Buggy Tour near Albufeira with Algarve Riders. This was such a fun and exciting off-road experience
* Planned to do Snorkeling with Zip&Trip. We were so looking forward to this, but the activity was cancelled due to bad weather :( . If this was possible, it would've been the perfect trip.
* Experienced an amazing sunset at Algar Seco and saw some brave teens cliff jumping. We could only admire their guts! 
* On a rainy last day, drove to the beaches and viewpoints in Western Algarve

 

Car Rental:

We rented from Gold car at Faro airport. Pretty smooth check-in process. We returned the car out of office hours and luckily it was fine with no problems. All cars were fitted with the toll device and I had to pay a fee to get it activated.

Tolls:

There was conflicting info even in the official websites if the main highway A22 was a toll-road or not. It turned out that (atleast for the part of the highway we travelled – from Faro in the east to Western Algarve), it was toll-free. My guess is that other parts of A22 is a toll-road, but not completely sure. Someone who travelled here may be able to confirm.

Parking:

Many beaches, viewpoints didn’t show nearby parking/estacionamento in google maps. Google is not always your friend 😊But the reality is that almost every point of interest in Algarve has a parking lot nearby. So, just put your destination in google maps and drive-off! And best of all, most parking lots are free.

Activities:

Most of the activities that we did went ahead without any issues except the snorkeling :☹. As this was planned on our last day here, there was option to reschedule this. It is good to plan the boat trips and water activities early in your trip – this way, if the weather plays spoilsport, there is a chance to reschedule for later.

Driving:

Was pretty smooth for most part of our trip. The speed limits are pretty clearly marked and roads are of decent quality. But our last day drive from Portimao to Faro airport was through very heavy rain, wind and darkness. Visibility was poor and it was challenging to manage our Fiat 500, but managed in the end. Luckily, was not impacted by the flooded roads in Faro.

Card vs cash:

Most places accepted both card and cash, no issues at all. The bone chapel in Faro was the only place which asked for cash only.

 

An almost perfect trip….