Armação de Péra - Local Information

The Algarve region

The "Algarve" comes from the Arabic word (al gharb) meaning "The West", it is the southernmost region of mainland Portugal.

The Algarve consists of over 150 miles of coastline of which a vast amount of it is golden sandy beaches. (Just like the one in Armação de Péra). There are three main areas in the Algarve and are referred to as Western Algarve, Eastern Algarve and Central Algarve which is where our apartment in Armação de Péra is located.

The sun shines frequently in the Algarve and each year an average of over 3000 hours of sunshine is recorded and the number of rainless days is usually over 300 so this makes the Algarve a year-round destination.

The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal, and one of the most popular in Europe. Its population triples in the peak holiday season thanks to a high influx of visitors, and receives an average of 7 million foreign tourists each year. In total, including national visitors, almost 10 million people visit the Algarve every year.

Armação de Péra

Armação de Péra is just left of the centre of Algarve, a little west of Albufeira (about 10k). It was originally a small fishing village where tuna used to be caught and brought up onto "Fisherman's Beach". The net that the fishermen used to catch the Tuna in was called "Armação" and as it is very close to "Péra", it became Armação de Péra.

The resort boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the Algarve with pretty coves around the coastline, the beach is one of the longest in the Algarve creating a haven for sun lovers, and the 'town' stretch is popular with the locals, who arrive in numbers at the end of a working day, and also with the Portuguese of Lisbon who flock there in their droves in the Summer months. The beach has ample parking space and Armação de Péra has beaches that are accessible to disabled people as the beaches have ramps and paths that reach the sand as well as disabled toilets. Praia da Armação de Péra beach is popular and has lifeguards during the summer season time.

There are plenty restaurants and cafes near the beach where you can enjoy a refreshing drink after a day in the sun. Some of these are mentioned on our Guest Recommendations page. At the end of the beach there are caves and rocks to explore. Praia Grande Beach is lined with sand dunes and there is ample space for people to spread out along the stretching beach.

The town is still an active fishing area and there's part of the beach (Fisherman's beach) where tourists and local fishermen mingle; not surprisingly most of the restaurants in town have a great "fish of the day" option, some of these are mentioned on our Guest Recommendations page.

On the beachfront you can find the remains of a 17th century fort originally built to defend the village and next to it is another Armação land mark "The Red House" this can be seen from as far as Praia Grande.

Armação de Péra has everything you need for a lovely holiday - fantastic beach, shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars. It is also ideally placed for a day out at Zoomarine sea-life park at Guia, a trip to 'Algarve Shopping' mall, also at Guia and the water parks at Alcantarilha and Lagoa. See our Things To Do page for more ideas for days out.

Some useful Telephone numbers: