Portugal – Algarve Sunny Coast Cycling Tour

We had an amazing time! We were worried that the weather might be turning this late in the fall, but it was perfect. We lost an important bag with ID/wallet while cycling and the family that owned the inn that night drove us back the next day to search again, but no luck. They then took us to the police station to report it missing – they were SO nice!! To make a long story short, someone DID find it and turn it in, all intact, and the fire department called us to let us know (such a relief!) and we were able to pick it up while driving back to Lisbon. I don’t know if the people of Portugal are particularly warm and lovely, or we were just lucky, but it made for an exciting and wonderful trip. That aside, as always, the hotels were superb and the bikes were outstanding – we LOVED it!

Our trip was fabulous! The self guided bike tour couldn’t have gone smoother. From the choice of routes to the quaint villages the service was excellent. We can’t wait to do another country.

Our trip was absolutely amazing! It was the ultimate honeymoon- the perfect amount of action and adventure with the balance of relaxing on beaches and eating great food. We earned all of our food and drinks by biking it all off 🙂
We were impressed with all of the accommodations! And the hosts were incredibly friendly. Portuguese people in general are just so lovely.
I think our favorite on the bike trip was probably Arrifana, so it was clutch to stay an extra day there doing the loop (well planned!). I would have wanted another day in Sagres too if we could have squeezed it in. We both loved the variation of the rides- through all sorts of villages, sometimes right on the coast, and other times through just rural or farmy areas seeing all sides of Portugal. I thought the rides were the right amount of challenge to get a good work out and feel accomplished each day, but still have time and energy to do things in the afternoon at each stop. We really got it all and couldn’t be happier.
Thanks for everything it was perfectly what we were looking for!

We enjoyed all of the accommodations, but our favorites were the smaller places. I am certain we never would have visited the towns in which we stayed (and biked through) without having done the bike tour. Carrapateira was my favorite area (the coast is gorgeous there) and Casa Fajara was lovely and remote. The staff at all hotels were very friendly and helpful.

The bikes worked and fit very well. The biking routes were a good challenge for us both. I am not a hard core cyclist, but I enjoy it and trained adequately, so it was probably the right amount of distance and climbing for me. The wind was an added challenge at times. A bonus of the activity level was that I didn’t gain any weight on the trip, despite eating lots of good food! The GPS was a must for a self-guided tour, as you know, and we loved not being part of a group of strangers and to have more control over our days. We probably spent 5-6 hours on the bikes each day, including stops to eat packed lunches and take photos/videos (We have a GoPro and SLR and love to use them). We are very glad we were on dirt more than roads, and the mountain bikes (versus hybrid) were appropriate to be riding. Neither of us were particularly comfortable when we were riding on pavement with autos. We saw groups of roadies out there, and I did not envy them! If we retire early and hit the lottery jackpot, I would love to go back to Portugal, and hike Rota Vincentina to be closer to the coast even more than we were on mountain bikes.

Everyone from Pure Adventures was fabulous – helpful, friendly, informative, punctual, professional. Can’t say enough positive things. Our luggage was also reliably transported. We’ll definitely contact you when we are planning our next international adventure.

While Pure Adventures did a very good job in handling all the details of the travel, and all the accommodations they chose were great, there are a couple of things Pure Adventures should be aware of in advising future clients. First, when we chose the hybrid bikes, we expected they would be typical hybrid bikes, similar to the ones we had used in Croatia. However, while technically hybrid, they were much closer to dirt bikes–heavy, with front shocks. As it turned out, these bikes were needed since we chose to ride the off-road route (because it seemed much more interesting), which involved riding over rocks, through sand, etc. While the bikes were definitely needed for the kind of riding we wound up doing, I think we should have been forewarned as what we were getting into by Pure Adventures when we signed up for the trip. Second, we found the Garmin device provided somewhat difficult to use, and, in the first few days of using it, often got lost, sometimes badly, Much of the riding is in very isolated, sometimes desolate areas, and so getting lost is not a good thing. Finally, while a good bid of the ride was close to the Atlantic Ocean, which was beautiful and breathtaking, a lot of the riding went through isolated, sometimes desolate areas– some of which wads beautiful, but some not particularly so. If you like riding out in the middle of nowhere, this ride is for you. But, if you want a little more contact with civilization, you might consider something else..

Operator’s comment: HI Richard, thank you for your comments and your overall very good rating of your experience. In the Tour Details section of this trip we do say: Need to Know: – This tour is 70% over paved surface, 30% off pavement; hybrid bikes are best choice. – 100% paved routes possible; please inquire for the adjusted route. – transfers are included making arrival and departure and bike set up a breeze Level 3 : Moderate to Fit rating – flat to rolling countryside; average 49 km per day. Unpaved sections are not technical but can be bumpy and sometimes loose. The more scenic and peaceful route is the version using some smooth dirt roads to ride along the coast where cars don’t go. Indeed this is a more remote area and the unpaved routes are offered as a more peaceful and scenic way to enjoy the ride. Our apologies for not probing deeper to learn your preferences for more populated areas when you were booking. We will discuss the comments with our partners concerning the GPS as well. Thank you very much!