Trips out – Odeceixe

As you can imagine there are so many beautiful places to visit near by us, and some of the most popular trips out are to the many stunning west coast beaches, where the cliffs rise magnificently out from the Atlantic ocean displaying many sandy beaches and isolated coves.  Praia de Odeceixe is just one of these beauties and is still one of my favorites.

This is the local beach to Odeceixe, a quaint cobbled village that clings onto the side of a hill landmarked by an old white washed windmill. 

There are lots of places to eat here from local Portuguese fish restaurants to vegetarian and every budget is catered for. One of our favourite restaurants is Restaurante Chaparro where you can sit outside and enjoy some very reasonably priced seafood cooked on the grill. You must try their garlic piri piri prawns – they really are delicious.   

To get to the beach from Odeceixe the road follows a river that meanders it’s way through fields where you will see beautiful brown cows chomping lazily away at the grass. The beach itself looks like a sandy island as it’s mostly surrounded by water.

You can choose two very different experiences at this small beach, either go to the busier Atlantic side where you can jump the waves, try some surfing or simply lay on the beach and watch the surfers do their thing! Or if like me you prefer it quieter then opt for the river side. Here I love to float with the tides of the river, have a go on our paddle board or watch families float by on various vessels. I especially love it when the tide is high as this is when the river is deeper and you can get to have a bit more of a swim.