Cabanas

Six kilometres east of Tavira – past the golf course at Benamor – lies CABANAS, named after the fishermen’s cabanas (huts) that were the original settlement. Today a kernel of backstreets is still made up of pretty fishermen’s houses along with a line of low-rise shops, cafés and bars facing a picturesque river estuary lined with mimosa trees. Moored fishing boats testify to the village’s former mainstay, though nowadays the economy is largely driven by tourism thanks to the glorious sands on Praia de Cabanas over the estuary. Ferries shuttle passengers to the beach from a small jetty opposite Restaurante O Monteiro in the east of town. Cross the dunes and you’re greeted with kilometres of golden sand, plus a couple of seasonal beach cafés.