There’s a village near Sagres that not everyone knows about, and it might just be the “best-kept secret in the area.”
Portugal has even more to explore than many people realize. There are, for example, many villages—including the coldest one in the country—some in remote locations, others little-known, and most are well worth a visit.
Such is the case with Aldeia da Pedralva, apparently “one of the Algarve’s best-kept secrets,” according to Yvan Mendes, who runs the @viajar_emportugal account on TikTok. It is a rural village in Vila do Bispo, very close to Sagres, where time seems to stand still and, in fact, where you sometimes have no cell service, he adds.
About 100 people once lived there, but over the past 25 years, it began to lose its inhabitants. Fortunately, before it was completely abandoned, the village was transformed into a local lodging.
This accommodation project was launched in 2006 when the village had only nine original residents “and a cluster of about 50 houses in an advanced state of disrepair,” according to the project’s website. Among the dwellings, only nine met “minimum habitability standards.”
And now, a variety of vacation homes are available, all of which have been restored “in keeping with the original design, each with its own unique details.”
Today, the village has restaurants and an outdoor activity center with 30 bicycles; there are over 300 kilometers of trails, as well as a surf school.
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