I’ve been in Santa Luzia for 5 days now and am loving it. It’s small and friendly, yet only about 8 minutes’ drive to the bigger town of Tavira.
Day 1 wasn’t without its challenges, because I woke to a 4-hour power cut after the previous day’s storm. I spent most of that day unpacking and settling in.
The following day was sunny, so I set off to walk into Tavira. It takes about 40 minutes. The route is great, with a well-maintained cycle path one side and a broad pavement flanked by lemon and orange orchards on the other.
Tavira is a pretty town of white buildings bisected by a river. I went to see the famous Roman Bridge.
The following day I went back into Tavira to buy a bike, investigate the market and visit the Gran Plaza shopping centre to get a few essentials lacking in the apartment. Once my bike arrives in a few days, I’ll be able to get everywhere on the easy, flat cycle paths,
So far so good, but the absolutely best thing about Santa Luzia for me is its location on the edge of the the Ria Formosa. This is a green coastal lagoon wetland area with marshes, salt lakes and islets. It’s teeming with bird life, including flamingos – though I haven’t seen one yet.
The wetlands are bordered on the side away from the town by some of the best beaches in the Algarve. These have to be reached by a short ferry ride or a floating pontoon bridge, which is an easy walk or bike ride from my place. Dogs aren’t allowed on this beach, though there are other beaches where I can take Lottie.
A couple of days ago, I decided to put a little effort into meeting other people, so signed up to a few East Algarve Facebook groups and the Facebook page for Santa Luzia. Within a day I had a full diary of lunches and quizzes. One couple even stopped me in the street to say hello. My first event was litter picking and coffee on Sunday morning with the East Algarve litter pickers. Considering we were picking around the main market, it was remarkably clean…
