A long weekend away for birthday celebrations brought me and my partner to Faro not only because it was a direct flight from Manchester but also because we had a fixation on moving to Portugal at some point so we thought visiting one of the rural parts was a great idea. We decided to rent a car as soon as we landed, as Teotónio was roughly an hour and a half drive from the airport.

I will not lie, the drive itself wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best. The roads when we came off the motorway were quite narrow and very windy so there wasn’t really much room to drive quickly, which made the drive feel longer. What I will see is that the scenes were stunning. It was all green and stunning and it made the drive much easier.

We decided to take a break from the city centre car parks, hotels and restaurant vibe and wanted to go somewhere that was out of the way from all things and everyone, and we are so glad we did because we were met with a few surprises.

Another reason why we chose Faro was because we found the quirkiest place that was in a perfect location. It was listed as ‘The Hobbit House’ on Airbnb and its bright colours and unique design won us straight away, plus it was very well priced for March so it was written in stone and we were so made up and when we arrived, it was everything we expected and more.

What is Faro Like to Stay In?

We were in absolute awe, but unfortunately, we arrived and it rained for the next 3 days and then as soon as we left, it became boiling hot with the sun so I would recommend you visit the rural parts of Portugal when it’s guaranteed to be sunny. Visiting in March was relatively risky and it was deemed right. We didn’t have the chance to go visit the local beach, which was a shame and it’s a huge reason why we are planning on coming back to this area and possibly the exact same spot.

While the rain didn’t put us down for the trip because we had a surprise visit from a local friend, just about 50 meters down there was another house that was being renovated. It was far enough that you still had privacy, but then out of nowhere, a Jack Russell popped up on the scene just running around, jumping for attention and it was just such a nice addition to the days. As we had to stay within the shelter all weekend, we were running out of things to do, so this friendly addition really turned the holiday around.

Do I Recommend Faro?

Overall, our trip to Faro was a complete success and it enticed me to come back to visit the rural parts of Portugal. There's plenty of other areas of Portugal that you can visit if you want more of a city vibe, such as Porto or Albufeira. It all comes down to preferences.