Porto Covo in Winter, and Long Stays Out of Season
The village empties, the sea is warmer than it was in July, and the apartment has a heated pool — which out of season is the difference between a pool and an ornament. Blue Cove is a 3-bedroom apartment sleeping 6, let directly by the family who owns it, and it is open all year.
The short answer
October is the best-kept secret on this coast
The sea here is at its warmest in September and October, not July. Ten-year averages put September at 18.6 °C and October at 18.4 °C against July's 18.0 °C, because the Atlantic lags the air by roughly two months. The beaches by then are empty.
That is the whole argument for coming out of season, and it is one of the facts we check and publish rather than a line of marketing. It also means the shoulder season is not really a compromise — it is the better trip, taken by fewer people.
What is actually open
Porto Covo winter hours, place by place
8 places in the village publish separate winter hours. These are them, from the Junta de Freguesia directory rather than a listing site.
| Place | Summer | Winter | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Cantarinha | 07h00-02h00 | 07h00-22h30 | Tue |
| A Marmita — Pronto a Comer | 08h00-21h00 | 08h00-20h00 | Sun |
| Kalunga | 07h00-23h30 | 09h00-22h00 | Sun |
| La Bella Vita | 12h00-16h00 · 18h30-22h30 | 12h00-16h00 · 18h00-22h00 | — |
| Lamelas | 12h30-15h00 · 19h30-22h30 | 12h00-15h30 · 19h30-23h30 | — |
| Pérola de Porto Covo | — | 12h00-16h00 · 18h30-24h00 | Tue |
| Snack-bar A Praça | 07h00-24h00 | 07h00-20h00 | — |
| Snack-bar Brisa Mar | 11h00-04h00 | 07h00-02h00 | — |
Anywhere not listed here does not publish winter hours, which is not the same as being shut. Out of season it is worth one phone call before you walk, and every number is on the restaurants guide.
Being honest about it
What you give up
It is the Atlantic in winter, so some days are wild and some are wet, and a week can turn. The lifeguards are on Praia Grande from June to September and not outside it, which changes what swimming means rather than ending it.
The boats to Ilha do Pessegueiro run in season, not all year. Several restaurants shorten their hours and a few add a winter closing day, which is exactly what the table above is for. Nothing about the village shuts down — it goes back to being a village, which is what most people who come out of season are actually after.
For a month rather than a week
What makes a long stay work here
A long stay fails on the dull things. There is a washing machine and a separate dryer, which matters far more over a month than over a weekend, and a full kitchen rather than a kitchenette — the village has four places to buy food without driving anywhere.
Three bedrooms and three bathrooms means people are not on top of each other by week two. The pool is heated, which is the part that decides whether an off-season pool gets used at all. And the complex has staffed reception every day, so a longer stay does not mean being alone with a key box.
We do not publish a rate card, off-season or otherwise. Longer stays are quoted on enquiry, and a month is not priced like four weeks.
Common questions