Praia do Boião is a remote pocket of sand on the wild stretch of cliff coast between Alvor and Portimão, in the orbit of the Ponta de João de Arens headland — dirt paths, pine scrub and carved ochre rock, with none of the apparatus of the resort beaches a few minutes away. Access is on foot along informal clifftop paths and the way down is rough; this is a cove for the surefooted, not a family beach day.
The cliffs here are actively eroding and the cove has no services and no supervision — keep clear of the cliff base and treat the sea with respect, because help is a long way off if anything goes wrong.
When to go: calm seas and low tide, on a day you’re already walking the João de Arens paths. Who it’s for: coast walkers and swimmers who want the Portimão shore at its emptiest and accept the terms that come with it.