Yatch FINISMAR: 3hours Sailing to Benagil

Fourth year coming back, and it never disappoints! I wish I could give more than five stars. The crew and the captain were absolutely brilliant and always make us feel so special. I can’t recommend them highly enough. We did two trips this year, and before we even finished, we were already looking forward to coming back next year. We always use these guys, and they are absolutely amazing. Thank you for another unforgettable experience!

What an incredible charter! Magical few hours aboard the yacht Finnismar with her crew. Smooth sailing with amazing service. We enjoyed a refreshing swim offshore from a private beach, with magnificent views of the Algarve geology. We sailed back watching the sunset, sipping rose wine and enjoyin pleasant conversation with the captain. Our children had a great time and said it was the best charter ever. We look forward to returning.

Great relaxing boat trip. Super guides, highly recommend!

This was a spectacular day! The crew was delightful the boat was beautiful the trip was fantastic!

At the last minute this company Algarve Charters changed our reservation and we ended up on a boat with a lot more people than I expected. It was not the experience we paid for or what we expected when we signed up.

We had such a great time on this boat trip! There were 12 of us on a friends’ holiday, and although we were told they don’t usually take groups this large, they kindly made an exception for us, which we really appreciated. From the moment we stepped on board, Ricardo and Renato were welcoming, friendly and chatty. They created a great atmosphere throughout the trip and shared lots of local insights with us. We couldn’t have asked for a better few hours on the water. We’d recommend this trip to anyone!

This is a sailing yacht trip so it is quite different from the speed boat and motor catamaran trips that most people go on. It is much more relaxing! The yacht takes 14 max but we had it to ourselves (family of 6) which was an unexpected bonus. We went on the (new) 4hr cruise to the Benagil Caves with a stop for swimming and with food & drinks included. We had a Captain and 1 crew member who looked after us really well and told us all about the sights and history of the coastline. They towed a small rubber dinghy so that we could go into the caves (although the Police arrived and closed them after only half of our group had visited, but that was not Algarve Charter's fault). We had shade and cool in the cabin which was very welcome on a hot day (this is not available on all boat trips and is worth checking). All in all, a delightful trip and well worth the money.

The crew were wonderful and the trip was smooth. The tapas were nice and abundant. The scenery was fabulous and we really enjoyed being able to jump off the boat and swim. The area they took us for swimming had two caves. Both beautiful, but I recommend swimming to the right as there is a cave that opens up to a giant amphitheater. Very beautiful!! My one note of caution is about the benagil cave. I was tempted to leave 4 stars (or less) due to this, but ultimately felt that the crew were so wonderful it felt like a disservice not to leave 5 stars. The description on our booking and what is still on the website today is this: “In Benagil, the adventure becomes even more special: a mini boat tour in small groups of just 4 people, allowing for a closer, more personal experience inside this natural wonder.” Yet there was no mini boat and we did not go into the cave. I had chosen this tour specifically because I wanted to go inside the cave, but despite the calm water we were told we weren’t going inside on this tour and no other explanation was given. We did end up booking a separate speed boat trip from Benagil beach that went inside over a dozen caves including the Benagil cave. I just would have preferred to have done that with one booking. I understand the Finismar itself is too large to go into the caves, but if they aren’t partnering with speedboats or bringing dinghies, they really need to remove that paragraph from the trip description. That said, after I got over my disappointment about the cave, it was a lovely trip. It was great that it wasn’t crowded (I think it’s 14 people max). We did the morning trip and it was cool when we were going into the wind, so think about bringing a sweatshirt, but after the first hour everyone was taking off layers and sunbathing so don’t forget the sunscreen.

+1

this was a fantastic trip. We were lucky of course as we had very few people aboard so it felt almost private. the guide was very knowledgeable about the area and both the captain and the guid were super friendly. would highly recommend this tour

Another fantastic trip with the Algarve Charters crew in Albufeira. I’ve sailed with them a few times now and they always make the experience special, but this trip meant even more because I brought my nieces along. The caves are stunning, but the crew are what make the whole thing unforgettable. They’re funny, kind and amazing with kids, making everyone feel welcome and part of the adventure. We were all smiling like happy little sea otters floating along the Algarve coast 🦦🌊✨️ Huge thank you to the whole team for creating such a joyful memory for us - have a great season sailing ⛵️🌊✨️