Carvoeiro is a village folded into a small cove, with a pocket-sized beach at the bottom, a cluster of white houses climbing the cliffs on each side, and a small square above it. It began as a fishing community, and you can still see boats pulled up on the sand beside the sunbathers. The name seems to come from the word for charcoal, and the old story is that it was a place where coal was loaded; this is a plausible local explanation rather than a certainty.
What makes the area special is the coast around it. The cliffs here are the soft golden limestone of the Algarve, worn by waves into caves, arches and sea stacks, and just east of the village a walkway leads to the rocks of Algar Seco, a maze of tunnels and pools where the water slaps and booms. Further along are the famous sea caves of Benagil, which you reach by boat rather than by motorbike. The clear green water and the smell of pine and salt make the landscape feel lighter than the nearby big resorts.
The riding is easy rather than exciting. From Lagoa the road drops to the sea in a series of bends, with villas and orange trees to either side, and it is mostly well paved but busy in summer. Traffic crawls in July and August, and parking at the beach is tight, so it is smart to arrive early or in the evening. In spring the countryside is green and flowering, and in autumn the light turns golden and the crowds thin.
Carvoeiro is small, with a population of a few thousand, but it has restaurants, cafés and shops around the square and the beach. Fish is the thing to order, grilled and simply dressed, and a plate of clams in garlic and coriander is a local favourite. Fuel is not available in the village itself, so use Lagoa, about five kilometres away, which has proper petrol stations and supermarkets. Take plenty of water if you walk along the cliffs, because the paths are exposed and the sun is strong.
The cove is lovely at sunset, when the cliffs turn orange and the lights come on in the houses.