If you visit Algarve, going to the caves along the shore, especially the Benagil Cave, is almost a must.
I had to do some long research on the ways to get to the cave. Swimming and kayaking is out as I had in my group someone who's not very athletic. Bumpy small boats may be too hard on some backs. Large boats, while safe and comfortable, cannot get up close and personal inside the caves. Finally I found this company that operates the "pirate ship", which sounds perfect. They have smaller boats that take people inside the caves once you arrive near them, so it's the best of both worlds.
We really enjoyed the tour. They have some pirate music going on but didn't overdo the theme to the point that you feel you are crashing a children party. The Algarve shoreline is indeed gorgeous and dramatic, especially against a backdrop of blue sky. Once we get near the caves, half the boat will get down the ladder onto smaller speed boats to take an up close look, while the rest continue to cruise around on the pirate ship. One of the small kids did get too scared to go down to the small boats. They do give us enough time to snap photos and I got so many great ones.
The ship supposedly have wifi though the code didn't work. No big deal for me as it would be a shame to be staring at the phone instead of beautiful nature.
The meetup point is at Clube Naval de Portimão, which is near the Sardines Museum, so I'd recommend set aside some time to take a quick tour before or after the cruise. read more