Praia de Benegil

Praia de Benegil is one of thoese places where you go once and never feel the need to go back again. Just like one of the 7 wonders of the world, Niagra Falls, I have been there a couple of times and have no desire to go back. The beach isn't known for its beautiful beach experiences but rather the famous Benegil Cave which is accessible via paddle board and rentable Kayaks at the beach. One of the most busiest beaches in Lagoa makes this not that great of an experience. Very narrow streets and sidewalks making walking down from the crowded parking lots difficult. Families will be too worried about their children getting run over by the passing cars getting to and returning from the beach. Praia de Benegil is picturesq, but the crowds take away from it's experience. The becaa short walk from down town Carvoeiro and Carvoeiro beach. While the walk up the hill from downtown and then steps down to the Praia de Paraiso is great workout, it's also a beautiful secluded oasis. Expecially in the non summer months. The beach gets its name from the area which is called Quinta do Paraiso. It is a sought after location for people looking to move to Carvoeiro. If you are staying in downtown Carvoeiro and even if your not I highly recommend checking out this beach. Be careful when you get to the bottom of the steps. The step ladders at the base of the beach have been damaged and some of the stpes are missing or loose. People with less mobility may have to pass on this beach. The beach is small so don't come with lots of stuff.

While rock falls rarely happen in the summer it is worth considering not laying your blanket next to the cliffs just to be safe. The beach has a large iconic cliff column jetting out in the middle of the beach area.

Good to know

Where to eat?

While the Praia de Bengil doesn't have a restaurant on the beach, there are some restaruants in the cliffs along the entrance to the beach. They offer beautiful scenic views of the beach and music. You can also walk on side walk back up the hill towards the parking lot at the top of the hill where you will find other restaurants to eat. A short drive inland and you will find a gourmet hamburger restaurant and churasqueira (flame grilled) chicken.

Parking

Praia de Benegil has a substantial parking lot that is usually at capacity in the summer months. The street access is through a residential area and very narrow which also limits street parking. Like most of the beaches in Lagoa come early to get a parking space in the summer. Best to find parking off the main the road futher back in the linked together dirt and paved parking lots.

Surf

Good for cooling off and seeing one of the top wonders of Alarve. The beach is rather good size. Large elevation drop downto the beach. Waves tend to come in multiple directions given the beaches very small width. This makes it difficult to enter and exit the beach with waves comging from multiple directions as they bounce off the cliff walls. Not good for surfing given its narrow width.

How Busy

Unlike some other cliff beaches it doesn't get tight for a place to lay your beach blanket in the summer because most of the visitors are they to access the Benegil Cave. Even in the winter and spring there are plenty of people which means this isn't the place to come for solitude or being secluded. Unfortunately to man people know about the Benegil beach and cave. Once you've experienced the beach and feel like checking out another beachs climb up the hill eastward along the cliff walk to Prai de Carvalho. If you don't feel like swimming, paddle boarcing or Kayaking to the beach to exprience the Benegil cave consider checking it out from above. Walk back up the hill to the right into the parking area along the cliff walk eastward. You will come to the Benegil Cave opening that is fenced off. These surface cave opening exist and are viewable along multiple cliff beaches in Algarve.

Activities

Plenty of activities to do at Bengil beach.

Swimming: I wouldn't recommend this beach for swimming given that the waves here can be treacherous even in the summer. Avoid swimming in the boat ramp where there are usually dozens of kayakers making their way into the water to paddle over to Benegil Cave. I wouldn't risk trying to swim to the Benegil cave given how busy the entrance to the cave is with boat and kayak traffic.
Sun Bathing:
Picnicing: On the beach.
Watching sunrises and sunsets: Some amazing views from the tops of the cliffs. Towards the west of Algarve you can see the sun set. Towards the east of Algarve you can see the sun rise.
Walks: If you get bored with Benegil beach, it's a short walk west Carvalho beach from here. Consider going there by foot up the cliff walk way westward along Cliff. It's also a short walk east to Praia de Marinha which was voted one of the top 10 beaches in all of Europe. Use an Uber to get to the beach if you don't want to deal with the hills. Uber rides for short distances are very inexpensive in Algarve. Walk to to the top of the eastern side of Benegil beach cliffs to check out the Benegil cave from above. Be careful not to get to close to the cliff edges and cave openings.
People watching: It can be entertaining watching the kayakers entering the water and trying not to get wiped out by the big waves.
Kayaking and standup paddle boarding: With easy access to Benegil Cave it makes it appealing. The craziness of dozenss of people trying to enter the waters and avoiding the tour boats will make you think twice about it. Recently a kayaker was injured and the local government has passed new laws to limit the number of Kayak rentals that are allowed in the area. Carefully consider the risks injury as a result of kayaking with large boats around you with large waves before you choose this activity.