Calheta Beach Verified listing

Calheta is a lovely area by the sea with a nice man-made beach with golden sand, bars, toilets and changing rooms, first-aid services and a big marina. This beach offers a wide variety of nautical activities (canoeing, windsurf boards and catamaran rental services) and crystal clear waters. The yellow sand was brought mainly from Morocco, but also from Figueira da Foz (mainland Portugal).

On the main avenue leading to the beach you will find some good fish restaurants serving fish ‘cataplanas’ and other tasty sea food dishes and local specialities, to be sampled with cold white wine or a 'shandy' (a drink made of beer and lemonade).

As this beach can get very crowded at weekends during the summer months (after all it is one of the few sandy beaches on the island), we recommend you to visit it during the week, if you prefer some more privacy.

'Praia do Calhau' is a pebble beach that was created nearby. Once an inaccessible area, it is now a public beach, with sundeck, changing rooms and an esplanade.