A little island in the Atlantic is beautiful and gets hardly any British tourists, despite being 30C in April.
Ilha Armona is one of a group of five tiny islands off the coast of the Algarve in Portugal. They make up the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa.
Visitors can get to the island via a short ferry or water taxi ride from the nearby coastal cities of Faro and Olhão, costing just a few euros.
Temperatures on the island stay warm throughout the year, with the maximum average temperature in April being 30C. It can also reach a top average of 32C in the summer and drop to 26C in the winter.
It is six miles long and 0.1 to 0.6 miles wide, meaning it could take less than two houses to walk the length of the island.
Ilha Armano has a handful of cafes and restaurants to enjoy throughout the day, spread out across the sandy beach that goes along the entire island.
Due to its size, the Atlantic-facing beach is pristine and uncrowded, especially outside of the busiest summer season. It makes it a popular day trip for those holidaying in the Algarve.
There are also four other small islands to visit in the coastal group – Ilha Barreta, Ilha Culatera, Ilha do Coco and Ilha Tavira.
They make up the Ria Formosa lagoon, a system of barrier islands that was recognised as one of Portugal’s seven natural wonders in 2010. It can be a great place for bird-spotting with 30,000 birds observed throughout the year.
One person who visited Ilha Armona said on Tripadvisor that the island, with its “white powdery sands and clear blue sea” was a place of “peace and serenity with no roads” that “never overcrowded”.
Another noted that, despite its beauty, tourists need to remember to bring everything they need for a day out due to the lack of facilities on the island – such as parasols, food and drinks.
Those wishing to visit can fly direct to the nearby Faro Airport from Bristol, Luton, Gatwick, Manchester and London. A return flight in April is £71 with easyJet or Jet2.
Many who visit choose to stay in Faro, Olhão and the surrounding area as there are only a handful of places to stay on the island. There are lots of hotels, Airbnbs and holiday lets to stay in on the mainland.
