Praia da Rocha Baixinha: the #1 guide
Praia da Rocha Baixinha is the easternmost beach in the municipality of Albufeira. It is actually really close to the resort area of Vilamoura. The beach is a long stretch of sand, which makes it great for long beach walks. There are plenty of water sports available and several beach bars make sure you won’t leave hungry. In addition, there are regular parties here during summer. Let’s explore this beach.
Watch it in HD
Would you like to see a preview of this beach? Then check out the following video.
The beach
Praia da Rocha Baixinha is a big beach, stretching for over a kilometre. It is also quite wide (more than 100 metres). Literally, Praia da Rocha Baixinha means Low Rock beach. To the west, this beach is continued by the famous Praia da Falésia, which is known to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Algarve. The cliffs of Falésia become lower on Praia da Rocha Baixinha, hence the name low rock beach. The more you go to the east, the more the high cliffs gradually transform into low dunes on this beach.
That is why Praia da Rocha Baixinha actually consists of two parts:
- Rocha Baixinha-Poente (west). This is the western part of the beach, near Praia da Falésia. This part is backed by red cliffs. This part of the beach is also known as Praia dos Tomates (tomato beach), because there used to be a tomato plantation nearby. The owner of this plantation used to sell his tomatoes on the beach.
- Rocha Baixinha-Nascente (east). This is the eastern part, near Vilamoura. This part of the beach is backed by low dunes.
It is truly amazing to see the colours of the cliffs on the western side of the beach.
The first beach to the east is Praia da Vilamoura. In fact, the east side of Praia da Rocha Baixinha is made up of a pier, which serves as the entrance to the marina of Vilamoura. You can see that in the picture below.
When standing on the pier, you have a great view over the beach and nearby Praia da Falésia.
The sand on Praia da Rocha Baixinha is awesome: it is white, soft and feels great on the feet. In addition, there is a boardwalk on the beginning of the beach, which leads to several beach bars and restaurants. Furthermore, the water here is relatively warm. There are plenty of water sports available, such as surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, kayaking, jet skiing or stand-up paddle boarding. This ensures you will never be bored on this beach.
Since Praia da Rocha Baixinha is so big, it is always easy to find a spot, even in the height of summer. It is less crowded than the urban town beaches of Albufeira or the nearby tourist magnet of Falésia beach. Most people stay not far from the entrance of Rocha Baixinha. If you would like more space or privacy, you should walk either east of west from the entrance. The beach of Rocha Baixinha mainly attracts couples and families during the day, and party people in the evening. In addition, the beach is known to be the holiday destination of some Portuguese politicians.
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Party beach
Praia da Rocha Baixinha is also kind of a party beach. Many young people come here during summer to party at one of the trendy beach bars. There are regular parties here during summer. For example, NoSoloÁgua hosts daily sunset parties. If you are looking for a place to party, the beach bars at Rocha Baixinha certainly won’t disappoint you.
Beach walk
Praia da Rocha Baixinha is a magnificent place for long beach walks. Walk to the west, in the direction of Praia da Falésia. You can walk for many kilometres, all the way until Praia do Barranco das Belharucas, which is the beach west of Falésia. This beach walk takes more than 2 hours. During this beach walk you can admire the orange / red cliffs of Praia da Falésia. By the way, if you look west, you can actually see the town of Albufeira in the distance.
How to get there
The easiest way to move around in the Algarve is by car. If you don’t have one, make sure to rent a car. When driving on the EN125 national road, take the exit M526 near Boliqueime. Turn left when you see signs indicating Praia da Falésia. Follow this road, all the way towards the end. You will see Praia da Rocha Baixinha indicated on the signs. The last part of this long road is a dirt track. There is plenty of informal parking behind Praia da Rocha Baixinha. From here it is only a couple of minutes walking to the beach. Another way to access the beach is on foot from Vilamoura, crossing a wooden footbridge over the Quarteira stream.
Beach restaurants
There are several beach bars and restaurants near the beach:
- Restaurant Rocha Baixinha. This is a marvelous restaurant, focusing on Portuguese specialties, such as grilled fish and seafood. It is arguably the best place to have lunch on this beach. In addition, they have an extensive list of cocktails. They have a good location, near the entrance of the beach.
- Thai Beach Club. This awesome beach club focuses on exotic and healthy Thai food. They often have live music and there is a great atmosphere. Moreover, they have a great view over the beach. Highly rated.
- NoSoloÁgua Vilamoura. This restaurant/bar is a great place for partying. In summer they host regular sunset parties with a DJ. They have great cocktails and a nice designer decor. The place is targeted towards young party people. If you are looking for a good party, go here. However, if you are looking for the best restaurant, we recommend one of the two options above.
- Gomes na Praia. This restaurant receives mixed reviews. We think there are good other options nearby, so we recommend to avoid this one.
Hotels
Praia da Rocha Baixinha is relatively close to Praia da Falésia. Thus we recommend the same hotels as you can find in the article about Praia da Falésia.
Another option is to quickly check the availability of nearby hotels. Below you can find a map with the location of hotels near the beach. By changing the date of your holiday, the map will show you the current prices.
Excursions
If you would like to discover more of the Algarve, we recommend to go on an excursion. Many excursions show you another side of the Algarve, one that isn’t seen by the masses. You can book some of these excursions online beforehand. Below you can find our favourite excursions in this part of the Algarve.
Facilities
Praia da Rocha Baixinha has plenty of facilities. After all, both the western and the eastern part of Praia da Rocha Baixinha are a Blue Flag beach. There are several beach restaurants and bars, which host parties during summer as well. There are sunbeds for rent and there are several water sports available. In addition, the beach is also accessible by wheelchair.
Facilities in Praia da Rocha Baixinha:
- Restaurant: yes
- Bar/club: yes
- Toilet: yes
- Shower: yes
- Water sports: yes
- Sunbeds: yes
- Parking: yes
- Lifeguards: yes
- Blue Flag beach: yes
