Camping Campiférias Vila Nova de Milfontes is just 3 hours drive south of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. And three hours further south to the Algarve. So ideally situated to see the east and southern coast of Portugal. This campsite is a little dated and the rules are a little scattered during the high season (July, August), anything goes 😂. So if you don’t mind campers scattered around you with sometime limited personal space then this site will be OK. The bonus is the people. Everyone around us was just so friendly.
The information we look for is campsite facilities such as access, pitch size, shower and toilet facilities, power amperage, internet, fresh water source, chemical waste point and grey water waste points. Others nice to have facilities would be gym, swimming pool, cafes and restaurants, on-site store for daily requirements, washing machines.
Also, it’s worth looking at the distance to shops, markets, beach, points of interest.
Looking for the next campsite while caravaning is not always just get-up and go. There is a certain amount of planning and research to do. The last thing you want to do is just turn up and be told there is no room for you or you’re disappointed with the pitch size, facilities, or utilities. Of course, maybe not so vital if you are only planning a short stay .
We made lots of friends on site and still keep in contact with some of them. Another bonus stay was the town markets just across the road from this campsite. This market had everything from fresh fish every day to butcher, baker and candlestick maker – almost… there was a small local craft shop and once a week the candlesticks and other nick-nacks were on display on the forecourt fleamarket. This is where we first tasted fresh sardines on our barbecue. We also tried Daurada, more expensive but rather tasty. Loved it at Camping Campiférias Milfontes.
No free wifi, was a bit of a shame. But they did have a very popular bar and restaurant. The bathrooms were byo toilet roll, and 4 of the 6 showers had hot water. The laundry was was a row of tub basins with a wash board fixture angled into the tub and it was a bring your own cork plug. Water and waste water to the site were all the old fashioned way… go fetch from the nearest communal tap and drain (not in the same location of course). As bbq is allowed the lunchtime and evening charcoal fire was something you could rely on, to get your appetite going. We shared caracois, little snails with our neighbours and some ‘proper’ cider Spanish style where you introduce the bubbles by pouring from a great height.
There is also a custom of charging which we found strange but it is repeated in many places. You pay for the people, the site, and what you put on it. So… person 1 and person 2, Caravan less than 6mts or more than, awning less than 6m2 or more than, tent, and car. We didn’t have to pay for the pushbike. Then power is on top of that; here it was a daily fee.
Vila Nova de Milfontes is along the River Mira where it comes out into the Atlantic. It isn’t a very big town, but it is a popular holiday place in Portugal and with only two caravan parks in and around town, it was sometimes busy but we had a good sized pitch which was shaded in the afternoon (we are improving at figuring that out) and we got to meet some great people.
Check this site out here:
https://www.campingcampiferias.com/
We shared our table and chairs with these kids who were on holidays and didn’t have any. Before they left, they invited us to share their dinner. It was a delightful and unexpected pleasure.
You may notice, that we are cooking a lot of our meals on our Weber Q1200 gas Barbecue. We just about live outside while caravanning around Europe and our little Weber Q1200 Gas Barbecue sizzles at almost every meal-time. Of course, even though it’s labeled as a BBQ it is an amazing little oven too. and we love experimenting with it and finding new things to surprise and delight our taste buds with. 🍽
Gas supply comes from an outside service point that runs off the caravan’s portable gas cylinder. Our motor home had the same fitting, and if you are thinking of getting one of these (which we HIGHLY recommend) you will have to organise gas supply separately.
Now let’s talk about what else you can do here. Who loves the beach and the water? Vila Nova de Milfontes has an amazing inlet where you can have fun with the tide, as long as you are a good swimmer. The tides can be strong but swimming areas have been roped off so if you get carried away, it won’t be too far. It was great fun when the tide was coming in to jump in and let the incoming tide to carry you up along the inlet.
Vila Nova de Milfontes
Just about everything you need is within walking distance from boot camp. Just about every morning we would walk through the town to the beach. Have a swim in the inlet followed by coffee and yummy pastry on the beach wall. Walking back to camp we would talk about what we would like for diner. Call into the supermarket have a look at what available, maybe change our mind, maybe not. Grab dindin and back to camp for afternoon siesta. Diner is normally a barbecue of course.
You will find more information on Milfonties in our Post Destination – Milfonties Portugal.
And here is a link to the local tourism site.
https://algarve-south-portugal.com/vila-nova-de-milfontes-portugal.html
termine e adeus 😀
finish and goodbye
