Armas Portimao to Tenerife ferry - Q&A thread

[geri]

You won´t get resident discount for the trip as Portimao is in Portugal not Spain.

[dede]

Yes Geri is right you dont get the discount for portimao, but if you went to cadiz you would, but i reckon it would still be more expensive even with the discount.

[Dominique]

Hi,
Has anyone experience of this ferry and did anyone just turn up at the ferry and book there? What is the facilities like on board?

since nobody who actually used the ferry answered the 2 key questions, I will

to get there: once you get off the highway and enter Portimao, keep on driving all the way down to the beach, take a left for a couple of km's and it's on your right hand side... you will see a couple of signs on the way and
once you almost found it you will have to look for a couple of minutes more... but it shouldn't take more than 15 mins from the highway exit

the amenities: - big comfy seats in about a dozen of resting areas, all with a big flat screen to watch movies during the day, not too bad but don't expect to be too comfortable... said this, I would do it again without a bed
- self-service restaurant where you can have decent food for a very reasonable price
- inside bar with animation at night... mind you those guys are not just drag queens but also very gay
- outside bar with rather small swimming pool (25m²) and sun beds... not enough for everyone so try to get one... and don't go German, putting your towel on a sun bed doesn't make it yours! lol
- amazing views to enjoy every second of the trip... unless you don't like water
- a beer was € 1,60 last year so you can get drunk without getting broke, cocktails are also very affordable, don't remember exactly how much
- swimwear

things to take: - overdose of Imodium so you don't have to use those toilets with sh|t hanging off the wall
- tooth brush and tooth paste to make it enjoyable for your fellow boat mates, as well as whatever needed to shower
- a book, a deck of cards, games... something to kill time.. it's a loooooong trip... a laptop is a good idea too, they have power outlets so you can keep it charged... don't expect internet though
- sun screen... if you go during summer like I did you will need it, the sun is quite hot down South (it's Africa!)


a nice idea I noticed from other people is to take a sleeping bag and sleep on the deck... the sun beds are a lot more comfortable than the seats and a sleeping bag can keep you warm, even when it's freezing
don't worry, you'll have a bed since not too many people do this

absolutely no access to the cars once set sail!

they have lockers for your valuables during sleep... they're shared but you won't get access to any luggage except yours... they're very very! strict on what bags you touch... so you can consider it absolutely safe

the stop in Funchal doesn't take too long, getting on the deck to watch the whole ritual is quite enjoyable! you don't see a huge ferry unload and load every day, not from the deck... also, the side balconies are the place to be once you're getting close to the island

smoking only outside... don't worry if it's too cold on the deck... after a while you'll figure out how to get to the balconies on the side where you're not troubled with too much wind... hiding under a stair case can help

not to forget: the drive through Spain to get to Portimao is a holiday on its own... if you miscalculated and expect to be waaaaay to early, drive South from Granada to Motril (amazing views) and then drive along the coast to Málaga and back North to Antequera... of course that's not for people who passed the Pyrénées on the West

Portimao is a nice city with plenty of bars and restaurants and lots of beach

so, this is probably more info than you wanted since no one really bothered before... enjoy your trip!

[angiebabes]

When we used this ferry in November 2009, people were allowed onto the car deck three times per day to either get stuff from their cars or to visit pets in cages down on the car deck.

[SHARPY]

Thanks for all the info from forum members on this trip.
Driving down from the UK using the the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry and then driving to Portimao via Guarda. Staying overnight in the Hotel Vanguard in Guarda and then down to Portimao where we are staying in the Tivoli Marina for a few days while we wait for the ferry.
The only problem is Armas only publish their prices and timetables 6 weeks (email from their contact centre today confirmed) in advance and we are travelling in May. I'm sure there will be no problems though.