We stayed for three weeks to work remotely from the apartment and fell in love with Areia Branca and the apartment. First things first: if you plan to work from the apartment, the internet has a downstream of 200 mbit and upstream of over 100 mbit and was very reliable. More than good enough to do even media-intense stuff.
The terrace is huge and provides not only a view over the beach but also over the whole town as the apartment is located on the 7th floor and belongs to the only tall building in the small town. The view is mind-blowing and we'll dearly miss seeing the ocean every time we look up from our laptops. Be aware that the terrace can feel a bit chilly due to how far up it is. We still loved it though and used it plenty.
The base floor of the building has a Spar supermarket and a self-service laundry which was very convenient. The town was lovely as well. It's very small, but that's exactly what we were looking for. Everything is within walking distance. There are a couple of nice restaurants and surf schools around. As you're at the Atlantic ocean, the beach tends to be quite windy and the water is pretty cold. I would not recommend the location for a straight beach vacation, but if you're into surfing it's perfect. We took surfing lessons with Ze and Gonzalo next door at the Areia Branca Surf Schools. If you go there say hi from Riad and Andrea! :)
There is a small car rental service 5 minutes from the apartment. Getting to the next towns via taxi or Uber can be tricky otherwise (most of the time searching for a driver via an app ended up unsuccessfully). If you're looking for a ride to the airport we can recommend checking the small store selling beach ware and bike rental on the opposite side of the Indian restaurant (which is super good by the way). They offer an airport shuttle service for 65€. A warning if you're traveling during Covid: on the day of the departure we checked around 8 places for a quick antigen test in the closest town called Lourinha but they were either closed (only open for 2-3 days per week or only for a few hours of the day) or only offered PCR tests. You can get a quick antigen test at the Lisbon airport though. Make sure to book an appointment in advance for less waiting time.
We didn't meet our host Ana in person, but she was very receptive over whatsapp and super friendly. We already miss the apartment and would love to come back one day!