Formed from a picturesque fishing village, with a long history of settlement, the parish slowly developed into a tourist area in the municipality of Lagoa, owing to its number of sand beaches protected by cliffs.

There are vestiges of human settlement dating to the Roman occupation of the peninsula, as well as early naval activity in the area.

Most notably, in 1544, a squadron of ships under D. Pedro da Cunha, battled the Turkish barbary coast pirate, Xarramet.

[5] However, from the 1960s onward, tourism gradually became the economic base of the area, with many new hotels, apartment complexes, shops, roads, and significant improvements to infrastructures completed to attract visitors to the metropole.

[5] Algar Seco, a few hundred meters along the coast east of the main square and beach, is a popular nature site where ocean wave erosion has carved out grottoes, islets and water-spouts.

In 2011, a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) was sighted off the coastline by local fishermen, but more commonly, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) are seen in pods of up to 12.

To the west of the town is the site of an old ruined fort, ordered built in 1670 as part of the coastal defenses of the Algarve.

There is a shallow valley leading down to the beach at the eastern end making access fairly easy (even by wheelchair).

Main characteristics of the beach are clear turquoise waters lap up against the orange limestone that forms the cliffs and iconic rock formations.

Some tours offer a 2-hour kayak adventure through the caves of Benagil, providing a unique experience amidst the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.