A SLEEPY WEEK IN THE ALGARVE

Our week on the Algarve was just what a doctor would have ordered. Warmth and sunshine. 10 hours sleep a night, a few more hours dozing on loungers by the pool each day, plenty of fruit (especially oranges), veg and fish and some excellent pampering too. We also added in a teeny bit of exploring despite our wish for RnR, finding sleepy and beautiful places whichever way we turned.

So zen did we return to the UK that it felt like a blue print for a relaxing time in what is known for being a busy tourist hotspot!

The BA flight times from Heathrow are excellent. We flew out on a Sunday evening and returned on a Saturday evening. We didn’t lose any ‘holiday’ time as a result. And food in Club Europe is finally a bit better. For many years I have eaten the very same dairy free starter and main course on all business and first class flights… But this time entirely new dishes. On. Each. Flight. Credit where it’s due on this occasion!

For the first half of our holiday we were at Vilacampina. This is a luxury guest house in the middle of nowhere, close to Tavira. Really sleepy and excellent for a Ctrl Alt Del to kick start relaxation. The second half of the holiday we splurged and checked into Bela Vista in Portimão. A special place for a real treat. I highly recommend both hotels.

Day One – settling in

After a leisurely breakfast at the villa we dragged ourselves through the sweet smelling orange grove to the pool and invested time in our books. We had the place to ourselves and it was a decadence to do next to nothing, in total peace and privacy! We were surrounded by succulent smelling orange groves, raspberry growing and sheep.

Very rural, like home, and very easy to relax. The oranges I must mention! Freshly squeezed oranges in this bit of Portugal are something else. I have never tasted anything so good. Basically as good as any wine! I could live off this orange juice!

For lunch we pottered into Tavira which is the nearby town. I was worried things would be overrun by ‘Brits abroad’ but there was none of that. Touristy yes, but in a sleepy, couply and cultured way. Tavira is a lovely old town to explore with plenty of choices for simple salad lunches.

Having left the confines of Vilacampina for long enough we headed back to our orange scented sanctuary for obligatory dozing and swimming!

Supper was in Santa Luiza which is a sleepy fishing village. We were recommended Capelo and it really was excellent. Superb tuna for Mr P and salmon for me. Simply cooked in olive oil with potatoes and salad. We’d forgotten how tasty the simple food style in Portugal was.

Day Two – beaching

We actually woke to a rain shower, but by 10am it was gone and normal service was resumed. The main beach in the area is Barril and one takes a little train the couple of kilometres out ‘to sea’. It felt really like our beloved Norfolk trundling through the dunes and salt marshes.

At the beach, it’s lovely sand as far as the eye can see and azure water. It had been a while since we’d been near the water so we just enjoyed paddling and being mesmerised by the delicate waves on the shore.

Fascinatingly there is an anchor graveyard which is quite a sight. Rusting anchors lined up row after row to commemorate the tuna fishing fleet. Mr P actually ran all the way back to the beach the next day before breakfast, whilst I slept!

The little fishermen’s huts have been turned into restaurants and cafes and we really enjoyed lunch at Museu do Atum which was the right level of beachside fancy dining. Before returning to our idyllic poolside spot.

For supper we did try and visit another town (Olhao) however we didn’t warm to it – full of Brits and photo-menus. So we popped into a supermarket and brought a picnic back to the villa. The perfect end to another relaxing day, watching the sky turn pink over the pool and raspberry growing houses!

Day Three – moving day

This was moving day for us. We were sad to leave Vilacampina but knew we had something else special to look forward to. Despite plans to do next to nothing, a little bit of googling presented two things of interest en route.

First up some classic limestone scenery at Praia da Marinha. Totally unspoilt and so, forsaking my need for finding a loo over my geography degree mind, we walked to every view point. The colour of the sea was fabulous against the yellow cliffs.

For lunch we headed to Silves. Like Tavira, it is unspoilt and full of cute old buildings. What was actually most interesting for us was the number of storks. We only occasionally see them in the UK. But here, the sky was full of them. And seemingly on the top of each chimney was a nest with a watchful mother and the cutest of chicks!

After lunch we took ourselves to Portimão and checked into the height of luxury. Now the town of Portimão is not somewhere I would spend time, but inside the gates of Bela Vista hotel one enjoys a rarefied atmosphere away from the tourist strip. A truly stunning property. Supper was in Vista, the Michelin starred restaurant. We rarely take ourselves out for special meals, it was a culinary and artistic delight.

Day Four – RnR

We really didn’t do much. That, after all, is why we spent a lot of money to stay somewhere so special! Breakfast coming out of a Michelin star restaurant is always going to be an event and was sun-drenched and leisurely.

We left the hotel twice all day. Once for a quick stroll down the beach – being early season it was thankfully quiet! The second time was for tapas at W- wine, food and friends which we loved. Excellent service, food and drink. Excellent to find a gem hidden on the promenade.

The rest of the day we enjoyed the hotel. The pool is beautifully set and despite the hotel being busy everyone was quiet and enjoying the peace and tranquility. We both had spa treatments in the evening – my first with L’Occitane products – which were excellent followed by down time in the relaxation area where I happily matched my bikini to the decor!!

Day Five – limestone and views

I knew there was more limestone to be seen so after an early breakfast we decided to drive west.

First stop was Cape St Vincent which is a blustery place and a turning mark for yachtsmen. A stunning view up the west coast of Portugal from the bottom corner.

We also found some spectacular limestone at Ponta da Piedada – the clarity and colour of the ocean was beautiful too.

Lunch beckoned and we decided to explore Lagos, as we had both separately heard good things. It is back-packy and attracts the outdoorsy, adventurey type of tourist. So it was easy to find a friendly place to eat. Mr P was particularly happy to stumble over Coast Supply Company and their beautiful beach rugs. I was happy to find a vegan cake shop. Our sort of town!

After another afternoon languishing by the pool, supper was at F – food and wine. Under the same ownership as ‘W’ it is the finer-dining option and has a lovely view across Praia da Rocha as well as excellent food and friendly service!

Day Six – don’t make us go home

Even though we were flying home we still had a full day before our 8pm flight! You guessed it, we started with a leisurely breakfast on the terrace and a morning by the pool.

After that we decided to follow our noses and see if we could find some more sleepy places. Porches Pottery is well known, and their stuff is beautiful. Happily they have a little tea room set in dappled sunlight called Bar Bacchus. We had it almost to ourselves and enjoyed excellent home made salad, quiche and baguettes whilst admiring the in-house tiling!

Our final stop was Praia do Carvalho. A tiny little limestone cove, accessed down a tunnel. We were the token Brits – hurrah! Mr P was delighted to deploy his new beach towel/rug as we enjoyed a final few hours in the sunshine and a beautiful view.

It’s too easy to end up at the airport early, but with these detours we timed it to perfection! Complete with sandy toes!

Yet another excellent trip to Portugal. In 2017 we enjoyed Cascais and Lisbon as well as Madeira. There’s something rather special about this country – the people, the food, the scenery. I’m sure we’ll be back to explore more soon enough. There’s more sleepy bits I still want to see and with our preference for spring or autumn travels the climate is perfect!

I’m not going to try and tell you these are “the best things” to do because I have no idea if they are. But we came, we saw, we relaxed and had a blissful holiday! Everyone’s happy. So something was right! Até mais ver Portugal!

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