along with Geraint, Sabine & David.
We flew to the Algarve in Portugal and arrived late at our villa. We sorted out our rooms and went to bed as we were all tired from travelling.
We explored our villa and very large garden.We had a day around the pool. There was a chance for sunbathing or sitting in the shade for those who preferred. Some of us enjoyed swimming in our pool. Later we went shopping and had pizza at our villa.
Today we explored the Marina in the city of Lagos. This historic city is known for it's walled old town, cliffs and beaches along with cafes and shops. We walked from the Marina along the promenade towards the centre of Lagos. There were lots of colourful market stalls and a chance to buy souvenirs. We then had a nice lunch at an internet cafe. It was really hot today and we were glad to be back at the villa for some shade and drinks. In the evening we lit the BBQ and enjoyed our evening meal in the shade of the varranda.
It was really hot again, it was nice to be able to eat breakfast 'al fresco' on our varranda in the shade. Some spent time arounds the pool either sunbathing or staying in the shade. Others played tennis. Later we went out to have a look around the shops. In the evening we had spaghetti bolognaise for our meal.
In the morning some of the group enjoyed playing tennis. Then some of the group went to explore a small seaside town. Once there we had a lovely train ride along the sea front followed by lunch in a bar overlooking the beach. In the evening we had a BBQ again.
Most of the group opted to visit Portimau today. Where there was a chance for shopping along with views of the seafront. The rest of the group went to a Nature Reserve to look at the birds. We found a very nice restaurant cafe bar where we had a meal. In the evening we had a meal in the local restaurant, very Portuguese!
This was the day that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were getting married back in the UK in Windsor! So this morning we all stayed in to watch the Royal Wedding on the TV. Later we went to Portimau for lunch and some stayed on to watch the big match in a bar.(It was also the F. A. Cup Final ! )
Today was really hot and a chance for another pool day. Some were happy to lounge in the shade on the sunbeds, with the chance for a little nap in the heat. Later we played croquet, or at least we tried too!
We ventured to Albufeira today, just a bit of a drive. It was lovely there, we had lunch in a snack bar then we spent some time on the beach where there was a chance to collect sea shells. There was a stop in a souvenir shop along with drinks in a bar to take in the spectacular views before heading back to the villa for our evening meal.
Another long day, we drove to Zoomarine Theme Park, it is a marine park with seal and dolphine shows, an aquarium and an inland beach and pool. We watched the dolphin and seal shows and thoroughly enjoyed them, they were very entertaining. There were shops for souvenirs within the park. Everyone had a very happy day. In the evening we ate at a Portuguese restaurant.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is rain so we decided to make the most of the pool today. After lunch there was a chance to play croquet again, I think we are getting the hang of this now.
We visited the village of Alvor today, a small seaside resort with a boardwalk and Nature Reserve leading on to a beautiful beach. The reserve is the wetlands of Alvor river estuary providing habitat for local birds. There were lovely views to the Atlantic Ocean and at this time of year it was not too busy. The village itself had very narrow streets but had a good shopping area. We ate our lunch at the beach hut cafe (although it was a little expensive) we had a great view of the beach from here. Then back to the villa for our evening meal.
Today we decided to have a 'chill out' day at our lovely villa. It was a chance to enjoy the views, sunbath or swim and catch our breath and unwind. We were lucky to be able to play games in the garden of our villa and have our own BBq's should we wish. There were also lots of places to sit in the shade for those who preferred to be out of the sun.
Our last full day and we visited Lagos again. This is the statue of Dom Sebastiao in one of the City's squares. Lagos has lots of little cafes and restaurants and souvenir shops. Along with a thriving fish market , churches and museums. As you can see we had beautiful blue skies today.
Time to find our way to Faro Airport and then home to the UK. We have been so lucky with the weather and had a wonderful holiday.
One of our Portuguese meals
