My sister, Trudi, and I travelled to Portugal at the end of June for a week. Originally our mum was due to come with us, but the forecast was for a very warm week, so mum decided it was too hot for her – and she was probably right!
We flew at a sensible time from Exeter airport, and had a car booked for the 40 minute journey from Faro to Albufeira. We had booked accommodation through Booking.com, as getting a hotel room to accommodate 3 people without having to use a sofa bed in the lounge had looked very expensive.
Because there was now only two of us we were able to have a room each and our own bathroom, which was lovely. The only real fault with the apartment was the lack of proper air conditioning in the twin bedded room. In the end Trudi moved a mattress onto the floor in the lounge, which worked well. My double room was up a spiral staircase with a rope for a handrail. We both had large balconies, with sunbeds on the top floor; table and chairs on the floor with the lounge and kitchen (level 5 in the block). We struggled with the keys to the front door initially, and when we went to find the swimming pool there was an awful smell along the corridor, but both improved during our stay!
After sussing out the apartment, we then wanted to get down to the beach and see something of the area, although by now it was approaching 10pm.
The first thing we saw were escalators down to the beach!! Never seen anything like that before. After a rather boring ride on a small land train around the East of Albufeira we took the escalators down and walked along the beach. There was a surprising amount of surf and we could see the sea got deep quite quickly.
After winding our way back to the apartment, picking up some water and basic groceries on the way, we attempted to sleep in the rooms we had managed to cool down with the air conditioning. The signs in the town said it was still 30 deg at midnight, and the AC was reading 27 deg in the room, but much less stuffy than when we had arrived.
DAY ONE
The next day, Monday, we had a wander before Tru decided to have a swim in the sea, and I stopped in a cafe for breakfast. Tru had brought her own breakfast, but I enjoyed having a leisurely couple of cortado’s with something to eat. After picking up some beers in a tobacconist on the way back to the apartment we settled on the balconies to read etc.
Unfortunately we had been disappointed that the Old Town was full of Irish Pubs and Sports Bars etc, catering to a British audience of separate groups of lads and girls. We had eventually found some pretty old streets, but these were in the minority
Tru had not slept well the night before, and the middle of the day was very warm (35 deg according to the signs) so we had a siesta. Keeping in the European style we then wandered around a few shops before stopping for Sangria.
After some salad and cheese etc back at the apartment we thought we would try out the swimming pool. It was lovely to cool down immediately in the water and then dry off on the sunbeds in the sun
We had read about the Marina which seemed worth a visit. I had imagined the large flashy marina like the one I had visited in Malaga, but this was much smaller, and a bit sad in a way – not very many people, wandering between restaurants, go cart tracks, ten pin bowling and the inevitable Irish bar. Nevertheless we had a nice dinner of salads and cocktails/sangria, accompanied by a couple singing.
Certainly the Marina was more peaceful than the Old Town which we walked through on the way back to the apartment again. We sat eating ice cream, marvelling at the noise as each bar pumped out live music, appearing to compete with each other to see which could be loudest!
DAY TWO
In search of pastel de nata for breakfast I headed back to the supermarket where we had seen them sold. Unfortunately after waiting for an hour or so for the shop to open at 9.30am I was told none had been delivered. I bought some frangipane type tarts instead – not as nice, but certainly tasty enough, if a bit hard to bite in.
Whilst waiting for the shop to open I watched the activity of the various workers getting ready for the day, setting up sunbeds; putting out chairs and tables for the day; washing and sweeping floors etc. One man turned up at a shed on the beach and dug in the sand to find a white plastic bag with the key in it, buried in a pace he obviously knew to look for.
Tru had gone to the beach to swim and do some sunbathing. On her return we decided to visit a restaurant overlooking the bay for lunch, and enjoyed more Sangria, with a meal of sardines, salad and potatoes. I am not a big fish eater, especially when brought on a plate with heads and tails intact, but I must say these were delicious. The location was idyllic, looking down on the sand and sea, and watching the boats go past (including the one pictured below which was all gold!)
By the time we returned to the apartment we were very hot again, so decided to snooze around the pool, first in the shade and then venturing into the sun as the day wore on. I am not loving the picture here of me asleep by the pool, but include it anyway!
After a light dinner of salad and fruit we strolled along the boardwalks to the east of the main bay, in what was by then cooler evening, and away from the main entertainment bustle of the Old Town
DAY THREE
When we were anticipating this holiday Tru had bought a guidebook relating to Albufeira, which appeared to be very up to date having only recently been published. We had already decided that the author had a rather romantic view of the area, talking about the Old Town for example with little or no reference to the party scene. After adjusting our expectations we had accepted and liked Albufeira in many ways, but not necessarily as described in the guidebook.
Nevertheless we decided to walk to a beach called Praia Sao Rafael, to the west of Albufeira, as recommended in the book. We first walked back to the Marina, stopping to admire the view across the town en route. The Marina looked different in daylight from when we had visited in the dark – in particular there was a lot of half built apartments which we found out later had been the same for at least 10 years. We did like the Mclaren car parked nearby though…
The road to the beach from the Marina was another 40 minutes or so further on, through some fine looking houses, apartments and a hotel surrounded by palm trees (Kimpton). At the beach we paid 20 euros for the benefit of using sunbeds for the day, and an uninterrupted view of the sea. Private umbrellas were restricted to either side of the part allocated to the sunbeds so they didn’t spoil our view!
Back to the guidebook, which had described the bay as a sort of oasis with calm warm seas, clear enough to see fish. Unfortunately on the day we visited the sea was not calm, with strong waves making it difficult to get in and out – I certainly made a show when I got knocked over getting out after a swim, and my swimsuit filled up with sand and seaweed! There was a lot of weed in the sea and certainly not the calm clear waters promised.
Nevertheless it was a lovely place to relax and watch the multitude of boats, kayaks and SUP’s pass by and to finish our books
The restaurant on the beach made a very nice place for lunch, if a little pricey. We had salmon and chicken salads, helped along with red wine sangria – we had tried rose sangria and white, now time for red
Despite the straw umbrellas and moving the sunbeds as the sun made its way across the sky we both managed to come away from the beach a little pink.
By the time we got back to the Marina we were hungry again – this is turning into a blog about our food! A beer and a pizza went down very well whilst we watched various boats coming and going, laden with tourists coming back or going on their trips
To finish off the day we found a stall selling warm pastel de nata for 2 euros each in Albufeira. After walking 6 or 7 miles altogether we figured we deserved them
DAY FOUR
After a lazy morning catching up with a bit of work whilst Tru swam in the pool we walked up to the restaurant we had been in before, overlooking the bay, for lunch.
Tru had gone for a walk earlier and found some amazing sand statues of the Simpsons, so we went via these so I could see them.
At the restaurant the waitress put up one of the umbrellas so we could sit in the shade – it had been overcast earlier, and the sea a bit rough, but it was now getting hotter again
Tru had wanted to try the octopus salad advertised on the boards outside. When told that this was a starter, she also ordered the sardines like we had before, whilst I had tomatoes and mozzarella. After some confusion when we ended up getting the octopus ordered by the table next to us, we ate, accompanied by the obligatory sangria. I had had enough of fish and let Tru tuck in to both the dishes she had ordered, although I did have a mouthful of the octopus to try it out – it was OK, but I wouldn’t rush to have it again!
We had booked a sunset jeep tour for the evening, 6pm to 10pm, so rested in the apartment before walking up to just above the escalators for the arranged pick up
Our driver Johnny was a character, making jokes and chatting away for the duration of the tour. We picked up a French couple and a family of 3 from Wales to join us in the back of the open jeep (ex Army)
After driving along some off road tracks, through a pool and past some communal laundry facilities, we visited a farm. We tasted the spicy honey and jams, and were able to walk around the various herbs being grown next to a few goats, one pig and various chickens
Next stop was a cafe selling lovely custard tarts as well as hand made chocolates, in a small village called Alte.
Also in Alte the spring has been dammed to form a long pool, increasing in depth over its length, making a great place to cool off
Next stop was a waterfall, set in the midst of orange tree orchards. We had seen lots of fruit growing along the route, including olive, figs, pomegranate etc. Johnny told us that the orange trees are tilled and grow for 5 years, before being harvested for the next 20. They are then dug up and replaced again
Finally we moved on to a local peak to watch the sunset, joined by 3 other jeeps. There was a swing placed in a convenient location and we all took turns to have our pictures taken with the sun
At the end of the drive back we chatted to Johnny about how we were surprised that the Old Town of Albufeira was so dominated by groups of lads and girls, loud music and British/Irish Pubs etc. Johnny said this had happened in the last 3 years or so, largely as a result of Spain bringing in fines for fighting and drunken behaviour. He said the trouble was always from the British, and the ‘Strip’ was worse than the Old Town, with lots of fighting after midnight. We had thought of visiting the Strip to experience it, but decided against it now. It seems likely that Portugal will have to bring in similar rules to Spain, but in the meantime the character of Albufeira has been changed dramatically
This is a sign in a bus stop that we walked past every day – it seems a shame that it was considered necessary
DAY FIVE
Whilst Tru went to secure a sunbed at the other end of our local beach, I walked to a patisserie we had seen to get something for breakfast. I chose a tart with fruit on the top, as the only croissants were brioche – OK, but not like France
We had walked past a church museum a few times but it was always closed. Today it was open, and after paying a nominal fee of 3 euros I saw the very impressive nave and read about some of the local history
I read about a Saint Vincent who was offered to the church when baptised, by his mother. He was born in 1590, and travelled from Albufeira to Lisbon, before going to Mexico and finally Japan to preach the gospel of Christ. He was imprisoned for 2 years but would not give up his faith so was eventually burned at the stake in 1632, whilst holding a crucifix shouting ‘Long live the faith in Jesus Christ’. We had seen a statue commemorating this saint in Albufeira.
As a Catholic nation the Virgin Mary plays an important role. Apparently in 1646 the then king of Portugal, King John IV, offered his crown to the Virgin Mary, along with his kingdom. No Portugese monarch has ever worn the crown on his head again – it is usually placed on a cushion beside the King.
The local fishermen are said to have found a statue of the Virgin Mary and brought it back to their church. The next day the statue had apparently returned to where it was originally found. It was then kept there in a place near the modern day Marina. An annual celebration in August each year developed, which saw the statue put in a boat, accompanied by the fishermen in their own boats.
A lot of Albufeira was destroyed by earthquake in 1755 but some artefacts had been saved
After a lazy few hours on the sunbeds we got some lunch at a beach cafe – prawn salad for me, risotto for Tru.
The weather was cooler today, especially in the morning. When we first arrived we had read signs showing temperatures up to 37 deg, which we were sceptical about, although it was very hot. Now the signs were reading 22 deg increasing to 25 deg by lunchtime, which seemed accurate, so perhaps it had been 37 deg at the beginning of the week after all
Tru was determind to swim every day, but nobody else seemed to swim in the sea – they were just bobbing about to cool down. There were bouys in the sea marking boat lanes, and a water based obstacle course in the middle of the bay, so Trudi decided today to swim out the edge of one lane, across the bay to the obstacle course and back to shore – it looked a jolly long way to me!
On the way back to the apartment we saw the remains of an old ammunition store built probably in the 16th century (Albufeira Battery), but which now smells like a sewer! Separately there is a monument to the fishermen after which the beach is named – Albufeira was a small fishing village until the development of tourism here in the 1970’s.
Tru had wanted to try a local dish called Cataplana, a sort of seafood stew. Usually it is made for 2 people to share but we had found a restaurant that served it for one. We decided to have our traditional holiday ‘posh nosh’ at this restaurant, and I was delighted to choose a Chateaubriand, a personal favourite since a trip to Rome many years ago
Both meals were delicious, helped along with some wine, and then an indulgent desert too. The service was excellent, the whole team working together tending to our every need very efficiently. Trudi only had to touch the copper cataplana pot and a waiter appeared to spoon some more onto her plate.
We had seen a poster about a free horse exhibition down at the Marina, and decided to go and see what it was about.
The free show was excellent, with a mixture of dance and singing, as well as various performances by the beautiful horses
By the end we were getting quite chilly, but warmed up again after a brisk walk back to the apartment
DAY SIX
Today we had a boat trip booked, from the Marina. The walk there seemed quicker every time we did it.
Our boat was a RIB, and we were promised a ride along the coast, looking at various beaches and caves, including the one that appears on all the photos, Benagil. We were also hoping to see dolphins, assuming they wanted to play ball and appear
There were 18 in our boat, and Tru and I were last to be seated. Despite me bring squeezed in next to a large Canadian dairy farmer we had ideal seats, one behind the other, next to the edge of the boat
Making our way out of the harbour our guides pointed out paintings of local fishermen on the walls of the building in the old part of the Marina. Once clear of the harbour the speed picked up and there was some horseplay with two other boats from the same business going out at the same time, as well as weaving around the sandstone stacks in the bays, before admiring some beautiful beaches, which included Sao Rafael which we had visited a few days before
On the way out to deeper seas to find the dolphins there was some weaving of the boats, resulting in some passengers getting a soaking. When we reached the dolphins there were several boats already in the area. We assume the dolphins were free to swim away if they didn’t like it, but the seas did seem a but crowded, although Tru managed to catch a picture with no other boats in sight
At Benagil cave there were even more boats, and more kayaks than I had ever seen in one place. Apparently they now have a system so that the boats go in and back out of the left entrance, whilst kayaks use the right. It did feel a bit like a traffic jam
The cave itself is very impressive, very big with a beach, and a round opening at the top. We could see people on the cliff above looking down at us through the hole – they seemed very close to the edge! We were taking photos of them, whilst they took photos of us
There are lots of other caves all along the coastline. Some we went into, and we were glad we were on a relatively small boat as some of the others were much larger
Our guide/ captain were both relatively young lads who were fun, pointing out the shapes of some of the sandstone structures and their similarity to eg an elephant, a yellow submarine and even Donald Trump. The captain said the Trump one was better than real life as it couldn’t speak, which the Canadian next to me found hilarious
Back towards Albufeira we saw some lovely beaches only accessible by boat, a UNESCO heritage beach and a nudist beach, among others, and a wedding chapel on top of a cliff
As I said there were lots of kayaks everywhere, especially around the caves. We had thought of hiring a couple but Tru wasn’t confident, and seeing how close the boats got to the kayaks, and the impact of their wake, it was a good thing we didn’t, otherwise Tru may never have got in a kayak again. I saw one kayaker practically lying down, which reminded me of when my dad tried out a kayak in Exeter canal, and his core wasn’t strong enough to hold him up straight! It seemed quite apt on this day, 5th July, what would have been his birthday if he hadn’t died last September
We decided to have a late lunch in the Marina after our 2.5 hour trip. We have always had excellent food at reasonable prices in Portugal and this meal was no exception. I am sure you can guess you had the seafood risotto? 🤣
I am sure Trudi must have had her fill of seafood by now. We have quite different tastes and I would never have choosen most of the dishes she ate on this holiday – did you spot broccoli on the pizza she had a few days ago – who wants broccoli on a pizza??
After a few hours on the beach (Trudi, still swimming) and the pool (well a couple of strokes for me to cool down, as the afternoons seem to warm up) and a bit of dozing, we ate up the food we had left, along with some sangria bought in the supermarket to celebrate our last night. Tomorrow we will be travelling home
DAY SEVEN
After packing and breakfast in a cafe overlooking the sea one last time, we took the long way back to the apartment to get some final photos. We were picked up at 11.15am for our transfer back to Faro airport and an uneventful 2.5 hour flight back to Exeter, met by grey skies and a chilly wind – welcome home!
