There is really only one way to sum up Portugal. Utter bliss! Three days of sun, sand, sangrias, caipirinhas and swimming. It really doesn't get any better than that.Thursday morning I was up at 3:15am to get to the Luton airport for our 6:30am flight. Ouch! Luckily Bevan let me crash at his place and catch a taxi with him & his girlf Claire in the morning or I would have been up even earlier since I live on the other side of London.
What a mission getting through the airport! Chayter decided to stand in queue for half an hour till he realised he didn't need to since he'd already checked in online and had no bags, Alex was stopped at security for trying to take a bag load of liquids through, Chris & Joji were sent back to check-in because of a problem with their boarding passes.. I'm surprised any of us made it on the plane!
Once at the hotel we got changed into togs and met down at the hotel pool and bar. Wow, what a hotel! Incredible views over the sea, multiple restaurants & bars, massive outdoor pool, indoor pool & spa, massage centre, and elevator down to the beach! Yep you heard that right. You name it this hotel had it! First order of business was ordering myself a Caipirinha, a brazilian cocktail I had the pleasure of drinking for the first time in an Auckland brazilian restaurant and loved! Made with Cachaca, sugar and lime. Very tasty and my staple for the next few days.
We picked our loungers by the pool and settled in for an afternoon of relaxation and catching up in the 37deg heat. We also had to give the elevator a go and check out the beach. The beach was beautiful with picture perfect white sand, crystal blue water and gorgeous rocks & cliffs that gave the beach a unique look. To the left was a great little lagoon which you could only get to at lower tides or if you swam around the rocks. Poor Alex was in a cast from breaking his heel so didn't get to enjoy the beach or the pool.
My workmates Chayter, Alex, Bevan and Chris, Bev's girlf Claire and Chris' girlf Joji wanted to watch the football that night but I wasn't too interested so headed with my boss Neal, his wife Janette, our accountant Neil and his wife Liz to a restaurant for dinner. It was a seafood restaurant on a hilltop overlooking the river. A beautiful view made even more spectacular with the sun setting. Great food, fresh fish and yummy sangria. We also tried a local red wine that was delicious. Our waiter was hilarious too with a very cheeky sense of humour.Back at the hotel we meet up with Chris & Joji who had organised a morning gym session with Claire. I said they were crazy and why wouldn't they utilise the beautiful beach right outside? So that's what the rest of us decided to do and Liz, Neil, Janette & I were to meet for a morning beach jog at 8:15am.
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