One Saturday, at the end of November for my birthday, we departed a wintery London for the south coast of Portugal. Sunshine was on my birthday wishlist and wishes do come true. We were greeted in Faro, Portugal with sunshine and blue skies. A 40-minute drive from Faro transported us to the Grande Real Santa Eulaia Resort and Hotel Spa in Albufeira.
Grande Real Santa Eulalia is just as it is described- grand and every bit the 5-stars the hotel has been awarded. It's strapline is "small details make all the difference" and true to their word, they have thought of almost everything to ensure one's stay at the palatial hotel is memorable and relaxing.
The rooms are also huge (such a change from many other European cities) and ours was on the top floor and opened out to nothing less than an endless glittering Atlantic Ocean, white sandy beach and palm trees swaying in the breeze. The sun rose and set from one side of our balcony to the other, bathing our stay for 3 days in constant sunlight. The weather in Portugal was such a stark contrast to London. Constant sunshine, blue skies and 25 degrees meant we could swan around in a different attire for once of shorts, tees and our much missed Havianas.
The hotel's remote location meant we hung around the hotel for almost the entire weekend, but this suited us fine seeing as we had planned a do-nothing weekend. But there was enough at the Grand Real to keep us occupied.
On Saturday, we had taken the first flight out of London in the morning, so a long sun-filled day stretched ahead of us. After setting our things down in our room we made a beeline to the beach, passing a quiet, terraced cafe called Cafe Atlantico where we decided to grab a bite eat. Over the course of the weekend, we'd visit Cafe Atlantico everyday (sometimes twice a day).
The cafe was perched overlooking the beach, under the palm trees. We ordered lunch and coffees, and noticed the cafe patrons jumping out of their seats and pointing to the emerald ocean as a pod of dolphins dived in and out of the water in front of us! They traveled the whole distance of the beach, entertaining us with their jumps and then disappearing around the headlands.
After lunch, the mercury began rising, so we changed into cooler clothes and spent the afternoon down at the beach reading and soaking up the sun. When 4pm rolled around, we headed to the Grande Real's day spa for a private Pilates class and then a stretching and relaxation class. By the time our classes finished the sun was setting, burning the sky in a deep orange and pink. When it finally disappeared it was time for dinner at the hotel's restaurant.
The Grand Real boasts a number of drinking and dining options, so we enjoyed drinks at the bar before dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant prices very reasonable (tourism in Eastern Europe has been steadily rising in popularity over the last few years, but one can still find well-priced food), so we dined at the restaurant every night over the weekend, sampling the generous dishes. We also found the hotel to be of such low occupancy, there were only at maximum of 3 tables full (including us) every night. This made for very attentive restaurant service.
We walked off the food (including mangoes- I think the first time we have eaten them since departing Australia!) on the beach before catching the hotel's free shuttle bus to the Albufeira's town centre.
Albufeira is a small, white beach town, with a glittering beach. It's name is Arabic for "the lagoon" and it's population over summer, increases 15-fold! But in the middle of winter, Albufeira is so sleepy we didn't even spend an hour there promptly catching the next bus back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel we relaxed around the pool, took a dip and then headed for the spa again for a massage and gym session (since we have not be getting much exercise since winter hit London, and post-Mel and David's wedding!).
Our final day, Monday, began with another huge breakfast and walk down on the beach. This time we discovered a private beach and meandering pathways on top of and around the headlands. The weather was a bit cooler and clouds had appeared for the first time over the beach.
We decided to walk to the nearby Balaia golf driving range to hit a few balls before we needed to get to the airport. One would not have guessed that the south of Portugal is a golf course haven. On a local map, we counted no less than 15 courses between Faro and Albuferia alone! The hotel actually has a golf booking desk in the reception area too.
Balaia, just a 10 minute walk away, is a private golfing village with its own 18-hole course, driving range and club house. White terraced accommodation with pink Bougainvilleas climbing up the walls, house guests and golf lovers alike. We hit a bucket of 50 balls each and quickly walked back to the hotel as rain began to lightly fall and the wind began to pick up.
(No comments on my swing Mum and Dad!) It was sadly time to leave our quite, relaxing and sunny weekend in Portugal. Our ride to the airport transported us back into the real world and to London for 4 weeks before our Christmas and New Years holiday in New York.
