Holibobs to Portugal!!

So I've just returned from a week in the lovely Albufeira in Portugal. Highly recommend to anyone looking for either a relaxing, or clubbing/lively lifestyle holiday!

Lots to do (trips wise), lovely blue flag beaches and great food! If you're a bit more of a party animal (us not so much), then the strip will be right up your street (literally depending on where you stay), with a good selection of clubs offering great music and discounted cocktails! If you're a bit more like myself, and prefer a nice relaxing holiday with a good meal and a drink or two then the "strip" also offers you a large selection of resturants, serving great food and a good wine list.

Warning: Albufeira is a very "hilly" area!! If you are not a fan of them, unfit, or have difficulties with them, a car will be needed to get around. I'm surprised I'm not still lying at the bottom of one refusing to climb up it!!

It was only a short trip, it was "the boyfriends" birthday on Tuesday, so I booked it for his birthday present :)

We left early hours Monday morning and arrived back in the cold UK late Friday night/Saturday morning. We've actually been to the same area 3 times in the past few years, so since we both only had a week off work, thought it would be nice to go back to somewhere we know the area. Luckily with the early flight Monday, it meant by the time we arrived at Faro airport, got to our hotel and unpacked it was around 11.30am, so we still had the rest of the day to do what we wanted. Then coming home Friday, we had the whole day too as our transfer to the airport didn't collect us until 7pm. We always prefer to book our flights as early and late as possible, otherwise you arrive at say 3pm and it means you loose a day of your holiday!

Vilamoura

On Wednesday we decided to spend the day in Vilamoura. We took a taxi from our apartment in Albufeira and it took us to the Marina at Vilamoura. (For anyone interested to know, it cost around €18 each way). What a lovely town! If you do ever visit the Algarve, you have to go check it out. Such a big Marina, resturants all around, boutique shops and more. Most of the restaurants have seating right on the sea. It's lovely; we sat and had lunch, while watching people go by, all the yachts parked up in their spaces (is it "parked" even though they arent cars?) and watched the fish swim around right next to us! I'm not a huge seafood person, but since we were there I thought I had to try some kind of fish, so decided to go for a shrimp and octopus salad, which was actually really good. So fresh too!

The beach was equally as nice, a short 10 minute walk from the Marina and unlike Albufeira, Vilamoura is flat, so there were no huge hills to walk down to get to the beach which was nice, as I meant Terry didn't have to drag me back up them again ;) (NOT a hill person)!

As it was only a short break, we didn't do too much. Spent most of the day's locally, looking around the shops and for the most part, eating and relaxing on the beaches, catching as much sun as we could :) sometimes it's nice not to cram too many trips into a holiday and just use the time to relax!

By all means, I'm no perfessional photographer and only had my iPhone and small canon camera to hand. I will add some of the snaps I took, but just bare in mind they aren't the best photos!

If anyone has any questions you'd like me to answer, may about about the area if you're planning a holiday there, please do leave a comment and I will do my best to answer :)

Love, Hannah xx