Special Portugal – Have you ever visited the stunning Algarve region?

We recently took a direct and Easy flight from Geneva to Faro to explore some of the fabulous hotels, restaurants, golf courses and excursions in this beautiful part of Southern Portugal.

Firstly, to literally launch this special Algarve series, a couple of cool excursions……

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be launched off a boat on a kayak? No I hadn’t either but it turns out that it is a “thing” and it is quite a fun experience!  We had decided to take a tour of the caves and grottos along the coast just outside Lagos and as we are always up for a bit of adventure and didn’t fancy just sitting in a boat, we chose a boat / kayaking option.  After a 20 minute fairly leisurely trip along and out of the beautiful port of Lagos the boat stopped. We clambered into the kayaks and once seated  were pushed backwards down a ramp which, much to my surprise and relief, achieved the goal  of us arriving on the water the right way up!   So far so good…..

Although this was a group tour and there could  have been a maximum of 12 people we were actually only 5 in total including the guide.  The Atlantic was not as calm as it could have been which gave an extra level of excitement.  Within a few minutes of paddling, we arrived at a very small opening in the rocks which got smaller with the swell of the water. I thought we were just going to peek into it, which in itself was quite spectacular, I remember feeling quite surprised when our guide said “just get some speed up, stop paddling and lie down!”.  With my heart beating a little faster we did as instructed and were soon surrounded by the huge cliffs towering above us. It felt amazing to witness the stunning rock formations that are synonymous with the Western Algarve, from such a different angle.  

The tour continued with our very professional and confidence imparting guide telling us stories handed down through the years from local fishermen and pointing out various shapes in the rocks, amongst others an elephant, camel and a stiletto! 

So after about 90 minutes we paddled back to the boat, which had been following us from a distance and watched as the boat captain hauled the guide back up into the boat with sheer brute strength!  It did occur to me that he may need a winch to pull us back in  (of course nothing to do with the amount of pastel de nata’s that had been consumed during the week!!). However of course they had obviously done this before many times and we were pulled back onto the boat with no hint of drama and invited to go for a swim.  The water was only 21 degrees, a full 7 degrees lower than my usual lower limit for swimming but I thought what the heck and decided to dive in.  A very refreshing decision!

On the way back to the port we were each given a cold beer and quite frankly it was difficult to imagine a nicer way to have spent a Monday afternoon. We highly recommend this tour if you are a good swimmer and prefer your sight seeing to be more active than passive!  The caves are spectacular and well worth a visit from on the water.  

Our kayaking adventure was with the  friendly, very professional and aptly named  Bom Dia.  Check out their range of boat trips here…  https://www.bomdiaboattrips.com/

Next onto a ridiculously fun E Mountain Biking trip on The Ria Formosa

I must admit that before this experience I may have looked at people on electric mountain bikes occasionally and thought “why?”  After 1 day of renting I now know the answer…. it is soooo much fun!!!    You even look forward to the hills, which is something I could never have imagined saying before …. my husband said I giggled with happiness a lot!

The bikes were delivered to our hotel in perfect condition and 100% charged. As we had them for 24 hours we thought we would need an overnight charger but it turns out it was not necessary. We did a quick few tours of the hotel car park to get acquainted with the gears and how to use the “E functionality” and headed off out into Val do Lobo and on to the Ria Formosa Natural Park. This is an area we know quite well and we have cycled around it many times. There are usually bits where I have to get off and push my bike when the sand gets a bit deep to power through however the bikes made light work of it and I never had to get off and walk.  Who knew?! (Obviously all the people who have been riding E bikes for years I guess!).

In our opinion, visiting the  Ria Formosa is a must do if you are ever in the Algarve. It is enormous and fascinating at any time of year but particularly in the Spring and Autumn if you are interested in nature at all as it is a stopping place for thousands of different birds during the migratory periods. Understandable as honestly I am not sure why you wouldn’t stop there for a break on a long flight?!!

Word of warning, it is a good idea when planning to cycle around this area, to check the tides as it is easy to find yourself cut off and end up having to push your bike around the edge of the stunning San Lorenzo golf course if the tide is in! 

There are many bike rental shops in the area but this time we used Bikeland  and would recommend them for  their great service and quality bikes.  We have also used https://www.lisabikes.com/en many times in the past and they never fail to deliver quality bikes and also offer guided tours.

Fancy some other sports? Then definitely head to The Campus Sports Complex in Quinta do Lago.  

 A few minutes away from the Ria Formosa along Ayrton Senna Boulevard, past some extremely impressive ultra villas that line each side of the road, you arrive at this fabulous fairly recent addition to the area.  A huge sports facility that is dedicated to offering quality professional instruction whatever your level and where you can also rent courts and equipment  by the hour. It has 6 tennis courts, 4 padel courts, a swimming pool, incredible gym and high tech pitch which is aimed predominantly at professional sporting teams, indeed Marseille FC were training there when we visited.   They also offer cycling and triathlon training.  The complex is complete with a family friendly Sports Bar and Restaurant called Dano’s featuring great food and live music.  The courts are of course all top quality and you can rent equipment and buy balls if you didn’t take your own. Best to call ahead and reserve to avoid disappointment.

The Algarve has so much to offer and clearly if you have been there, you already know! If you haven’t visited then it is definitely worth considering for your next vacation and these are a few of the reasons why…  the amazing weather, stunning beaches, enchanting historical towns and villages, castles, mountain hikes in the Serra de Monchique mountain range, possibilities for all sorts of water and land sports, the huge range of accommodation available from budget apartments to Uber villas and fabulous 5 star resorts, and last but certainly not least the incredible choice of golf courses.  More to follow on these………

 

• Algarve
• Campus Sports Complex in Quinta do Lago
• caves
• e-biking
• kayaking
• outdoors
• Portugal
• Ria Formosa Natural Park
• rock formations
• special Portugal