Retirement may not be in the near future, but visiting the coast of Portugal makes us want a condo on the beach someday. The Algarve region, on the southern coast, is highly rated as a place to retire. It’s known for its great weather, beaches, golfing, great food, and friendly people. There is a good airport in Faro, and most of the locals speak English. Curious to see it all, we decided to investigate by taking a sunny Algarve holiday.
Funny enough, some of the expats who spend time in the Algarve are Rob’s cousin and his wife, from Scotland. They took us on a tour of gorgeous sandy beaches with blue-green waters, and absolutely astonishing rock formations. The dramatic look of these giant rocks all around the beach, as well as out in the water, make you really appreciate how beautiful this world can be. We also saw storks nesting, and the walled old town of Lagos.
The town of Alvor has quaint twisty streets full of life with shops, restaurants, pubs, and people out having a great time. Walking through the narrow streets you can still get a feel for the history of the place as a sleepy fishing village.
We all went to an excellent dinner at Ruccula, a restaurant with gorgeous views out over the water. Both the food and service are outstanding.
In addition, Alvor holds more than enough Irish Pubs for a proper pub crawl. Definitely a sign of a strong expat community, and of course the visiting tourists.
The Parlour Irish Bar is super fun. They serve food along with a perfect pint of Guinness and some really good wines. Everyone in town seemed to know Rob’s family, they welcomed us all in everywhere we went.
Not only is the Algarve area full of nature and fun, but it also includes a magical place. Cape St. Vincent and Sagres Point make up a promontory which is the most south-westerly point of mainland Europe. At one point, this area was the End of the Known World. Wild ocean waves hit the bottoms of high cliffs, and the wind is intense. The Algarve is popular with surfers, with the Atlantic Ocean on both its west and south coast, providing waves every day of the year.
Our Algarve Portugal holiday was so relaxing. We soaked in some sun while enjoying spending time with fun people, in a beautiful setting. We cannot say enough how astonishingly beautiful this area is. Happy to have seen it, and very happy to have connected with the family. We’re definitely not ruling this out as a possible place to retire.
Saúde!
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