Squeezing in as much as poss without running themselves ragged proved an easy challenge for our lucky readers
The adventurers:
VICTOR is a divorced, ex-London photographer on (in his words) “the wrong side of 50”. Now an armchair property magnate and landlord, he was “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, stressed and in need of a break” when we called with the good news that we were sending him to the Algarve. His partner, TINA (who celebrated her 50th birthday in Marrakech not so long ago, with her first solo holiday) is also divorced, and has three grown kids. A mature, part-time student at Bath College, where she’s embarking on a new career in jewellery and design, she also works as a library assistant in Frome. It was here, five years ago, that she met Victor at the non-fiction counter and he asked her out – which was a bit of a turn-up for the books!
They both like travelling and eating out (doesn’t everyone?!) and were excited at the news of winning a 24-hour trip to Faro – albeit slightly daunted by the thought of such a whirlwind adventure and how exhausted they might feel at the end of it! But luckily, every minute of their holiday went as smooth as silk. “It felt as if we’d been away for a week,” they said afterwards. “It was brilliant and we enjoyed the place, people and food. Neither us had been to the Algarve before – but we may be back!”
DAY 1
13.30 The Capela de Ossos
After touching down in the Algarve, we hired a car from Auto Rent at Faro airport and headed straight out. Our first stop was a little unusual: human bones aren’t the expected décor for a chapel, but the entire interior of this chapel, beside the beautifully gilded Carmelite church (Largo do Carmo, Faro), is lined with the bones of monks. Artistically arranged in neat rows, the arm and leg bones form frames for hundreds of toothy skulls that grin out at visitors.
14:30 Restaurante Piteu
Next we spent a little time wandering around the delightful streets and shops in Faro’s marina area and came across Restaurante Piteu (8-9 Largo Dr Silva Nobre, Faro; tel: +351 289 802 064). It was definitely time for lunch! The staff were very friendly and the local olives, anchovies and rustic bread, followed by a huge plate of freshly cooked delicious sardines, put a smile on our faces and gave us the energy to carry on in our discovery of Faro.
16.00 Walkabout in Faro
After lunch, we walked down streets lined with orange trees, all laden with fruit. A fallen one looked good enough to eat but be warned – they’re very sour!
The cidade velha (old town) is a well-preserved area off the harbour, with pretty cobblestone streets and 18th-century Portuguese and Moorish-influenced architecture. It’s a great place for a peaceful meander back in time through an area that looks as though it’s been virtually untouched and uncorrupted by modernity.
16:30 Faces of Faro
Most people seem to head straight out of the airport to their resort to get out their golf clubs, but we wanted a bit of the “real” Portugal. Originally a Roman town called Ossonoba, Faro has been the capital of the Algarve since 1756. There are so many architectural details to see in the town that it’s hard to know where to look as you walk along, and most street names are beautifully done in the signature tiles of Portugal.
17:30 Vilamoura Marina
Just a half-hour drive took us to the pretty marina at Vilamoura, where we checked into our hotel. There are plenty of restaurants and bars overlooking amazing boats in this part of the world. With the sound of water lapping, and the early evening sun and a cool breeze against our faces, we soon worked up an appetite window-shopping for the most appealing restaurant. While we did, we idly wondered if it was still raining back in England – and if it ever gets any better than this?!
18.30 Old Navy and Restaurante Mayflower
With the sun starting to set, we started with an aperitif at the Old Navy, a brasserie-pub (10 Marina Plaza, Vilamoura Marina; tel: +351 289 301 200) that has a great view over the marina, lovely cold wine and live music most evenings. After another walk around the marina and shops, we decided to have dinner at the inviting Restaurante Mayflower (Commercial Center, Vilamoura Marina; tel: +351 289 314 690), which overlooks the marina and has a great fish menu.
DAY 2
7.30 Breakfast at the Hilton
Starting the day with luxuriating soaks in the tub, it was then time to sample the Hilton breakfast experience! There were too many choices to remember them all, but they included pancakes, waffles and maple syrup; numerous fruit salads, juices, compotes, yoghurts, cereals, breads of every type, eggs, cheese and ham selection and every component for a fry-up. There was even a vegetable juicer and a mountain of carrots. No wonder we looked bright-eyed after that!
9.30 People-watching in Tavira
After a recommendation from the hotel, we decided to visit the historic town of Tavira, a 45-minute drive from Vilamoura, which was easy-peasy with the sat-nav we’d hired from Stressless Journeys (www.stresslessjourneys.co.uk). Like most of the Algarve, Tavira’s original buildings were all virtually destroyed by the earthquake of 1755, but the town was rebuilt with many fine 18th-century buildings. We particularly liked the bridge over the River Gilão.
12.00 Early lunch at A Ver Tavira
Tavira castle consists of the remains of two square towers, one octagonal tower and walls on three sides.
In the interior lies a small garden and you can climb up most of the walls and towers. It’s free to visit every day until 5pm. We stumbled on a stylish restaurant opposite called A Ver Tavira (13 Calçada da Galeria; tel: +351 281 381 363) and had a delicious lunch.
13:00 Rooftop view from A Ver Tavira
The sunny terrace of A Ver Tavira has a stunning roof-top view. Tavira, along with Lagos, is one of the most architecturally attractive towns in the Algarve and its origins date back to around 2000 BC. It’s referred to as the town of churches because it has 37! After one last mooch around, we meandered our way back to the airport… and the real world.
The hotel
We stayed at the very impressive Vilamoura Hilton Hotel, which has six swimming pools, an on-site golf course and spa (www.7-spa.com). With a wonderful location, it’s close to the marina and the beach.
We stayed in a Deluxe room which had a glass wall to the bathroom, so you could lie in the bath and look through the bedroom and on to the balcony! And from the balcony we had a lovely view over the large pool area, which was beautifully lit at night. Breakfast was superb, and the service second-to-none.
Car hire
Our writers stayed in the five-star Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort (rua da Torre d’Agua, Quarteira Vilamoura). It’s available to book from ¤334 per night per room (based on two sharing), including breakfast. To book, visit www.bmibaby.com, where you can search for hotels and apartments in all bmibaby destinations. Powered by Europe’s leading travel and leisure website, www.lastminute.com
