5th September 2010
Today we woke up and it was finally time for us to go on the long awaited holiday :) We loaded up and at 9:30 were ready and on our way, stopping once to stretch our legs and have something to drink. We arrived at Clube Albufeira at about 11:45 and I was expecting to have to wait for the keys to the Apartment, as we had been told that the keys would be at reception at 12:00, but hey they were waiting for us. Apartment 284 is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment and it was extremely clean. The kids naturally started investigating and were delighted to find that there were music CD's, a DVD with films and 2 TV's (although the one in their bedroom wasn't working), a hair dryer. There was even a drawer full of games for kids and a load of reading material and English books (yay for me)...I quickly unpacked ( I have this sickness) I cannot leave the unpacking to do and I need to get everything into their places hehheee. We had grilled chicken, which we had brought with us, as nobody wanted to stand by the stove! After lunch we took a little rest and then it was on with the costumes for my American friends "bathing suits" and off we went, oh what bliss ;). Later we went to Lidl to do some shopping, as well as to pick up grub for the evening. We decided to stay at the resort as we were a little tired and only went to one of the Restaurants at the Club, "Pergola" to have a drink and then back to the flat to watch TV and the kids were tired and decided to go and sleep...hurray:)
6th September 2010
Woke up to another wonderful sunny day and after breakfast we went to our favorite beach. The water was wonderful and we stayed a full hour without even coming out to warm up...the water was so warm, I for one, that in Lisbon hardly ever go into the sea and just lay and soak up the sun, here I didn't want to come out:) For lunch we decided to go light and had hot dogs, and after went to Algarve Shopping to buy Rafa an internet connection as the child was going crazy without net, and ok let's be honest I needed it too, to check my mails:). As soon as we got back home we dressed our costumes and went off to the pool. The water was great, although it seemed colder than the beach lol, but we all enjoyed it. We've just had a braai and hubby and the kids are playing monopoly and I'm using the time to update the blog.....We've decided to stay in and just go for coffee and drinks. Oh and before I forget we've met some cats (lol don’t we always) and Nadine has been feeding them, so I gather we'll be having guests every day from now on:). Our downstairs English messy neighbors have left (check photos), and I hope the next lot are cleaner and quieter!!
7th September 2010
Another morning at our beach, although the water was great it was a little more windy than yesterday, but we took great photos…After lunch we went to the pool again, but today I just sat and worshiped the sun, it wasn’t as warm as yesterday...but what the heck the kids had a splash anyway, I think kids never feel cold and if they’re in water the whole world is rosy lol
We have now got back to the apartment and after doing the washing (oh yes it still has to get done) at least the machine does it, we are now preparing something to eat as later in the evening we are hitting the town!
P.S. Nadine has got her Dad to go and buy cat food for the many friends we’ve made here. Oh and just as a note we found a doggie friend at the beach, such a lovely creature that someone has probably left behind (check the photos), it always saddens me to see abandoned animals
This evening we decided to go into Albufeira the old part, where there are loads of shops and restaurants and one can always find live bands and just street fun. Nadine bought herself a lovely bag; yeah my baby is starting to love shopping for girlie things. We got home late and everyone just dropped dead on their beds…
8th September 2010
Today we have decided to go to Krazy World
http://www.krazyworld.com/, and spend the whole day there. We took our costumes and got there a little too early so we had to wait, as the gates open at 10:00.
After getting the tickets we went to leave our towels at the pool so as to make sure that when we decided to go for a swim we’d have a place we then went to get golf clubs and off we went to play 18 hole course. It’s really great and it was a good idea to go right in the morning as when we finished we were piping hot and we dived into the gorgeous pools. We decided to have lunch there whilst they were having a reptile demonstration…It was so funny because the kids both ordered pizza’s, I ordered spaghetti bolognaise and Alvaro order spaghetti Neapolitan (he thought it would come with some sort of meat), but NO it came with just a tomato sauce…oh how we laughed
After lunch we went to see and feed the animals, it’s crazy how we are chased and “attacked” for food lol! Nadine and I then went to cool off again at the pool whilst Alvaro and Rafa went for 2 more rounds of golf, eish!
9th September 2010
We went to “our beach” Praia Galé Oeste and the sea was really rough today, but the water was warm and the sun shining hot. After lunch we went for coffee at “Pergola” and Alvaro tried jumping a wall and banged his knee and it bled quite a bit, that poor Nadine wanted him to go to Hospital In the afternoon (always at 16:00) we went to the pool and then we played a round of golf at the resort. In the evening we went to the new quarter. We had finger licking crepes with ice-cream as you can see from the photos and we checked out the shops. At one point we checked for Nadine and she had ventured into a sex shop lol, I was so embarrassed and kept trying to get her away and she kept asking me questions, wow what a shopping experience. Check-out also the shop called Pippa and the image they have at the entrance
10th September 2010
Went to beach early in the morning, the sun was shining and warm but today the water wasn’t has warm, which made my stay inside a little shorter. For lunch we through together a quick meal, of sausages, bread, meat (left over from last night), olives and lovely bread...oh and naturally melon, which we can’t do without! Alvaro has a stiff neck so that together with his knee seems to be making life fun for him. I don’t know what hits my kids here, we have barely finished lunch and they are already attacking the croissants lol. After lunch we went to see the surrounding beaches (check photos) and the kids had some more ice-cream, I think when they leave I’ll be taking 2 ice-creams instead of 2 kids
When we got back we went to prepare something to eat and today we had a cat come up right onto our veranda...Oh and our noisy English neighbors have left since Tuesday and today we got new neighbors that don’t like cats and threw the recipients I had for food and drink away, so I had a little chat with them to let them know that they DO NOT own the lawn in front of their flat, as you can all see from earlier photos the recipients were placed way out of the lawn and wasn’t in any ones way, aag shame is all I can say! In the evening we took a drive to Olhos de Água and had a look see around (check photos). We came home really late but it was a way for all of us to just fall of and sleep
11thSeptember 2010
Went to pool both in the morning and the afternoon, no beach today. For lunch we had pizza and lasagna and then in the evening we went to the old quarter for drinks. The kids and I had bubblegum ice-cream just like I remember from the Wimpy in S.A Check the photos of the beach and the ice creams!
12th September 2010
Today Sunday is the day we change to apartment 125, let’s say it’s a “downgrade” lol as we go from a 2 bedroom to a 1 bedroom, but it was what we could get, and we have stayed here before, it’s right opposite the pool of the Restaurant Pavilhão. The day started off with us packing our bags and at 10:30 we handed the keys in at reception and went with the kids to Algarve Shopping as the other apt. is only ready at 3 in the afternoon. We had lunch here, I had a boerewors roll and orange juice from Cascata, oh the flavor did bring back so many good memories :)) Nadine had pizza (as per usual), Rafa and Alvaro had Sharma and afterwards we checked out the shops to make time. When we got back to reception we found out the keys were already there, but the person that handed them in didn’t leave a name for who it was so the very helpful Ladies (not) at reception wouldn’t give them to us. She told us to phone Amy (even after we had shown her the copies of the transfers with Amy’s name etc), oh and BTW the contact was in Ireland, so we phoned but there was no answer. Rafa had his laptop, so we went into my mail and I showed the stupid woman our various correspondence, but in the meantime Amy’s mum phone me from Ireland to ask what the prob. was and I passed her over to the “kind Lady” and the problem was solved. The problem why they don’t want to help and make everything more difficult is because we did not book thru the Club but booked privately…but they get paid a commission anyway by the owners, so…Oh but wait the fun n games hadn’t finished, we get the keys only to find the apt. hadn’t been cleaned, there were no sheets or towels! Then this man comes from the pool to tell us he’s sorry but the maid would come at 4, so we put on our costumes and went swimming…The maid arrived at a quarter to six and by this time I was fuming as can be imagined, but she said it wasn’t her fault as Amy hadn’t told her she was having guests over this week..So I sent Amy a very nice mail telling her that this time around I wasn’t pleased with the service at all! We went for dinner at the new quarter at restaurant Doris, I had chicken curry, Nadine had pizza (again), Rafa also had pizza but a bigger one and Alvaro had Paella and sangeria. The good thing is we slept very well on the sofa bed as the kids got the room
13th September 2010
The day started off looking overcast and we thought that we’d have to change plans, but by 10:00 the sun was out and the weather had cleared so we went off to the pool, the water was great We had lunch on our veranda with a lovely view to the pool (check photos) and afterwards went into Vilamoura and Quarteira and had drinks and just a leisure stroll. We spent the evening at the resort, going for drinks at the Pavilhão. School has started and the kids are happy to have an extra week of laziness lol
14th September 2010
Moring was spent at the beach and today it was so calm that it looked like an enormous swimming pool, and the water was especially warm Once again we had lunch outside looking at the pool, it’s such a relaxing feeling. Afterwards Rafa went on the PC and Al and I went for drinks. Rafa turned up and went to play pool with his Dad, whilst I came back to catch up on my blogging lol.
Went to the old quarter for some of our shopping for presents as I don’t like to leave everything till the last day
15th September 2010
Was getting reading for the beach, when my cellular rung and it was my Mom calling, so immediately I knew some bad news were coming. My Mom was telling me that she was really not feeling well and that she couldn’t go to my house to feed and look after my cats…naturally I sensed that something was really not well, also because of the fact that she was blurring her words and not making sense at all. I told her that we would pack up and go down immediately but she said to only send Alvaro down as she didn’t sleep at all during the night and it was probably this topped with the fact that she was taking meds for the flu and antibiotics…erm but it all didn’t make sense to me so we packed something’s and decided to go down and see what was happening, and if things were ok we’d return and spend the rest of the 3 days we still had! We arrived before lunch and my Mom was looking very ill, but after chatting to her I was sure it was due to the many meds she had taken, and after lunch I got her to go and rest and when she woke up for diner she was looking much better…if you have ageing parents one has to be prepared for these things. It was decided that on Thursday we’d go back to the Algarve.
16th September 2010
After taking my Mom to the cemetery (she goes every day to light a candle for my Dad), we once again left for the Algarve. We arrived before 12:00, had lunch and jumped into the pool. In the evening we went to eat at the new quarter and listen to live music, what a day!
17th September 2010
Woke up today to a few clouds and what seemed to be like an overcast day, so we decided we would take the morning and go down to Portimão and do shopping and sight seeing. We went to the Marina of Portimão, the beaches in and around, looked at the shops and did some more shopping. For lunch we decided to go eat at the old quarter as Alvaro had decided he wanted to eat sardines (the kids weren’t too happy), but we told them they could choose what they wanted. We landed up eating at Zanusi, and what a mistake it was…starting from the boss how decided it was ok to shout at the cook in front of his clients, to the waiters, to the food. Our sardines were a little on the “undercooked” side (the kids liked their pizzas), till the time it took to finally get the bill…I had to threaten to leave without paying, and when the waiter asks if the food was good I had to let him have it! The funny thing is the ape didn’t realize what I was trying to tell him, he said I should have told him and he’d have brought me more sardines…say what!!! The freaking things were half raw, I wasn’t saying I didn’t get enough!
18th September 2010
Today we decided that as it’s practically our last day we need to make the most of it. We went to the beach and it was high tide and the water was once again one great swimming pool. After the wonderful morning at the beach, we went home and Alvaro made some chicken in a casserole which was delicious. We went for drinks at the Pavilhão and a game o snooker and then we went off to the pool for our last swim (at least here) for the year. We went back to the apartment to change for our night out and I used the time to do some of the packing (yeah I know I can’t stop myself) We had diner at the new quarter, this time a great paella and just enjoyed the night and did our very last shopping for gifts.
19th September 2010
Today we are going back home (oh no)! We left at about 9:30 and went to Mom’s for lunch where much to everyone’s delight she had “feijoada” ready for us So till next time hope you enjoyed reading about our little 2 weeks holiday….till next time!!!
