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Sea Arch in front of Suites Alba, our home for this adventure
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In search of some spring warmth we stretched our four day Easter Holiday into a five days and just relaxed and explored the Algarve region of Portugal. Here we saw the Easter Bunny treating the local children to Easter candy just the same as back at home, and we were presented with a hot cross bun and an Easter egg by our hosts to help us celebrate the Easter Holiday. We were also treated to sunshine and beautiful surroundings. The coast here is lined with dramatic cliffs that hold many sea caves and unique rock formations. Within the cliffs there are pristine sandy beaches that are very inviting and, yes, Scott went in for an early April swim in the ocean.
It was no surprise to find the most welcoming people here, and we already knew that the food and wine in the coastal region of Portugal would be worth the trip all by its self. For dinner, we were directed to a small village at the Praia de Benagil and the highly rated O Pescador Restaurante. Here we enjoyed an ocean side experience which included the very best sea food and live music so good that everyone in the place just had to sing along. We loved it, so we went back the next night, and we loved it again...
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| This is the view from the top of the Sea Arch looking back at the cliffs and our accommodations, Suites Alba. The resort is on the top of the cliff, it is the red roof to the left giving some idea of the massive scale of these cliffs. |
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| Suites Alba |
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| Yes, we went for a swim here too and it was very nice! |
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| Albandeira |
We found that there is a very nice beach right next to the resort where we stayed. The beach is called Albandeira and is known to be less frequented and somewhat secluded. We walked along the cliffs to the east and to the west taking in the sights and then came back to spend some time here just enjoying the surf.
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| A really large sea cave |
The folks at Suites Alba suggested we might enjoy an ocean trip to see the sea caves. Friday morning we set off to find this "pirate ship" confident that the Sat Nav would get us there. Uhhh…nope. Our sat nav actually directed us to drive out into the sea! We were later told that they don't work very well in the Algarve; something about not getting good satellite signals. Now they tell us!
Eventually, with the help of some very friendly local people who did not speak English, we found our way. So, we took a four hour cruise on the Pirate Ship to see the cliffs and the caves from the sea. There were no Pirates on board but we did enjoy the wonderful coastline of the Algarve.
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| Great views as we left the port |
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Praia da Marinha
 A favourite of the locals, and a "don't miss" recommendation is Praia da Marinha. The beach is a long stretch of pristine sand surrounded by a stone fortress. The rock cliffs and monuments have bands of yellow, white and dark ochre set off by the bright blue green sea. There is a very nice stone wall lined, paved, set of steps that lead down, down, and down to the beach. Once at the beach the colour and dramatic landscape stopped us in our tracks. There are also caves and arches all around to explore, so we did! This place is characterised as a small piece of paradise from the sea and it is hard to disagree with that description.
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| The seaside village of Carvoeiro |
Easter Sunday was actually a bit overcast with a threat of rain, so we headed off looking for some fun. We found Carvoeiro, once a small fishing village known for tuna catches, but today a very popular resort. We learned that in 1554 a navel battle took place off of Cape Carvoeiro where a Portuguese flotilla attacked the Turkish corsair, Xaramet, destroying his fleet. There was no sign of anything like that when we were here. What we saw were local people selling their crafts and families enjoying the warm weather. We visited the beach, did a little shopping and had a very nice dinner here on our last day in Portugal.
"Obrigado!" to all of the great people of the Algarve for being so gracious toward us and for making our visit so memorable!
