My Week in Portugal

Yesterday I arrived home from my holiday to Portugal and as a few people have asked where I stayed and what I got up to, I thought I’d do a post to fill you all in. I have to say, I’m currently suffering with a serious case of the holiday blues. I had such an amazing time that I didn’t want to come home!

If you’ve never been to Portugal before, you need to get yourself there. This is the fifth time I’ve visited and each and every time has been fantastic – there’s everything you could need from a holiday destination and more – glorious weather (it was late 20 to early 30 degrees every day), beautiful scenery and beaches, friendly locals, a number of fun daytime activities to get stuck into and a wide selection of restaurants, bars and clubs! I’d say there’s something for absolutely anyone – whether you want to relax by a pool all week, go on some fun adventures or party the night away - Portugal has got it covered!

This year I went away with my boyfriend, his mum and dad, his brother and his brother’s friend and we stayed on the marina in Alberfuria which is about twenty minutes away from the main town centre. I’ve never stayed on the marina before but it was the perfect location – the views were amazing from our villa (more about that in a moment) and there was a selection of bars, restaurants and fun activities right on our doorstep. There was various boat trips, basketball courts, segways, go karting and mini golf - unfortunately we didn't get to do everything as we were only there for a week but we're already planning what we can do next time we visit. I had my eye on the 'jet boat' all week - it looked like it would be such a great adrenalin rush!

So, moving on to the villa we stayed in which a few people have asked me about on Twitter and Instagram. As you can see from my photos above, the place was absolutely amazing. It was huge with highly ceilings and an open plan design, four double bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living and dining area, a kitchen and a huge pool area surrounded by sun loungers which overlooked the beautiful  marina. My boyfriends mum booked it through a website called Owners Direct and it was a real bargain - apparently the price of it doubles from this week though so it seems the beginning of June was a great time to go.

Most of our days were spent relaxing by the pool and sipping on G&T’s but we did have a couple of days out over the week which included a boat tour to watch the wild dolphins (so cute!) and a tour of the caves around the shore which was pretty damn cool – they had little hidden beaches inside them which we decided would make the perfect location for a party! We also had a day out at the beach which was absolutely lovely – they had guys with ice buckets full of beer walking around so we didn’t even have to move for a drink – total paradise. I also loved splashing around in the sea despite getting absolutely battered by a few waves on more than one occasion. I was also the butt of one too many jokes after saying I was scared a shark was going to attack me - legitimate fear okay!!

Our evenings consisted of lots of eating, lots of drinking and the odd bit of raving thrown in for good measure. Most nights were spent in the Old Town which is a popular part of Alberfuria known for its fabulous restaurants and bars. There’s a great atmosphere there and we had some lovely meals – fillet steak cooked on a hot stone and a yummy Chinese were two of my favourites. We also enjoyed lots of cocktails (sparklers and all), live music and even a street magician who was hilarious! We also spent a couple of nights in the New Town which is the more lively part of Alberfuria and where you’ll find millions of hen and stag doos as well as some pretty fabulous bars and clubs. Our favourite was a club called ‘La Bamba’ and if you’re ever visiting Portugal, I’d strongly advise you give it a visit! It had a great atmosphere and great music – we partied hard until past 4am both times we went and we even made a new friend called Alfredo – I think he was a local and he was so damn cute - we welcomed him with open arms and he told us he loved us! Awww!

We had the perfect ending to our holiday on Saturday night when we found a restaurant looking over the beach – it was a true hidden gem! I had a traditional Portugese cataplana with monkfish which was yummy and after our meal we sat and enjoyed the beautiful views of the waves splashing against the shore – the perfect ending to the perfect holiday!

I also thought I'd share a couple of outfits I wore while I was away - my favourite was this maxi dress from Miss Selfridge as I love the print and I also loved this little white vest paired with a daisy print skirt, both from H&M. They were all last minute buys before I went away but they turned out to be my favourite outfits. I'm just hoping the weather in the UK is going to improve soon so I can wear them again - wishful thinking!!

Anyway, enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and that the photos aren't too bad - they were all taken on my Iphone so the quality isn't great unfortunately! I'll be back to my beauty blogging ways very soon - well, as soon as I've unpacked my case! Yes, I still haven't unpacked - that's the worst part about going on holiday isn't it? All the washing when you get home! Boo! I also hope you enjoyed all the posts from my lovely guest posters while I was away - I thought they were all excellent so thank you to all you ladies who contributed! I really appreciate it!!

Have you ever been to Portugal? Where are you going on holiday this year?

Lots of love,

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