Albufeira Memories (8)

Me at the bottom of the pool.

Albufeira Memories (7)

The villa. The place we originally booked but rather annoyingly didn't get because of 'overbooking'. (If you ask me the owner simply did that on purpose.) However, we managed after 10 days to get to the villa after some discussion. Huge house with space all around the building. Pool in the back. There were 3 bedrooms with 2 beds and a bathroom for every bedroom. The place can easily hold 6 people but if you throw in a bunk here and there you can double the people staying there. Kitchen was large, big dinner table and livingroom. There was a tv but the Portugese channels weren't that great. Lots of soap operas and no English channels. They do tend to show a lot of football matches and other sports. All in all it was a great place to stay at and it was right in the center of Albufeira with beaches and shops close by.

Albufeira Memories (6)

Yes! The pool. One, if not the best thing of the vacation in Albufeira. It's so cool. Wake up around 8 in the morning and have a coffee. Walk over to the bakery to get some fresh bread. Have breakfast. Freshen up. Then dive in the pool around 10 when it's already hot. Simply the best.
The bungalow where we stayed in is not really visible in the pic. It's behind the pool and you can only see the roof. In order to get there you had to take the stairs to the right of the pool. This was not the place we expected and later on we did move to our original booking which was even more awesome.
Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind owning a villa with a private swimming pool.

Albufeira Memories (5)

Cabo de sao Vicente, Cape Vicente for short. That's the most western tip of land in south Portugal. Very high cliffs that easily run up to 50 meters high. There is an old fort but it was closed off when I was there because of some reconstruction work. They also have a few stands there with clothes and trinkets. The landscape was very beautiful and rural. Hardly any trees or brush, probably because the wind pounds that place. Nice place to be at and take pictures. About one and half hours drive from Albufeira on the freeway and the cape was easy to find.

Albufeira Memories (4)

Albufeira harbour, or Marina as the Portugese like to say. The shot is taken from the first place we stayed in. We had booked a villa but wound up in a bungalow of sorts (with our own private swimming pool). The bungalow was on top of a hill facing the sea and marina. Amazing views from that place although we weren't too happy with it since we expected something else, but we got to the other villa 10 days into our vacation.
The marina itself was still a bit underdeveloped in 2006 but I reckon a lot has changed by now. There's a promenade facing the harbour with shops and restaurants. There was also a nightclub but the entry fee, €50, was a bit to much for my taste. (I'm still Dutch you know.) Didn't see much people when I peeked inside so I guess that nightclub is aiming for the rich and famous who just sail in. Beyond the harbour (where the trees are) there's also a fine restaurant. We ate their the first evening and it started getting busy later on in the evening. People all dressed up nicely. The bill was nice too.

Albufeira Memories (3)

Ok. This shot was roughly taken at the center of the stretch of beach. (See first post&pic.) The sand on the beach was a bit larger in grain size. It's not like desert sand or the stuff you find in playgrounds. Feels a tad weirder on your feet.
Although the pic doesn't show it, some (large) rocks are just under the surf. There's no running into the water like a maniac. There's a good chance you'll get hurt and when I was there I saw a couple of people who had to be carried out the water by the lifeguards with their feet bleeding. Lifeguards wear a red trunk and white shirts, on the pic it's the fat guy center left.
There weren't any large waves when I was there but I read this week that a couple was caught off guard by a large wave and the woman was lost in the sea. They might have been standing on the peer you see in the pic. Another thing to note is that (when I was there) often there was a strong breeze coming from inland and if you're afloat on your airbed you can find yourself a couple of hundred meters from the shore in no time. No dozing off in the water. Ok. That's enough smart talk for today.

Albufeira Memories (2)

Shot taken from the other side of the beach. The beach is one of the few really flat surfaces you'll find in Albufeira since the town and surrounding areas are basicly one hill after another. Nonetheless the beach was a really nice place to be at. The rockwall was basicly sandstone and if you looked close enough you could find little fossiles within the stone.

Albufeira Memories

Ah the memories. I was in Albufeira, Portugal in 2006. Wouldn't mind taking a stroll on that beach right now. :)