Portugal September 2023
I play golf with Simon (Charlie's step dad) every week, weather permitting. Between us we decided that a short break at the end of the summer might be a nice thing to do. If there just happened to be a golf course nearby, well, that would be a happy coincidence wouldn't it? We sold the idea to Tammy and Nicky and set out to find a suitable resort. Simion suggested the place we eventually settled on - The Pine Cliffs Resort just outside Albufeira on the Algarve in Portugal and 5 days in a 2 bedroom villa were booked through Jet2 holidays. Surprisingly this worked out the cheapest way to do it.
The holiday started on Saturday 23rd September at the ungodly time of 2.15 am when Tam and I got up to drive the 5 miles to Simon and Nicky's house were we transfered to their car for the 30 mile trip to Bristol airport. Our flight was one of the first to leave in the morning and so the airport was not too busy. Even given that, I was very impressed with the Jet2 facility as they have a seperate check-in building and we were through and waiting to board our 6.15 am flight in no time.
Sunrise from the plane.
On arrival in Faro we had to wait for a while for the transfer bus to arrive and then another hour or so to get to our resort. We were sat directly behind the driver and as we pulled into Pine Cliffs he commented that this was the best resort on the Algarve. I thought he was joking at the time, but it turned out that he must just have been telling the truth as it really is a top class establishment. It covers a large area with a combination of hotel, villas, timeshare apartments and some very large private residences. There is a minibus shuttle that you call when you want a lift anywhere on the premises, but it's mostly walkable anyway.
Our room wasn't ready (hardly surprising as it's only just midday) so we go to the restaurant on the beach for lunch. There are steps down (or a lift) and then a boardwalk to the pristine beach. The weather is glorious - mid 20's and a clear blue sky. Tam and I split Tuna Cerviche and a Chicken Caesar Salad. Both are lovely.
You can see the boardwalk to the beach in this photo.
There's no secret in how Pine Cliffs Resort got its name - plenty of pines and plenty of cliffs. This one reminded Tam and I of the Joshua Tree from U2's album of the same name.
What goes down the boardwalk must go back up.
Our room is still not ready so we go to the nearest supermarket just outside the gates to get some provisions, mostly beer and snacks. There are a number of pools at the resort and we return with our shopping to sit beside one of them and enjoy a jug of sangria.
This is the nearest pool to our apartment and the one we used the most. Our apartment is ready so we head there to unpack.
We are on the second floor about halfway along. These are part of the golf complex and so are ideally placed for me and Simon as it's only a few yards from our door to the golf club.
This is the view from the balcony. The first hole is just through the trees.
The sun glinting through the trees in the late afternoon was always really pretty.
Love this picture of Simon. Tam captioned it 'the local asylum is missing an inmate'.
As the evening approaches we all shower and head to Mirador, the champagne bar, for a pre-dinner drink. It is set on top of the cliffs looking along the coast and is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the sunset.
Ladies looking good.
... and gentlemen looking even better! I'm not really sure whether we're more interested in the sunset or the two young ladies at the table in front of us.
It really was a beautiful bar and we sat here on a couple of evenings.
So one of the main reasons for the short holiday was to play a couple of rounds of golf. The course is only 9 holes so you go round twice, but is was very pretty and had its own challenges. There are not many bunkers or water hazards, but it's quite tight in places and the 6th hole is a bit of a test as you fire over a ravine - anything short and you can kiss the ball goodbye. This may sound a bit male centric but the resort also had a spa for the ladies. In the end they decided that they enjoyed relaxing around the pool rather than use its facilities, so this is what they did while Simon and I enjoyed a couple of morning rounds.
This is the first tee with a champion golfer in action.
This is the hole across the ravine. You can see the golfers on the green in the distance. Much to our surprise we played this hole 4 times and both managed to avoid the drop into the chasm.
You can tell by the perfect style and form that this ball is going to end up on the green.
At least the ball is heading in the general direction it's meant to.
We
were blessed with glorious weather. High 20's with a gentle
breeze most of the time. Simon and I enjoyed our rounds of golf
enormously and modesty prevents me from saying who won. No it
doesn't - I somehow won both times. This might sound a bit
boastful, but you have to blow your own trumpet sometimes. The
thing is, it's quite surprising as Simon is a much better golfer
than me. In the spirit of full disclosure he also gives me 9
shots per round, so I have an advantage before we start.
At home Simon and I play every week (weather permitting) with our
friend Tony. It's always fun playing with them as it's not too
competitive. Of course we all want to win, but it's more about
enjoying the game and encouraging each other rather than win at
all costs.
Don't feel too sorry for the ladies, they were enjoying sitting
around the pool.
The golf course is in the background, which was very handy for the ladies as they could pop over and watch the sporting prowess of their menfolk as we passed by. Of course they needed a lie down on a sun lounger to cool down after this, they're only human after all.
These are the views along the coast from various places along the golf course.
We
hired electric bikes, which we had planned to have for a couple
of days. Unfortunately the first day didn't exactly go to plan
and we scrapped the second day. Firstly Tam's bike stopped
working and was almost impossible to ride. We had to wait for
nearly an hour for the rental company to come out and change it.
On the way back Nicky's developed a puncture and she had to get a
taxi back with the bike. The rest of us cycled home and just
before we reached the resort Tam fell off the bike and scraped
her knee. So not a total success, but we still enjoyed it.
We cycled down to Vilamoura and out the other side for lunch at
one of the beach side restaurants. The food here was very good
and we enjoyed the beach side setting.
We spent one day on the beach relaxing for a few hours before enjoying lunch at a beach bar just along from Pine Cliffs.
We
all agreed that we had a fantastic time at Pine Cliffs. It is a
beautiful resort with plenty of space and the weather was
perfect. I must admit to having been a little concerned that late
September might have been a bit cool, but our daytime
temperatures were in the mid to high 20's and the evenings not
much below 20 degrees. It was the ideal combination of activities
and relaxation with the golf and bike riding breaking up the
sunbed time. Nicky and Simon were wonderful travelling companions
and we had so much fun together.
Probably the only slight gripe with Pine Cliffs is the cost of
food and drink. It's more expensive than the average Algarve
resort, but I guess you should expect to pay more for such a
lovely place. There are a number of cheaper restaurants and bars
just off site as an alternative and we used those on a couple of
nights.