The Algarve Coast, Portugal
When one thinks of Portugal, they think of probably Port wine and the capital of Lisbon. This tiny country is surrounded by two things, Spain and the Atlantic. We were fortunate enough to have seen the beautiful Atlantic side right from the beach in the town of Albufeira, Portugal.
One of the best parts about traveling with friends is that they find adventure spots in places you might not have ever heard of. While visiting Portugal was high on my list to visit, the Algarve region, was not even on my radar. This beautiful area is the southern most point of Portugal along the Atlantic Ocean.
Our good friends were on an extended stay in Albufeira, right in the center of this beautiful region. Since they had rented a 3 bedroom apartment, we seized the opportunity to meet up with them. When we first arrived, they had delicious snacks on their patio. The small community they were staying in was within walking distance to a lot of restaurants and the beach!
They spoiled us with caviar and all the goodies that go with it. Yes, please! Great way to start our coastal adventure.
After our snack we headed to the main attraction, the beautiful beach with the blue, green Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs above the beach are dramatic. On this weekend day, there were lots of people enjoying the beach.
We made our way down to the beach to get a closer look of the magnificent coast line.
The dramatic cliffs above us are made of part sandstone and part limestone. All along the Algarve cost this type of rock is found. In some parts of this Iberian coastline the rock form dramatic shapes.
Great to see these guys all together. We’ve all been friends for about 20 years. To meet up halfway around the world like this was so incredible.
After walking on the beach, we made our way to a 5 Star resort called Pine Cliffs Inn. Getting there from the beach was an adventure, as we had to hike part way up and then found an elevator to take us the rest of the way up. Who’s heard of an elevator on a beach?
Once we arrived at the top we sat at a table overlooking the ocean. It was quite idyllic. Love the champagne bottles hanging from the trees.
Another shot looking back down at the ocean from the Pine Cliffs Inn. It was a bit of a “pinch me” moment as I could not believe we were so lucky to be here.
There was live music playing to add to the beauty of the afternoon.
The Mirador Champagne bar had a motto of “Welcome to Paradise.” It certainly felt like a small slice of paradise. This was a great introduction to the Algarve Coast and Albufeira!
