Arriving in Portimao,Portugal 2020

We had a flight out of Gatwick at 3 PM, left our hotel at 11 AM which gave us a chance to grab a bite to eat. Checking in was seamless…as was our arrival. Passenger rights was prominently displayed.

It was a three hour flight to Faro and then an hour drive to Portimao. On arrival it was dark and we were hungry. As soon as we got our apartment key and dropped off our luggage we went on a quest for food. Not many restaurants open this time of year. This tourist area seems to half shut down for the winter months. We lucked out, I had never tried fries, chicken, cheese and salad all together but it was good!

The view out of the living room window the first morning in Portimao. I knew we were staying in a tourist town, but it was still a bit of a shock to see all the high rises.

Sometimes booking a place on-line ends up living up to expectation, and beyond. This kitchen has a fridge, washer, dishwasher and stove. Certainly lots of space. We also have a corner unit so the balcony goes all around.

A really big disappointment is in this relatively brand new building there is no internet and no wifi!!! Data is not cheap.

Next item on the agenda was to find a grocery store. We didn’t even have coffee! This is the sight that greeted us as soon as we walked into the store. Our driver from the airport had given us a list of “good” wines to buy, not the posted picture, but one of his choices had 70% off. Oh, we have already tried a glass….or two….and it is good.

And joy oh joy!! All the fixings for broom.

Yes it is still my favourite breakfast.

Finally time to go look for the beach. It is about a 3 or 4 minute walk from the apartment. At the top of the stairs the beach is across the road and down the stairs.