Final Destination & Hello to Alvor Beach!

Les Jardins de Bakea; a lovely hotel just before the Spanish border, is where we left part 2 of our journey from the UK to Portugal. Traveling in the trusty Volvo with two four legged friends my partner and myself. The hotel was lovely and it was a shame to have just spent one night but crack on we must. 

We left not even having breakfast. Pops wanted to get off to a head start and was worried he might get caught up in traffic. As it turns out the traffic was fine and we made great progress.

So we traveled through Spain and if I'm honest I can't recall much about it. We set off 7:15 France time. Starting off from I don't believe we even had breakfast. Pops wanted to crack on with the journey to arrive at a relativeyes we got to see an Osborne bull. The Osborne Bull We only saw one making one bathroom break plus walking the pooches who coped amazingly well in the jam packed Volvo. It's not too hot either This the final leg of our journey.

I’m so excited! 

My partner and I have finally arrived in Portugal!  The warm climate and the perfumed smelling air really makes travelling for two days from the UK in a jam packed car with two four legged friends,  worthwhile. There was a moment of ‘what am I doing” but now I’m here, I can’t think of a better place to be!
So the town we're in is called Alvor.  It's a fishing town, placed in the southern end of Portugal. Its small and quaint but for its size there's plenty of bars, restaurants, barbers, hairdressers, manicures, massages, the lot!  There’s even sky diving,  and of course the trinket shops to buy souvenirs; cork and tiles,  a favourite.

But we’ve just arrived and I haven't had time to explore anything other than the Villa. Its a three bed, with two lounges, three bathrooms, kitchen, swimming pool and large surrounding garden. Fantastic! There’s even an orange, grapefruit, banana and pomegranate tree too. And did I mention the sauna and jacuzzi. However, time is ticking. It’s December and darkness will fall soon. We urgently need to stretch our legs. We’ve decided to head off to the beach. It’s only a  ten minute walk from the villa,  with three different routes from our location, but however far or long it takes to get there, it’s truly worth it.

From left to right, golden sands span as far as the eye can see. It’s amazing, it’s quiet and I’m sold. I love the beach!, the pooches love the beach! This is the first time they have been introduced to the sand and sea. The texture of the sand doesn’t seem to faze them, they just want to get off lead and investigate.

I don’t blame them. It’s a trail of golden happiness, with the sound of the waves, the seagulls and the sun shine, it all feels real and invigorating.
I feel blessed.
It’s worth mentioning, our four legged friends are not allowed on the beach from May through to October.  It seems harsh, but there is the lagoon to fall back on. The kite surfers mainly use the lagoon but it’s open to all. when the tide is out it makes a great walk too, just be sure the tide is going out, not in!

The main beach i believe stretches about 3.5km and would take at least two hours or more to walk it all, even at our fast pace.
Weather wise, December in Alvor is looking pretty good. As the golden rays of the sun hit my face it’s a joy to know It’s warm enough not to wear a coat. Even if it was cold it's definitely a step up from the wind and the rain we left behind in the UK.

As well as the great weather, Just walking down the road, I’ve noticed how clean the roads and pavements are. There’s even free dog bags placed above the bins for people to take to avoid fowling. One less expense thank you Portugal. The beach is clean too. Looking at the footprints in the sand it has been a busy day, but there’s no litter. Bins are placed along the stretch of the beach alongside the wooden walk ways. There is just no excuse to litter.

This is the quiet season. There are no activities, no sun lounges or chairs stretched along the beach and, worth noting, no life guards. A few people have made their way to the beach to welcome the sunset as have we. 

We stand there In amazement. It’s December 2018, 5:15 and we are watching the sun go down. What a beautiful way to be introduced to Portugal.