Beauty, Brains, Bites & Being: The Algarve Sun

London's weather has been awful in the past 3 months so when J asked where we should go in July, I said “I don’t care, as long as it’s sunny and has a beach.” I love London, I really do, but sometimes the weather can get you down. It rains here a lot (though usually it’s just a light rain), and it’s frequently pretty cloudy as well. Rare is the sunny day, and I needed some sun.....

J did some searching around, and finally settled on the Algarve region of Portugal. The Algarve is the southernmost area of the country, with hundreds of kilometers of beaches.

The hotel we opted for is called Dona Filipa (www.donafilipahotel.com) and is situated in the golf area of Vale do Lobo.

A great place for relaxation, 30 minutes from Faro airport, perfect location overlooking a great beach. A short stroll away is a large promenade which has a variety of restaurants and bars in the evening.

My top recommendations for dinner are:

Pequeno Mundo (where we spotted Luis Figo and his family) - http://www.restaurantepequenomundo.com/Contacto.html

Casa do Campo - http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g262054-d1528546-r117739060-Casa_do_Campo-Almancil_Algarve.html

...and for al fresco lunch on the beach
Maria's - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g262054-d2628692-Reviews-Maria_s_Restaurant-Almancil_Algarve.html

If you are looking for some sunshine this week then the Algarve looks like being your best bet with wall to wall sunshine and temperatures into the 30′s predicted for the entire week!

The Algarve is known for having more than 300 days of sunshine each year and the summer months can often see weeks without a cloud in the sky! Sounds like my kind of place.
I most definitely will be going back again

Here are some pics of me... me and me....