Algarve

After an intense winter of traveling throughout Southeast Asia and India, we knew early on that we would probably be ready for something more relaxing for spring break. We tossed around a few ideas of options that would be calmer, and finally settled on heading to the Algarve region of Portugal. This area seemed off the beaten path to us, and we were hoping to go someplace that actually did not have a ton of stuff to DO, but would offer some outdoor beauty, good weather, and a chance to slow down. The Algarve did not disappoint.

We rented a car from Sevilla, and drove the two hours to our beautiful Portuguese Villa, which was Rachel's parents' Christmas gift to us. It was the perfect place to base ourselves. 

Each day of the week, we spent the morning relaxing around the timeshare, soaking in the morning sunshine on our private patio, and drinking multiple rounds of coffee. We had a picnic lunch each day, and then decided which of the viewpoints, beaches, or villages we wanted to spend the afternoon seeing. It was a perfectly paced week, with a delicate balance of "go" and rest.

The first night that we arrived, the sky was especially colorful. The day had been a mix of sun and rain, and we could tell it was going to be a great sunset. We walked down to the beach nearest to our villa, and after crossing the long bridge to reach the sand, were blown away by the beauty that awaited us!

We started our tour of the Algarve by visiting the inland town of Silves. We visited the castle grounds, sipped a cafe just outside the Cathedral, and enjoyed the shops selling a variety of cork products that are produced and sold in the region.

We briefly visited the old town of Faro. Although Faro is the location of the airport, and one of the biggest cities in the region, as I mentioned earlier, we were not particularly interested in sight seeing this time around. We found a cafe and enjoyed the view from a second story window while playing one of our favorite card games. We then meandered through the cobblestone streets, admiring the unique architecture and bright colors of the town.

Just a short drive down the road from Faro is an even smaller town, Tavira. We loved sitting by the river in front of this beautiful cafe in Tavira enjoying the afternoon sun. We also visited it's stunning white church and church gardens.

Although we loved the quaint towns and getting a glimpse at authentic Portuguese way of life, the real draw to the Algarve is it's incredible coastline. We picked a different section of coast to go to each day, and it seemed to just get better and better. We loved being there before peak season so there was essentially no one on any of the beaches. This resulted in breathtaking views, and time to sit and admire instead of having to avoid crowds. The variety of the coast and rock was some of the best we have seen!

Praia da Marinha

This lighthouse was once considered the "end of the (old) world." It is the southernmost tip of Europe.

Our last evening, we headed to Praia da Falesia. We were hoping the afternoon clouds that rolled in would clear out in time for us to catch one more beautiful sunset, but they did not cooperate. However, this beach was stunningly beautiful nonetheless. The rock shape was truly mesmerizing. We walked for a long time along the beach observing all the different shades of red, and sprinted at the very end as we saw the rain ahead of us. Thankfully we made it back to the car just in time for the clouds to break lose.