After embarking on my first solo holiday at the end of 2018 I decided that I didn’t want to wait too long before going away by myself again. I decided to go for a four-day break in March and set to googling hot destinations for that time of year, if I wanted the rain and cold weather I could have just stayed at home in England and I ended up between Portugal and Tenerife.
A hotel in Portugal caught my eye and was slightly cheaper than the Tenerife options and so I excitedly rushed to press book without a second thought. I was more excited about having a holiday to count down to and didn’t really research my trip, but I won’t be rushing it in the future as it turns out Portugal was not for me and this trip was not the most enjoyable and I’m about to tell you why.
LOCATION
I booked to go to Faro, one of the cities in the famous Algarve region, which is located near the airport and the hotel I chose, Hotel Faro Beach Club, overlooked the marina. Now I will say the view from the rooftop bar was quite lovely and it was rather relaxing just chilling with a cocktail and a book watching the world go by. Maybe I should have just stayed there for the entirety of the trip, but the Bellini’s were a little pricey and I wanted to explore the area…
LACK OF ACTIVITIES
Except there really wasn’t that much to actually explore! As it turns out Faro is a pretty basic area with not a lot going on. You can book a few boat trips but if you don’t book on the right day or with the right vendor then you’ll miss out on those trips. You can wander round the old town but that doesn’t really take up too much of your time.
In contrast I went to Ilha Deserta, a desert island with just a single restaurant on it, which FYI is insanely expensive, so eating was not an option for me. You can only access the island via boat and so your time there is bound by the time schedule of the boats. God know why I actually booked because I’m not one for sunbathing so really what was I going to do on a desert island.
SUN BLOCK IS NOT ACCESSIBLE
Talking of sunbathing you CAN NOT get sun block in Portugal and for this pale ginger girl who forgot to pack hers it became a huge issue for me. After wandering around an island without a single bit of shade and having to wait for the next boat to come pick me up I ended up really burnt without any solution to soothe or protect my skin for the rest of the trip.
I tried all the local shops, from larger supermarkets down to smaller independent shops, and I even tried a pharmacist but not a single place sold sun block. The only suggestion that I got from the locals was to buy some yoghurt to put on the sunburn to soothe it, was this really my reality?! And yes, I tried the yoghurt idea and all that happened was my skin heated the yoghurt and I smelt gross.
A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS
One thing that I did enjoy whilst in Faro was one of the few activities I did find, the Algarve Live Science Centre. The centre includes an exhibition devoted to the sea, an educational learning adventure, a greenhouse laboratory, a roof terrace where astronomy activities are held, and an aquarium. Despite not being a big animal fan, I held a sea cucumber and a starfish and got to see a man-made tornado.
Another positive was that I was quite successful in finding good restaurants to try out. One was Namastey, an Indian restaurant, where I had an incredible Chicken Tikka Masala with a side of Poppadum’s and a thin Keema Naan, ah-may-zing! Another was Fresh Mix, a little frozen yoghurt joint that also sold these delicious crepes that you could choose your own filling for from a big list of options.
ROUND IT UP RAMBLER
Now I still am rather fond of a bargain, but in the future I will always do some research into my trips. I want to know whether I’m actually getting a real bargain or if the holiday is just cheap because of reasonings such as the location being not as popular due to lack of activities or it just being a quieter time of year there.
Whilst I don’t plan on returning to Portugal any time soon, if ever, I have heard good things from other travellers who have been to different parts of the country so don’t write it off just because of me. As the saying goes “one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure” and the same goes for travelling experiences, your trip to Faro could be an absolute dream.
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