Summer Family Getaway

The Algarve in Portugal is a great destination for families, and for good reason.  With its beautiful sunny weather, gorgeous beaches and plenty of fun activities for the grandchildren it was the perfect place for our annual family getaway.

Caroline and family decided to travel to Lisbon and then spend a few days at an Eco Lodge before joining us at Rocha Brava.

And Gemma and Emmie joined us a couple of days into the holiday because they had tickets for the Taylor Swift concert.

Arriving at Faro was chaotic because of the Immigration queues, the Government needs to tackle this problem.  It took us an hour to get through.

However, the next day the queues were forgotten and we headed off to Vale de Centeanes Beach.  A lovely little cove a short drive away with a very nice restaurant 'O Stop' where we enjoyed lunch. There is a cave to one end that can be accessed at low tide.  The surf can be quite strong making getting in and out the water a challenge but Jamie had a lot of fun body surfing.  Lucky Granddad knows all about tides.  You must visit the beach when the tide is low and be careful where you settle so that the incoming tide won't soak you later on.  We left Rocha Brave at 9.30 a.m.  Perfect timing for the tide and car parking. 

Unfortunately, the beaches in this area suffer from the invasive brown algae which originates from Japan and  Korea.  The local authorities have already spent significant amounts to clean the affected beaches and have removed hundreds of tons of seaweed.  Such a shame.

Another day, another beach.  This time we headed in the opposite direction, east of Rocha Brava to Carvalho Beach only a four minute drive away. A secluded, old smuggler's hideaway.  This beach is a treasure hidden among the cliffs, reminiscent of something straight from an adventure film.  Accessed via steep steps carved into a tunnel through the rock, the cliffs surrounding the golden stretch of sand boast a range of shapes, including a ledge to dive off (some young people were doing this but the lifeguard on his jet ski soon put a stop to this).  A  sharp section of cliff also rises out of the sea in front of this beach, decorating the horizon with its ochre tones.

No family holiday, now the grandchildren are older, is complete without a trip to the waterpark, and Slide and Splash is one of Europe's biggest and most exciting.  They loved the Banzai slides where they could zoom down side by side, the steep drop of the Kamikaze, and - for only the bravest - the twisty Black Hole and The Drop.  Nanna paid extra for a shady Cabana with sun loungers, which was a great place to relax in and enjoy our picnic.  It even had a safe and fridge.  The grandchildren had a blast.  Yes they did have to queue because it was the summer holidays.  We arrived when it opened at 10 a.m. and left when it closed at 6 pm.

  

If holidays are all about  the beaches - and part of ours most definitely was - then there is no better place than the Algarve.  This time we visited Benagil beach.  The Benagil cave is one of the most photographed places in the entire country.  The cave is only accessible by water and boat tours bring hundreds of people inside the cave daily.  Recently the local authorities have imposed some restrictions for visitors to Benagil Cave.  In short, you can see the cave from a boat but nobody is allowed to disembark inside.  There is also a very large fine if you swim into the cave.  Depending on the  sea conditions, swimming to Benagil Cave could be really dangerous.  Not to mention the fact that there are boats going in and out of the cave all the time.  There have been too many accidents and that is why it is no longer allowed.  There is a swimming area however and if you swim to the corner nearest the cave you can see into the cave.  We had packed some sun umbrellas, books and a picnic and enjoyed our day watching all the comings and goings.  The Algarve's worst kept secret.

Time for a cocktail.  We caught an Uber to The Tivoli Hotel and rode up in the outside lift to the Sky Bar.  What a place for early evening chilling, exquisite cocktails and a wonderful view.

We then walked to the Carvoeiro Boardwalk, a beautiful clifftop walk along an accessible, raised wooden platform from the Algar Seco rock formations to the Fort.  At less than 600 m, it's only a short distance from one end to the other, but provides stunning uninterrupted views out over the water and is particularly beautiful at sunset.  We even watched a guy propose.  So lovely. 

We then stopped for dinner at the Oasis Restaurant.  Pavement dining at its best.  Located on one of the main streets in town.  The grandchildren loved that they were able to spend their pocket money in the local shops whilst waiting for their food.

August is like the Sunday of summer and all too quickly it was time to say goodbye to the family and the sun.  Gemma and Emmie heading off to Bournemouth and Caroline and family to Lisbon  for a city break.

Caroline and family then experienced an Earthquake in Lisbon.  It woke them up at 5.10 a.m. but the grandchildren slept through it.

We joined the Immigration queue again!!!!!!

We last visited Rocha Brava in September, 2015.  My how Jamie has grown!

Days out with the Grandchildren.

For even the most creative of parents, school holidays can seem a daunting prospect. It's even worse when the weather is miserable, and the only solution for keeping them entertained feels like screen time.  So Jamie and Chloe came to stay for a few days.

Few homes inhabited by children are devoid of Lego bricks, and most parents/grandparents have to accept they will be begged for a day trip to Legoland in Windsor eventually.  So off we went.

We arrived early, as soon as the park opened, and headed for the new ride.  Minifigure Speedway.  This is a dual rollercoaster and the coasters travel at up to 35mph.  The ride features twists and turns and first reverses up a hill before shooting fast along the track.  At the end of the track it does the same but in reverse!  The grandchildren did this ride twice!!!!

Jamie and Chloe then headed for Driving School which is designed to look like a UK road layout with zebra crossings, T-junctions, 2 way roads and bends.  Lots of places for us to recover from the previous ride and watch them.

Next - Haunted House Monster Party.  A scary mad-house attraction where guests of Lord Vampyre are seated in a banquet hall and slowly the whole hall rocks backwards and forwards.  Did the whole hall turn upside down?

They then dragged Nanna to The Dragon.  The biggest and fastest roller coaster at Legoland.  The trip is delightful to start with, we travelled slowly past various colourful scenes with animated Lego models. I was just commenting how much I was enjoying this ride when the coaster left the castle and slowly climbed a hill - launching us into a quick shoot around some of the park itself.  The coaster twists and turns and there are a couple of large drops.  Plenty of screaming from Nanna!

The next ride was the Spinjitzu-teaching Ninjago ride (if you know, you know).

We then caught the Hill Train, a funicular railway to the Beginning of the Park and the lockers were our picnic lunch was.

After lunch we joined the long queue for Laser Raiders.  We were adventure heroes, shooting evil mummies with a laser gun whilst travelling round in a desert off-road vehicle. Each vehicle has space for 4 riders, with a laser gun each.  You  pass Lego scenes and fire at the green and red targets to earn points,  At the end of the ride each rider's points are displayed.  I didn't win.

After such a long wait in a queue we headed to the Harbour Show where Nanna could take a seat and watch the show which features around 10 energetic actors using the lighthouse, rope bridge, lake and the platforms surrounding it as their stage in a high energy packed show.

After the show it was off to Pirate Falls.  The log flume ride ends up in a splash pool - and the chances of escaping dry are very low indeed.  Nanna looked after the bags.

The last ride of the day was Nanna's favourite.  Flight of the Sky Lion.  Quite a long queue but worth it.  You are strapped in theatre-like seating in front of a large cinema screen.  Maximus then takes you on an exhilarating ride through a fantasy land.  AMAZING.

It was a great day out.  We returned home exhausted but happy.  And we brought a Ninjargo home with us.

The next day was very wet.  Fortunately, we were heading to Brooklands Museum, Surrey for the Concorde experience.  We were surprised to learn our grandchildren did not know what Concorde was.  Whilst they may not long for the champagne-guzzling lifestyle associated with flying Concorde that Nanna remembers, they did get a kick out of climbing aboard one at Brooklands, where parts for the supersonic aircraft were once made.

Displays of bikes, racing cars and aircraft relate to Brooklands' history as the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit created in 1907, then one of the United Kingdom's first airfields and its largest aircraft manufacturing centre.  The neighbouring London Bus Museum, included in the entry price, was also worth a look.  The children loved pretending to drive the buses.

The highlight for them though was getting behind the wheel of Louis Hamilton's McLaren MP4/6 F1 car and driving the race car simulator.

There was plenty to do.  They even sat in a Harrier.  Staff were so helpful and informed.  A great range of exhibits.  A very enjoyable day out.

The next morning the rain had stopped and we headed for the Treetop Course at Go Ape.  Fun and fresh air.  A fantastic activity!  The safety briefing was thorough and clear.  It was great to watch them completing the challenges, especially the zip line rides at the end.  After an hour they were happy but exhausted.

Thank you Jamie and Chloe - we really enjoyed your visit.