Photos and more to follow
The leaves and acorns are falling, the temperatures dipping and it's a perfect time to escape to HPBs Rocha Brava resort near Carvoerio in the Algarve. After our recent river cruise on the Rhone it was time to switch off and relax and basically do nothing for a week or two. We turned off the alarm clock, put down our phones and stopped worrying about what we will do next. To truly switch off you need to let go of itineraries and allow yourself to enjoy doing nothing at all.
It's easy when you are staying in a lovely apartment.
'Nothing' doesn't mean lying in bed all day. A typical day of doing nothing for us involves a lie-in, sporadic dips in the pool or sea, slow meals, meandering walks and time spent reading our books by the pool or on the beach.
Vale de Centeanes Beach is close and this beach is lovely but check tide times as not a lot of beach when fully in. We have spent some wonderful hours at this beach. The sea was a bit cold, 19 degrees, and if the surf is up it can be challenging getting out of the water but I loved watching the children running in and out of the surf. Seaweed can be gone one day and back the next. All depends on the weather....warmer waters, strong winds, rough seas all increase the chances of seaweed being washed up.
O Stop is a fish restaurant right on this beach. It gets very busy at lunchtimes so we always booked a table for one p.m. on our way to the beach. What's not to like. Fish of the day, dorado, was excellent at 19 euros, as was the Sangria.
In the evening the Sky Bar at the Tivoli Hotel is a fantastic location to enjoy a cocktail with a beautiful view.
Carvoeiro Boardwalk is the best place to watch the amazing sunsets in the Atlantic ocean. Great for a pre-dinner stroll. The raised boardwalk runs along the coast and is about a third of a mile long with stunning views. We parked near Algar Seco. What a lovely walk into Carvoeiro where we ate at the Restaurante Oasis. The chicken satay was very good at a reasonable price.
We also enjoyed a couple of great evenings at the Cafe in Rocha Brava. Mondays and Fridays there was fantastic live music when the band played our favourite tunes including Dire Straits.
Near by the Rocha Brava resort are a couple of lovely restaurants.
Pashmina Indian Restaurant. So lucky to have this close to Rocha Brave, only a short walk. We went twice on our holiday as we enjoyed it so much. The waiters are so polite and meet old fashioned etiquettte, constantly making sure you are happy. The king tandoori dish is large enough for two! A large menu to choose from. If you love Indian food you will love this place.
Restaurante Jardim do Farol serves excellent authentic Portuguese food. Well located next to Rocha Brava. The service is excellent and the food.....amazing. This is a family run business and the brothers make the atmosphere, lots of football scarves! We often eat here - large portions.
The second week of our holiday we decided to venture further afield.
Silves Castle - the Algarve's best preserved castle. These days, the city of Silves is an attractively sleepy place, all cobbled streets and historic buildings, dotted with souvenir shops and umbrella-ed cafe tables. Jump back a millennium or so and it was a mighty Moorish capital known as Xelb, rivalling Lisbon in influence. Set on the Rio Arade, the beginning of the end came in 1189 when Portugal's Sancho I laid siege to the castle, eventually winning control after three months. (Then losing it a couple of years later. And so on). But as the river started to silt up, its position as a strategic port was also lost, and it wasn't until the 19th century that local cork and dried fruit trades revitalised the town's prospects once again.
All chunky red battlements, the sandstone structure of Silves Castle dates from between the 8th and 13th centuries, mixing Islamic and Christian influences.
Today, you're greeted by a towering bronze statue of Sancho I, while inside you can walk the walls around the open courtyard. Don't expect audio guides or detailed signs, just let your imagination run wild.
From the battlements, you can also look down on to the cathedral, or Se, a relatively unadorned but striking church with some interesting Crusader tombs.
There is also an archaeology museum where you can see prehistoric, Roman and Moorish antiquities.
We parked, free of charge by the river and the large SILVES sign and then walked up to the castle. As we walked a party of primary-school children happened by. All of them were wearing painters' smocks for some reason, and each child held the tail of smock in front with one hand, and the hand of the child next to them with the other. It made for a very tight and efficient crocodile....They all looked very happy.
