How to spend 4 days in Portugal

Anybody who has followed me for a while will know that I love to travel, much of my childhood involved moving from place to place, country to country, from one side of the world to the other and back again. That is why any chance to go abroad to a place I have not gone before excites me massively and Portugal was one of the many countries on my to-do list. Earlier this year when my husband and I found a Secret Escape offer and we jumped at the chance to take a break from our busy schedules and put another tick on the list.

We set off from Luton in the early hours of Sunday morning, rubbing sleep from our eyes as the plane took off. A short while later we were flying over Portugal, a varied vista of lush green groves and dramatic mountainous foothills. As we disembarked we quickly boarded an airport taxi and were whisked off towards our resort. A few hours later, having driven past vast plains, small towns and even a worn castle on a cliffside we approached our final destination, the VidaMar Resort.

VidaMar Resort is found in the Algarve region of Portugal and is only a few hundred feet from the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. We were dropped off directly in front of the spacious lobby and were quickly checked in and shown to our room. The room was functional and clean with all the facilities you would want, had one of the comfiest beds I’ve ever slept on and, from the balcony, a stunning view of the sea a beautiful stretch of green golf course leading into a vast neighbouring wild life reserve.

Once we were settled we explore and found a fantastic network of wooden boardwalks leading across the fens between the many resorts along the coast, including VidaMar, and the beach. We later walked a mile down the coast and back through the nature reserve which I’m afraid to say my husband showed much greater interest in than I did. It is safe to say that by the end of our stay, despite copious eating, we left fitter than when we arrive.

Where to eat

Everyday there was a large selection of food for breakfast and dinner in the form of a buffet in the main dining room, as well as lunch available in a smaller bar/cafe. All of the food was wonderfully prepared and we were served along the way by several wonderful members of staff. We were especially pleased as they took special care of my husband, who has a potentially deadly allergy to peanuts, walking us through the entire buffet, making sure he was safe and involved the kitchen staff to ensure we could go about our holiday without the worry of trips to an emergency room.

Additional to the hotels own services there are several alternative options outside of the resort, our favourite being the Italian restaurant Bellavita a few minutes’ walk away. With friendly staff and fantastic food we visited several time during our trip and would suggest anybody else visiting should go at least once.

What to do around the resort

Aside from eating we spent most of our time active and exploring, walking down to the beach every day, getting lots of exercise and taking dozens of beautiful photos. While the outdoor pool was a little too cold for me that time of year there was a lovely indoor pool downstairs, along with a gym and spa giving me a variety of options to relax in the comfort of the hotel.

Best time to visit the resort

Of course we also spent a lot of time in the bar, we had an all inclusive selection after all and only a few days to make the most of it. We spent almost every night snuggled up together in the lobbies comfy chairs and had a steady stream of G&Ts and coffees while we reflected on the day we had while planning the next.

The one slight disappointment of the trip was that we went out of season, meaning a significant number of activities and facilities were closed and/or undergoing maintenance work. This also extends to some of the nearby businesses which open exclusively for the summer trade, including multiple seaside attractions and eateries. While there was still plenty to do for a more relaxed time if you are after a more exciting time I would definitely go a month or two later in their summer period.