It's been a while but I thought it was about time to update you on our latest experiences and escapades. You may recall we came back to the Algarve in October with high hopes of enjoying the Masters before settling in for our first Algarvean winter.
Well the Masters was a washout wasn’t it? We never expected that to happen in the Algarve. We had brollies and macs but got blown away anyway, couldn’t expect anyone to play in that weather. So we looked around for some indoor entertainment instead.
We bought tickets for that brilliant show Blind Faith at the Lagoa Auditorium: oh my how we laughed at some of the antics. Fancy a West End show with a West End cast opening in the Algarve!
One thing we wouldn’t have got if we had seen this in London – inexpensive restaurants open for dinner after the show. So we had a great show and a slap-up local meal on our way home – great night out!
Our luck held because by the time the professional golfers had left Portugal for their next leg of the European Tour, the sun had come back to the Algarve with a vengeance. Temperatures soared and we were hot: I mean really hot, and we loved it.
We decided to forgo golf in the heat and take on the beaches instead. Make hay while the sun shines was our motto. So there we were lying on beaches sunbathing, swimming in the sea and having ice creams to cool down… in October! This was better than summer in the UK and we loved every minute of it.
Once the temperatures dropped a bit, we got out our trusty golf clubs and hit the golf courses. Naturally our first game had to be on the Victoria course at Vilamoura where the Masters had been held. What a difference now that the sun shone down on us and not a drop of rain was in sight: skorts and golf shirts were the order of the day.
Our score cards looked comical as our names are Diane, Olive, Gloria and Sheila – D.O.G.S. so we changed the order to G.O.D.S. and played happily ever after.
Olive and I are happily retired but Gloria and Sheila work from home, so they don’t have quite as much time to play as us. They’ve decided that golf comes first, so when we’re not all on the golf course Olive and I get to explore while the worker bees stay at their apartment and get back on their computers.
Since we arrived a few days too late for the Obrigado Portugal festival in October, (which we heard was really good!) we decided to visit Sitio das Fontes later in the month. What a beautiful spot to spend a relaxing day! We took along a picnic and our cameras and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Here’s a short clip to give you an idea of the place.
We’ve become addicted to the Things to do monthly events blog on Meravista.com and eagerly read all about what would be happening in November, which turned into the hottest November in Algarve recorded history!.
We managed to go to the Silves All Saints Fair and the chestnut festival in Marmelete, as well as the St. Martin’s fair in Portimão. We had a blast at the Grand Variety show in Lagoa too.
We took in the monthly market in the small town of Estoi, just north of Faro, and were astonished at the size and scope of it all and no, we didn’t buy a horse although they were for sale!
Suddenly Christmas was looming: this was our first time to celebrate the season of goodwill in the Algarve and we weren’t disappointed. OK, we got some really heavy rain falls during December and some pretty tough winds too – but nothing like the winter weather in the UK thank goodness.
We went to some of the Christmas fairs and were really impressed with the clever stuff that people can make. It was easy to get all our Christmas shopping done plus we bought some unique decorations for our apartments.
We decided that Christmas Day would be different to anything we had ever done before so we opted for the Christmas Day Swim for Shoes charity at the Holiday Inn at Armação de Pêra. What a hoot it was, us in our swimsuits and santa hats! The group raised €900 for shoes for underprivileged children!
Luckily for us, the sun was shining and it was positively hot – that is until we hit the sea! After that we took ourselves off for a traditional Christmas lunch, walked off our excesses along the promenade in Quarteira and finally flopped out on the sofas to watch TV with a nice bottle of wine.
We had a riotous New Year's Eve at the fisherman’s beach in Albufeira and really enjoyed all the fireworks. And our New Year’s Day was spent on the golf course - where else!
I can’t believe we have been living in the Algarve for three months already but it has been a whirlwind of golfing, exploring, eating and drinking.
January has been glorious sunshine for the most part and we’ve spent as much time as possible on some of the many golf courses here. The evenings have been cool but dry and we’ve enjoyed having cheap dinners out and quiet evenings in, playing cards in front of the fire.
People back home have told us about the freezing weather there - snow, ice and rain - and we’re just so glad that we’ve taken the plunge to move to the Algarve for the winter months.
Now we’re working on improving our handicaps, getting to know more people, exploring more of the Algarve and we’re really looking forward to Carnival!
While the Quarteira parade is said to be quite big we’re thinking about whether to go to the big one in Loulé.
Roll on the good times!
If you missed any previous episodes from the Golfing Girls, catch up now:
Golfing girls tee up for winter in the Algarve
By A Lady Golfer
It's been a while but I thought it was about time to update you on our latest experiences and escapades. You may recall we came back to the Algarve in October with high hopes of enjoying the Masters before settling in for our first Algarvean winter.
We bought tickets for that brilliant show Blind Faith at the Lagoa Auditorium: oh my how we laughed at some of the antics. Fancy a West End show with a West End cast opening in the Algarve!
One thing we wouldn’t have got if we had seen this in London – inexpensive restaurants open for dinner after the show. So we had a great show and a slap-up local meal on our way home – great night out!
Our luck held because by the time the professional golfers had left Portugal for their next leg of the European Tour, the sun had come back to the Algarve with a vengeance. Temperatures soared and we were hot: I mean really hot, and we loved it.
We decided to forgo golf in the heat and take on the beaches instead. Make hay while the sun shines was our motto. So there we were lying on beaches sunbathing, swimming in the sea and having ice creams to cool down… in October! This was better than summer in the UK and we loved every minute of it.
Our score cards looked comical as our names are Diane, Olive, Gloria and Sheila – D.O.G.S. so we changed the order to G.O.D.S. and played happily ever after.
Olive and I are happily retired but Gloria and Sheila work from home, so they don’t have quite as much time to play as us. They’ve decided that golf comes first, so when we’re not all on the golf course Olive and I get to explore while the worker bees stay at their apartment and get back on their computers.
Since we arrived a few days too late for the Obrigado Portugal festival in October, (which we heard was really good!) we decided to visit Sitio das Fontes later in the month. What a beautiful spot to spend a relaxing day! We took along a picnic and our cameras and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Here’s a short clip to give you an idea of the place.
We managed to go to the Silves All Saints Fair and the chestnut festival in Marmelete, as well as the St. Martin’s fair in Portimão. We had a blast at the Grand Variety show in Lagoa too.
We took in the monthly market in the small town of Estoi, just north of Faro, and were astonished at the size and scope of it all and no, we didn’t buy a horse although they were for sale!
Suddenly Christmas was looming: this was our first time to celebrate the season of goodwill in the Algarve and we weren’t disappointed. OK, we got some really heavy rain falls during December and some pretty tough winds too – but nothing like the winter weather in the UK thank goodness.
We went to some of the Christmas fairs and were really impressed with the clever stuff that people can make. It was easy to get all our Christmas shopping done plus we bought some unique decorations for our apartments.
We decided that Christmas Day would be different to anything we had ever done before so we opted for the Christmas Day Swim for Shoes charity at the Holiday Inn at Armação de Pêra. What a hoot it was, us in our swimsuits and santa hats! The group raised €900 for shoes for underprivileged children!
Luckily for us, the sun was shining and it was positively hot – that is until we hit the sea! After that we took ourselves off for a traditional Christmas lunch, walked off our excesses along the promenade in Quarteira and finally flopped out on the sofas to watch TV with a nice bottle of wine.
I can’t believe we have been living in the Algarve for three months already but it has been a whirlwind of golfing, exploring, eating and drinking.
January has been glorious sunshine for the most part and we’ve spent as much time as possible on some of the many golf courses here. The evenings have been cool but dry and we’ve enjoyed having cheap dinners out and quiet evenings in, playing cards in front of the fire.
People back home have told us about the freezing weather there - snow, ice and rain - and we’re just so glad that we’ve taken the plunge to move to the Algarve for the winter months.
Now we’re working on improving our handicaps, getting to know more people, exploring more of the Algarve and we’re really looking forward to Carnival!
While the Quarteira parade is said to be quite big we’re thinking about whether to go to the big one in Loulé.
Roll on the good times!
If you missed any previous episodes from the Golfing Girls, catch up now:
Episode 1: Winter Golf in the Algarve
Episode 2: This lady is returning
Episode 3: The golfing girls pitch up in the Algarve
Episode 4: The golfing girls – back in the Algarve for the Masters
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