Destination Portugal - Part 5

Friday 26^th-Saturday 27^th September

Our last day in Portimao and we wanted to make the most of it. After breakfast we got some of our clothes and accessories ready for packing. We also caught up on booking our transfer back to the airport via the agents Best4U transport. There was the task of checking in for the return flight too, which we could eventually access after midday. We made sure that our boarding passes were sent to our email addresses – we found this a much easier way of storing them and the benefit was not having to print them out.

By the time we had done all of this admin, it was getting to lunch hour. James suggested we go to another restaurant he had found online via the reviews. It’s called Mira restaurant and it’s on the same road as the Mistral eatery we had gone to earlier in the week. We walked there and took a table on the side of the restaurant. Not such a glamorous view but we didn’t care as we were very hungry.

We were greeted by a friendly waiter who gave us a menu. An equally amiable waitress then took our order. James went for an inspired choice of cuttlefish served with potatoes, and I selected tuna steak, salad and potatoes. We topped it off with a traditional Portuguese soft drink, Sumol. This is an orange-flavoured carbonated drink, very similar to Orangina. When our drinks came and we opened the cans, I tasted the flavour that I used to enjoy in the 1980s and 1990s. An evocative taste that made me quite nostalgic.

When our mains were served by our great waitress, we couldn’t believe the portion size. Once we tried the food it was also delicious. I tried a bit of the cuttlefish – which we agreed was similar to squid or calamari. James said he was pleased that he ordered the Portuguese delicacy as it was one of the best dishes he had tried while we were on holiday. My tuna steak was also tasty and well-cooked. Teamed with a superb salad including huge, sliced tomatoes, and grated carrot. The potatoes were nicely cooked and rounded off the main perfectly.

It was a wonderful meal for our last one in Portimao, so we thanked the waitress and settled the bill. We then headed off to Praia da Rocha to some gift shopping and sunbathing. The main shopping area by the beach was made up of bars, clothes shops and gift vendors, alongside restaurants. I saw a likely looking shop selling shoes, leather goods and trinkets. I wanted to buy something as a memento for my mother, and they sold just the right things. We chose a sweet and colourful fridge magnet, then paid the shop assistant. Mission accomplished!

The beach beckoned so we stopped off at the cafe at the top of the cliff, and had a coffee. I needed to make a quick change to get my swimming costume on. There were unfortunately no changing rooms, so we just walked back to the public loos and I did the necessary change. All set and beach-ready then we walked down for some serious sunbathing.

We bought our sun loungers at the cost of 16 euros for the two. We chose a couple of loungers a little way back from the shoreline but close enough to walk there in a few minutes. A good location - we had plenty of sun with a parasol to protect us from the burn. I had a paddle in the sea after we had been there for an hour or so. Total bliss as I let the waves wash over me and observed other people swimming.

It had been about ten minutes as I paddled so I made my way back to see how James was doing. While he snoozed I read my book and laughed as a herring gull stalked around us. He was eyeing up all the sunseekers, seeking food for himself but couldn’t seem to find anything.

Around 5pm we decided to go back to our apartment, and when we arrived we settled in for our buffet tea. I then had a bath, and we packed our bags. I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget anything and we managed to get all our clothes and accessories back in our rucksacks as before. By then it was time for bed, to get a good sleep before our return home.

We woke up on Saturday at our usual time of 6am and we were a bit sad about having to go from the incredible place that is Portimao. I cheered us by saying we have wonderful memories and photos of our coastal holiday.

After breakfast we had a final scout round the apartment to see we had everything and then we went down to get the taxi transfer. The driver picked us up around 8.15am and dropped us off at Faro airport for 9.30am. It was enough time to get checked in and safely through security.

I’m happy to say we only had a short delay on our Wizzair flight back to Gatwick. Then we eventually got back home to Basingstoke at around 5.30pm. What an amazing holiday we’d had in Portimao and it had really rejuvenated us.

Praia da Rocha, Portimao

James on Praia da Rocha, Portimao