I’m currently on week two of a much needed break from work, and whilst this week is filled with more practical things (like attempting to conjure up blog content and doing a block booking of driving lessons), last week Bob and I spent five glorious days exploring the Algarve.

Neither of us had been to Portugal before and weren’t entirely sure what to expect. It’s certainly a beautiful part of the world, and everyone we met was so friendly and welcoming.
We hired a car for the duration of our trip, which was essential as the villa we were staying it was in quite a remote location, but it gave us the freedom to explore many of the towns and cities along the coast and we certainly packed a lot in to our short trip. The Algarve Shopping centre was a great stop when seeking respite from the sun, and evening beach strolls might just be our new favourite activity.

We didn’t spend an awful lot of time on the beach, we were more keen to explore the area- and I managed to get epic sunburn on the first day which meant keeping covered was key (and yes, I was slathered in sun cream, but foolishly thought factor 30 would be ok on my english rose skin!). What time we did spend on the beach was mostly based at Praia dos Salgados, by far our favourite stretch of sand as it was somehow less crowded than the other beaches we tried and had a gorgeous nature reserve behind it were we wandered happily spotting turtles in the water.

It was here we photographed my new favourite bikini c/o UK Swimwear. Braving a bikini was a huge deal for me as this was the first time I’ve ever been abroad at anything even remotely resembling a healthy weight. Thankfully this beautifully detailed bikini by Piha helped persuade me. I love the unique back strap detail and the flattering crop top style. I wasn’t brave enough to go full bikini on the blog so slung on some ASOS jersey shorts at the last minute, but you get the idea.
This was my most worn bikini of the holiday, and whilst I might have once balked at nearly £60 for a set, this has convinced me it’s worth investing.

We’d definitely go back to The Algarve. There is so much more we want to see and do – and eat! We had some absolutely amazing food out there, and if anyone is planning on heading near Albufeira this year then both Bob and I 100% recommend taking a trip to Galé and having dinner at Massa Fina– it might not be traditional Portugese food, but this was hands down the best pasta (me) and Calzone (Bob) that we’ve ever had. You will need to book a table, but it’s 100% worth it.

Where have you been holidaying this year? I had intended to make more of this post by sharing a lot more photos, but it turns out we were so busy having fun and taking in our surroundings that we barely took any- what kind of blogger am I?