It’s the middle of our week in Portugal. I suppose part of our early impression is that we had little idea it was this good. We are in a hotel just outside the very charming coastal village of Carvoeira, around 50 miles to the west of Faro. The hotel is bright and clean and well served by courteous staff. There are ample breakfast and dinner buffets. At the back the hotel grounds are surrounded by hedges which enclose a grassy area and swimming pools. The weather, of course, is superb – unless you prefer rain and cold.
There is not much need to leave the premises, but we’ve ventured out a few times – a walk to the nearby beach that sits at the bottom of the cliffs, a morning wandering around town and eating superb salads in a little restaurant, and dinner at another restaurant about 10 minutes from the hotel, whose fish of the day provided a large plate covered by a large grilled seabass.
