Stevo and lel’s adventures

It´s July 2012 and we are incredibly lucky to be  jetting off to Portugal for an all expenses paid family holiday .. woohoo and HUGE THANKS to Stevo’s overly generous day who turns 80 on this trip!! Eighty and doesn’t look a day over 6o I kid you not. That family has amazing genes. Maybe they will filter down to me through osmosis haha.  Okay, I digress (unlike me huh 😉 )  I’m focused again so on with the story.  This particular break is a wee bit different from out usual type of holibob. Its a  full board sun, sea sand extravaganza and not something we’d ordinarily choose choose for a holiday, however a change is often as good as a rest and  we’re  here to celebrate and enjoy family time with  Stevos brother and beautiful Spanish wife,  his lovely sister,  her hubby and their 2 utterly amazing and adorable boys.  Our home for the next week is an impressive, imposing 5 star hotel on the portugese coast. How nice is that!?? Thank you MILLIONS MR RUSSELL SENIOR AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I’ve totally lucked out this trip, stevo has footed  the flights and and it looks lovely here , the resort is wonderful and the company promises to be better still!

So, where are we are actually staying? Well,  the hotel is called Grande Real Santa Eulalia Resort and Hotel Spa (and here it is if you are really keen and want to check it out http://www.granderealsantaeulalia.realhotelsgroup.com).  It is a sprawling series of structures comprised of the main hotel section containing the buffet breakfast dinner resturant, couple of bars (in and out),  kids entertainment area  including a cinema, the thermal salt water spa, many serviced studios (usual set up, bathroom, small kitchen / lounge, bedroom and balcony), 5 circular pools and 3 more beachfront resturants, a club (imaginately  named ´Le Club´open until 6am)  and a large private expanse of sand beach interspersed with wooden walkways to help you get about. Phew … how’s that for a quick overview?

For a beach holiday it isnt half bad. The temperature is bearable, approx 30 degrees and the cloudy sky helps make it actually quite pleasant for this red headed freckled white scottish creature  with an aversion to the sun.  Come mid day the  fine golden smooth sand is almost unbearably hot underfoot however the sea is deliciously chilled, and makes for a welcome alternative. You can hire sun loungers and umbrellas relatively cheaply for the day or just rock up with your towel for free. The sea front bars sell the usual chilled drinks and snacks (grilled sandwiches, seafood, salads) reached via wooden walkways embedded into the sand. Its a relaxed safe family feel down on the beach.  The beach, as amazing as it is is not the best thing about this place, that accolade has to go to the self service restaurant with its plethora of dishes to suit all tastes and appetites. The vegetarian in our midst was equally as spoiled for choice as his carnivorous counterparts…in the self-service restaurant  the food changed nightly and breakfast was as abundant as the evening meal…. cheeses, breads, meat, fish, vegetables galore all cooked expertly with a Mediterranean twist. The wine (an additional cost) was enjoyable and not too pricey.  We also had the option of candlelit dining at the sea front restaurant and this was the choice we made for the 80th birthday meal. Again the food was tasty and filling and the restaurant staff very accommodating bringing the Birthday boy’s desert  lit with 80 candles.  A wonderful night to say thank you and toast a wonderful man.

This review wouldn’t be complete without mention of “The Club” – this is a trendy and cool establishment inhabited by Portugals Beautiful People. It’s a magnet to model like bronzed beauties  who pout and pose for the  club photographer. It comprises a terrace bar with outside dj which has comfy sofas and a more chilled vibe and a more energetic indoors scene with a different club dj.  Drinks are expensive here.

We stayed in a self contained villa which was clean and central – the main hotel, resturant and pools within easy reach. The decor is all oranges, greens, yellows and reds – very spanish looking and slightly 1980sish. It was handy to have a wee kitchen for our bottled water.

We did try the spa however we weren’t overly impressed. We opted for the head massage which was lacklustre and not very vigerous… it just felt like someone halfheartedly pressing my skull for 30 mins and was more annoying than relaxing, I was please to get out. The spa pool which is salt water was, unfortunately  dirty and the very tight and uncomfortable plastic head covers they insist you wear had us all looking like bald aliens!  Good for a laugh but not much else. The SPA isn’t cheap and in my opinion wasn’t worth the pennies. I wouldn’t  / couldn’t recommend this place.

This wee post wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Albuferia, the little costal town  2-3 miles away down the road and easily reachable by walking or by catching the bus which, handily,  stopped virtually outside the hotel. Its a pretty little seaside place with a sandy beach, an old town and square containing the usual touristy shops where you can procure a nice leather wallet or some such if it takes your fancy and a street filled with bars. There isn’t a great deal to do here however and we managed to see most of this town in the 3 hours we had between busses. We only visited once, I dont think theres really enough to do to warrant multiple trips.

In summary this is a lovely family orientated resort, its an ideal place to come relax if you want to sunbathe, eat nice food and generally not do much more. For us, a week was enough and the company made the holiday. We are more likely to be found on city breaks or exploring far flung places, however for a change it made a lovely alternative and we take away some very fond memories!

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