Praia do Paraíso

On occasion I have felt reluctance to move on to our next destination because I have enjoyed where we were. This was not one of those occasions. Our resort catered to the mostly well-to-do Brits and the Vilamoura area lacked any character. We could have been at a resort community in Puerto Vallarta or Fort Lauderdale, as there was very little Portuguese influence to be seen anywhere.

Since our arrival in Portugal, I quickly learned that the public transportation system pales in comparison to Spain. It is particularly poor in the off-season. Our options to get to our next resort, which was 50 km West, was to take a rickety train requiring an expensive taxi trip at both ends, or to take 3 buses, none of which had convenient connections. So our best choice, and the most expensive at €35, was to arrange a private transfer, a common practise here. We were picked up in a minivan at one resort and dropped off at the door of our next resort, all within an hour. Costly but oh so convenient.

Our unit wasn’t ready so we walked into town looking for a supermarket. One was closed for the winter season and the other was similar to a 7-Eleven. I convinced John that we had to walk to the large supermarket that we had passed on the way into town. On our way we stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bought a 3 kg bag of clementine oranges for €2. We have about 40 oranges to eat but I couldn’t resist a good deal and they are so fresh and delicious! As it turned out, we walked 8 km to the large supermarket. We stocked up on a full week’s worth of food and beverages, then took a €10 taxi back to the resort.

We are now staying in a very large 2 storey, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa. It cost a bit more at $625 for the week but we are going to enjoy the luxury. Typical of most European timeshares, we have to pay an extra €35 in cash for utilities. Last week we had to pay what we consumed, which was €31. Electricity is very expensive here. Our resort is called Monte Carvoeiro and I learned that Monte in Portuguese means mountain. So once again we are situated at the top of a hill. We must be in better physical condition as we didn’t find the climb too difficult, although I’m still fighting with my bronchitis and can’t seem to get rid of the hoarse voice, cough and pain from the muscle strain. Nasty bugs they have here! John feels he’s made a full recovery finally. Czytaj więcej