All the time in the world
Number 27 caught my eye:
Watch the sun wake up.
One of life’s simplest pleasures. And my six-year-old had yet to experience it.
We had ticked the boxes on most of the others: trees had been climbed, snowballs thrown, dens had been built. But on number 27, I feared she would be left waiting — with a full time job and a new baby there was never enough time in the day. And did I really want to run the risk of a 5am alarm call to emerge to a cloudy Irish day?
It took the guaranteed clear blue Portuguese skies to make it happen.
On the third morning of our family holiday, I roused my sleeping daughter. We emerged to a deep red sky and together we watched the first slither of sun appear from behind the mountains.
This is what a family holiday gives you — time. Time to watch your 11-month-old crawl, to really find her feet. And a chance to watch the sunrise with your firstborn.
We were in the perfect location to savour it: The Algarve, a stress-free, two-and-a-half hour flight from home.
Our resort was the icing on the cake. Most sun holiday hotels are little more than a base to wash and change and, if you’re lucky, the most basic of kitchens.
Monte Santo resort, in the sleepy seaside village of Carvoeiro, gave us so much more. Marble flooring, fully-equipped kitchen, flat screen TVs, en suite bathrooms adjoining the two spacious bedrooms — it made an ideal base to hide out when the temperature reached a stifling 38 degrees (unheard of in May).
It was the perfect location to relish that time together.
We were able to cook in a few nights (there’s a supermarket minutes away) and relax with a glass of wine on the balcony when the girls were tucked up in bed. It was the kind of place you wanted to hang out in. The pool, unlike your stereotypical resort, was never overcrowded. No need to rise at dawn to leave towels on loungers here. There was a real sense of privacy, as though this was our own private villa.
Except it came with all the benefits of a hotel. There was a pool bar (I can still taste the strawberry daiquiris) plus the option of having our accommodation cleaned daily and fresh towels on demand. There was even a playground for the children, and a kids club.
Our package also included breakfast. And it was the best we had ever eaten. The rave reviews on Trip Advisor do not exaggerate. Bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, croissants, stunning breads — incredibly, my daughter insists the breakfasts are what she really misses most about our holiday.
Monte Santo gave us the best of both worlds — a private villa feel with all the trappings of a hotel.
Sunway had a rep and the lovely Marian, from Dublin, gave us the inside track. Thanks to her recommendations, we enjoyed a stunning meal at nearby restaurant O Salmao (the creole fish was out of this world) and escaped the tourists with a day trip to Sagres. We rented a car but if you are happy to potter about the resort and dine in the nearby town then you’d cope just fine — Sunway also includes airport transfers as part of the package.
Carvoeiro is a pretty seaside village and a lovely base — we watched a few sunsets munching on chocolate gelatos in ice cream bars by the beach. Our car rental gave us the chance to go further afield — to the stunning Restaurante Rei das Praias at Praia dos Caneiros. Standing on wooden stilts above the beach, this is a restaurant that could compete with the best Bondi Beach has to offer. I’ll be back.
There was a day at Slide and Splash water park — “the best day” of my daughter’s life — and Zoomarine, home to dolphins, swimming pools, amusements and a 4D cinema. We stayed away from the built-up tourist traps. Instead, we strolled through the lovely cobble-stoned streets of Silves and ventured up the mountains to Monchique.
There was the aforementioned day at Sagres, where Henry the Navigator came in the 15th century to push back the frontiers of the known world. We came across a cute beach bar so good that if it existed in Ireland, it would be on every tourist guide. Here there was barely a name on the door. We finished lunch with a walk on the beach where Mia got to bury dad in the sand. Number 16 on the National Trust’s list — but we’d ticked that box a long time ago.
Sunway Holidays offer weekly flights and accommodation at the five star Monte Santo Resort from Cork from today until September 8. Flights are also available from Dublin. Prices valid for August 4 and 11 are €999 per person for 2 sharing in a studio apartment or €799 per person for 4 sharing a 2 bedroom apartment. These special offers must be booked by June 22 and include flights, transfers, accommodation as stated, free baggage allowance, resort representative service and all taxes. www.sunway.ie, 01-2886828
The sites: There’s a lot to keep the kids amused. Slide and Splash, in Lagoa, is a top notch water park – but be warned. It’s pricey (we paid €68 for two adults and a child) and it’s very exposed, with very little chance of shelter from the sun. Bring a hat, sunscreen and rent an umbrella. It’s a great day out though, for all ages.
Located in Guia, Zoomarine is another fantastic one for the kids. Just a few kilometres from Albufeira, you can watch shows with dolphins, seals and sea lions, with tropical birds and birds of prey.
There’s also a swimming pool, an aquarium with sharks, a 4D cinema plus an amusement park with rides and a ferris wheel.
It’s expensive to swim with the dolphins, but you can be photographed with a dolphin for a fraction of the price — which kept my daughter happy.
The mountains of Monchique are a fantastic alternative to the beach. Bring a picnic and enjoy the view. Just make sure you stop en route for a drink or bite to eat at Bica Boca (see below).
Aqua shopping centre opened last year in Portimao. It’s not huge but it’s a chance to cool down on a hot day. Shops include H&M and Primark — and for the kids there’s a toy shop to beat any branch of Smyths.
Don’t leave without eating at Restaurante Rei das Praias on Praia dos Caneiros, Ferragudo. Standing on wooden stilts above the beach, it would give any eatery on Bondi a run for its money. tel: 351 282461006; info@restaurantereidaspraias.com
Our rep recommended the local O Salmao in Monte Carvoeiro. And she was right. The food was exceptional, the décor beautiful, the staff professional and wonderfully child-friendly. 351 282 357031
Heading to Monchique and the mountains? Visit the Irish-owned Bica Boca restaurant and its — to quote my daughter — “secret gardens” with makeshift swings and a hammock. Take a stroll there and you know you’re on holidays. Estrada Lisboa 266, Monchique, 351 282 912271
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