So…our trip to Portugal has been great so far…but storm clouds are looming on the horizon.  We were desperate for a bit of sunshine, but didn’t want to travel a day each way with just 1 week off for the February break.  We’ve always wanted to experience the Algarve, and we know many people who rave about the region, saying that it would be difficult to beat its value and atmosphere.  So that was our February pick.

Our only major concern has been the weather.  Portugal had been clear and sunny for a month up until yesterday.  Prior to our vacation we had been watching accuweather.com, hoping that the predicted forecast for rain would be wrong (but it looks like it won’t be).   Although we were anticipating a wet week, yesterday was a spectacular day.  We spent our time lazing in the sunshine and photographing the incredible views along this coastline.  We played lots of frisbee, and both Greg and Brianna swam in the ocean.  We wanted to make the most out of this day so we ended up staying outside until sunset.

A huge plus has been our resort…we really lucked out.  A last minute change allowed us to be upgraded to a brand new resort that is all-inclusive.  We haven’t been on an all-inclusive vacation for quite some time, so we’ve been enjoying all the options.  The resort has beautiful grounds and a nice roof top bar that we’ve enjoyed both nights. Even with the rain, it has a covered roof and heaters and palm trees all around, so it’s lovely.

The kids are using the resort’s spa today (which is just beautiful – we are very lucky!) and later this week we plan to take a shuttle into Albufeira to do some indoor go-karting or other activities when it rains.  We’ve also planned an ATV excursion later this week so hopefully that is still a go on Friday!  We’ll make the most of the week here, and cross our fingers that we see some more sun so that maybe we can fit in another “um cochilo” on the beach.  The timing was just a little early for the guaranteed weather, but it is very relaxing, so we will recharge and enjoy!!