We went back to Portugal for another Narendra celebration!
He was turning 60 and had a huge week long gathering in Algarve. Yes, this is the area that I visited last year with Discourse after our vacay in Lisbon. We were in Lagos this time, in a bunch of villas, and it was amazing. Here are a few snaps from our time there.
2024-09-10T07:00:00Z
We arrived in Algarve after flying to London then Faro. This was the 4th time I’d been to Heathrow in just over a month. Sadly…my iPad was still AWOL. Anyway, the flight was really easy. We’d forgotten that we’d upgraded to World Traveler Plus seating, so we had more width, leg room, and really good food and drink choices. If we can afford to do that in the future, you can bet we’re gonna.
Anyway…the accommodations were amazing. Naren and his family (and besties) got a couple of unreal villas. The rest of us got other, less opulent ones or hotel rooms at the Cascade Wellness Resort. We chose villas. Once we arrived at our place and cleaned up, we joined a bunch of people over at the main villas for a little pre-celebration cocktail party. We got to catch up with a bunch of people we hadn’t seen in years, and a few that we’d seen in Lisbon the year before. It was a great way to ease into the week.
This was really the first day of our scheduled activities.
Our resort was just off the water, and there was a beautiful strand so we took a little hike down the coast. It got really hot, so we stopped at a little cafe for cold drinks, and after that, headed back.
We had a huge dinner for the entire crew at Ze Morgadinho in Alvor. It was fantastic. We took a little walk the town around after dinner, after getting lost a bit, and stumbled on the Igreja Paroquial de Alvor.
We had the day off for exploration so we did. Christopher, Steve and I walked to town. There was an old castle to explore through narrow streets, artists and shops all over. After a while of walking in the sun and heat, we found a fantastic little bakery called Sweet Home. The GF desserts and smoothies made it a perfect stop.
Once we got back to our place it was time to prep for the party. OMG. What a night. The atmosphere was amazing, the food was great, and the camaraderie was inspiring. There were live musicians to accompany the DJ, which I thought was a bad idea…until I heard them. Holy crap. It was SO MUCH FUN! We danced the night away. Stayed up way too late.
Gotta give all the flowers to Kelsey, the Algarve Party Planner. She created a fun, exciting, yet somehow intimate experience. Maybe it helps to be at a villa in Portugal. Just sayin’. Though…she did help with plans throughout the week so it wasn’t just the villa…
What a gorgeous day for a catamaran cruise in Portimão.
We entered a bunch of caves, and stopped for a beach BBQ. Some people enjoyed a dip in the freezing water…yeah…not me. And of course…as it seems all cruises do…we enjoyed a bevy of bevvies.
After the cruise, it was getting late and we were all kinda tired from the sun, so we just ducked into a restaurant in the hotel, The Gastropub, and had what turned out to be a fantastic meal. Then we enjoyed the sunset and called it a day.
Once we arrived at our place and cleaned up, we joined a bunch of people over at the main villas for a little pre-celebration cocktail party. We got to catch up with a bunch of people we hadn’t seen in years, and a few that we’d seen in Lisbon the year before. 
It was a great way to ease into the week.
And of course…as it seems all cruises do…we enjoyed a bevy of bevvies. 
