Friday, August 17, 2007

SUMMER BREAK

ALGARVE - AUGUST 2005

There are many places to go on holidays; but everything considered, if you want to have a nice time on the beach or if you love golf and don't want to run the risk of the rain ruining your swing, the place to go is the Algarve. Peaceful (notwithstanding the presence of some more «energetic» July/August tourists), good food, sunny skies, no hurricanes, typhoons or whatever, calm and refreshing waters, it's definitely Difficult to find better.


"PENINA HOTEL - The Penina is a nice hotel, close to the village of Alvor, and a golfer's paradise"




"GOLF - In the estate of roughly 1.5 square km there are three courses: the Championship, the Academy and the Resort, all of which were designed by the late Sir Henry Cotton. Within very easy driving distance there is a choice of another seven courses. If you're not fond of golf, there are six tennis courts, a FIFA-sized football field, a jogging circuit, and an Olympic size swimming pool..."




"SWIMMING POOL - Should you prefer water sports, the swimming pool is quite impressive"



"ALVOR BEACH - When tired of exploring the 360 acre estate, take the shuttle and set off to the beach: one of the best in the Algarve!"

35 comments:

Sunkyoung said...

The beach looks most interesting to me.:)

Cuckoo said...

Oh what a lovely place for holidaying !!
The beach is awesome. :)

S-V-H said...

Hi GMG,

This looks like a really pleasant place to bee! Maybe I should take there some vacations from Key West...?

Very nice pictures! My daughter was once at the Algarve, I unfortunately never made it to Portugal.

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gary,

Hey great beach and estate.

Game of golf and swim before lunch, can't beat that!!

We could have a beach competition, but you would probably win. Hope I got your name right???

Shionge said...

Nice to chill out by the pool really and I can see that the weather is fabulous GMG ;D

Have a great weekend.

Patti McCracken said...

ahhh, the pool... you really look like you're involved in "water sports" in the photo.... Working up a sweat :))

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

OOOOOWWWWW!!!!
:) I want to be there!
Thats the place I want to be, all seemed to be perfect, can I play a pool of tennis also? I like that more than golf...

Enjoy!

:) JoAnn

Soon I will post some of the DARK skies ( but great fro photo's) we have here all the time in Holland, so now I posted the 'continuing story of a COW which walked away.....

Raghu Ram Prasad said...

Really a nice world in your camera click...ALVOR BEACH soo nice...and mind blowing pictures

Anonymous said...

that is a very nice photo of ur wife!

isa said...

The Penina hotel complex sounds suspiciously familiar - like a gated community of Naples, perhaps ;-)

• Eliane • said...

My father always says he wants to go to Algarve. There's wines from there too, no?
I'd love to go play some golf. Seems like a great spot combining lots of different activities.

Diana said...

Hi GMG!

This post definitely deserves a comment from a family member!

It’s true, Alvor is one of the nicest beaches in Portugal and the Penina a pleasant hotel with excellent golf and swimming facilities, but there is something missing in this description: for those you enjoy nightlife, Algarve has some of the nicest clubs in Europe, with all kinds of music and always a pleasant and positive environment! Kasablanca, Klube and Sasha stay as suggestions! :) Enjoy!

CaBaCuRl said...

The Algave sounds like my kind of holiday destination, GMG, but for me, it would have to be without all those other people! I hope you enjoyed the recording of Tristan Und Isolde...sounds like you did ;-) But,,,you didn't tell me what your special Piece of Music is! Please do.

Annie said...

This looks idyllic, GMG, much much better than the wretched little house I had on my blog today.

Aditi said...

ooh looks fun and relaxing.. an ideal summer break

Nikon said...

Let me think about it :)

Ele ^_^ said...

Wow really a relaxing and paceful place.. It's perfect for an holiday! ^^

Anonymous said...

wow it looks just fabulous!

lyliane six said...

Je suis allée au club Med à Da Balaia en 1995,invitée par Renault, car mon compagnon y accompagnait les
concessionnaires de la marque automobile. Il y avait aussi le coureur automobile Thierry Boutsen avec qui nous avons partagé notre passion pour la F1, et l'astronaute Jean Loup Chrétien à qui j'ai posé beaucoup de questions sur le magnifique voyage qu'il a fait et que je ne ferai jamais Hélas!! Nous avons appris à jouer au golf et Michel continue à y jouer depuis, pas moi, je ne suis pas douée et en plus je suis gauchère. Je préférai aller me baigner, l'eau de l'atlantique est très chaude. J'y ai visité les environs, c'est très beau.

Dsole said...

And now I understand why you need holidays again!! :)

because you can't stop traveling!!

I hope you ahve a nice week, next I'll be going with some friends to Conil de la Frontera, a little place with great beachs and night-parties! I can't wait!! ;)

Jilly said...

Looks heavenly. I hope you ate grilled fresh sardines - the best in the world in Portugal!

I left a response for you on Monte Carlo DP about FNAC.

freefalling said...

That blue water is calling me!
An escape from our grey winter days!
(Algarve is in Portugal, right?)

Steve Buser said...

I'm sold.

--steve buser
New Orleans Daily Photo

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

HI!!
Post some mor sunpic's please!!! :)
We need some sun SO Badly, :)

JoAnn :)

thnaks for your comments on my Travel-blog

travelphilippines said...

wow thats a holiday galore.... great resort...

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

i am just back from a li'l vacation but next time I may consider this one..;)

loved the beach pics!!!

Anonymous said...

Algarve, just what I have been thinking and decided to go.
But what is the weather in October, before October I do not want leave Finland.This year I will go with my older daughter and her two children to Tenerife just for sun and swimming.
Your post is the best travel advertisement!

lv2scpbk said...

My husband would love that golf course. As for me, I'll take the pool with a drink to sip and something to float on while I'm drinking it.

Pijush said...

Wonderful shots of an enchanting place, You must be enjoying a lot.

alice said...

Du soleil! Ca fait du bien!
Ta nouvelle bannière laisse supposer que tu connais l'île de Pâques?

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in replying to your comments, but this was another terrible week, hopefully ending!

Sunkyoung,
Cuckoo,
And you’re both quite right, provided you avoid late July and August!

Sue,
You’re most welcome to take a vacation there. Far from, Dean(s), Flossie(s) and other highly inconvenient partners…

Beefybob7
Hi Bob,
Don’t think I’ll win any competition on the beach these days…
Gil

Shionge,
The weather, two years ago, was great; this year, nobody can complain in Algarve (sun has been always shining...), but it has been a bit weird summer (not the usual heat, and the sea water a bit too fresh…).

Patti,
Working up a sweat just for the picture…

JoAnn,
There are three golf courses, an 18-hole Championship Course, a 9-hole Academy Course and a 9-hole Resort Course. Six floodlit tennis courts, five of which are hard-surface courts, and one Astro Turf court. A FIFA-sized football field and the shuttle to the beach…

Raghu,
Niki,
Thanks.

Isabella,
It could be a gated community (there are already a few villas in the margins of one of the courses), but for the time being is just a hotel in the middle of a huge lawn…

Elaine,
Your father has good taste and is perfectly right! Wines aren’t probably the best known product from Algarve, but there are some light, fruity wines, with an alcoholic content higher than 13 percent… Beware!

Di,
Hey, welcome back to blogosphere. We are still looking forward to seeing the pictures from Chicago last July! Thanks for Algarve’s nightlife tips…

Cabacurl,
Well, July and August are not the emptiest months on the beach in the northern hemisphere… Anyhow, till 8:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m., the beach is all yours…
I wrote Beethoven’s 6th in my profile, but now I think there are so many others that it’s somehow unjust to single out just ONE Piece of Music…

Annie,
Well, idyllic was probably not the best classification for the little house you mentioned!

Aditi,
Nikon,
Eleonora,
Piika,
Thanks. It’s time for packing and travelling. Algarve is ahead of you!

Lyliane,
J’ai passé l’été à Balaia dans les années 70 (quand l’hôtel n’appartenait pas encore au Club Med) et aux années 1985-87, après la naissance de nôtre fille Di. C’était vraiment magnifique, surtout dans les années 70, quand il y avait beaucoup moins de gens là-bas. Plus tard, en juillet 2002, je suis allé au Club et j’ai même un post au Blogtrotter (label Balaia).
Pas de golf? Il y a quand même quelques fameux gauchers champions: Bob Charles de Nouvelle Zélande qui a gagné le British Open en 1963, le Canadien Mike Weir, vainqueur de l’US Masters en 2003 et Phil Mickelson, vainqueur du Masters en 2004…

Dsole,
Come on, don’t be mean; I need holidays, because I work too hard… ;)
Now, Galicia, Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz, Melia Sancti Petri, Playa de Barrosa? Who is always on holidays? ;))

Jilly,
You’re right; there is no other place in the world to eat grilled fresh sardines (I would say, grilled fish) than Portugal. Unbeatable!

Freefalling,
You’re most welcome to Algarve, Portugal. Blue skies, blue sea, sunny days, refreshing nights, great beaches, terrific nightlife… Need something more?

Steve,
No wonder, it’s a great place…

JoAnn,
Thanks. Hope the weather has improved there. I’ll post some more sunny pictures on my next post…

Travelphilippines,
That’s great, but after seeing your pictures from Glan Sarangani, I’m troubled. Of course, there is no typhoon season in Algarve…

Moi,
That would be a good choice (avoid July after the 15th and August, if you can…).

Leena,
October used to be perfectly suitable, and amazingly quiet. But now with climate change and the anticyclone from Azores changing position, it’s not so predictable… Anyhow, I think you should try!

Lv2,
Great programme for you both!

Pijush,
Thanks. I always enjoy going to the beach in Algarve.

Alice,
C’est magnifique te voir de retour et le soleil brille toujours.
Île de Pâques? J’ai quatre posts (longs) sur l’île (label Easter Island) et j’ai voté les moai pour les 7 nouvelles merveilles du monde!

Peter said...

Sorry, I was absent, so I'm a bit late.

I guess all comments have already been made. However: You are always very positive about places you visit, but even more so this time. I wonder why?

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter, glad to see you back in blogosphere.
It's true that I'm particularly positive this time, but you'll find some mixed feelings on my next post...

Sigma said...

Very nice, lively photos. though I liked the second last best .... it shows off the natural beauty of the place very well...

Anonymous said...

Hi Sigma,
so glad to see you back commenting. It's true the beach is fantastic...