Faro to Vilamoura
Well 15 miles this is the shortest passage of the journey. After a gruelling day the day before I thought it would be nice to have a short trip, we had a day to kill because there were adverse winds on the Atlantic coast and we planned to anchor near the point before making a dash for Sines.
As we approached Vilamoura under sail it was completely balmy so I suggested a break for a swim. We turned off our track and headed for the shore. A few hours were enjoyed swimming and having lunch.
After lunch we headed into the very smart marina where we were told to go tot he arrivals pontoon starboard side to!… the arrivals pontoon is on the left as you enter the harbour.
The reception building is the smartest we have ever seen, very much like arriving in a luxury hotel. The fee for Sea Crusader was €134+VAT for the night as we are now in "mid season" if we had arrived last week the fee would have been €34, the pricing structure is completely mad.
This place needs to be visited at least once! It is like Newcastle invades Monaco. It is smart chic full of very expensive British cars and flats and the residents are… not from Surrey. Yes that sounds very snobbish but it is an observation. The place is occupied by affluent northerners (North of Watford). I have never seen so many restaurants and pubs surrounding a marina.
The marina office had recommended a restaurant to us so that is where we ate and it was good. After that we went for a stroll and were simply amazed by the activity this was a very lively place. On our way back we passed the "Atlantic bar" and the most amazing music was coming from a live performance. We left at 1am, what a brilliant night. If we come again I will try to do so in May.
As we approached Vilamoura under sail it was completely balmy so I suggested a break for a swim. We turned off our track and headed for the shore. A few hours were enjoyed swimming and having lunch.
After lunch we headed into the very smart marina where we were told to go tot he arrivals pontoon starboard side to!… the arrivals pontoon is on the left as you enter the harbour.
The reception building is the smartest we have ever seen, very much like arriving in a luxury hotel. The fee for Sea Crusader was €134+VAT for the night as we are now in "mid season" if we had arrived last week the fee would have been €34, the pricing structure is completely mad.
This place needs to be visited at least once! It is like Newcastle invades Monaco. It is smart chic full of very expensive British cars and flats and the residents are… not from Surrey. Yes that sounds very snobbish but it is an observation. The place is occupied by affluent northerners (North of Watford). I have never seen so many restaurants and pubs surrounding a marina.
The marina office had recommended a restaurant to us so that is where we ate and it was good. After that we went for a stroll and were simply amazed by the activity this was a very lively place. On our way back we passed the "Atlantic bar" and the most amazing music was coming from a live performance. We left at 1am, what a brilliant night. If we come again I will try to do so in May.