When three of us hopped into a rental car for a road trip, we didn’t know what we would see as we explored the southern region of Portugal known as the Algarve, but we knew that it would be a great 48 hour adventure.  (Actually, 47 hours and 50 minutes – making the most of a two day car rental!) We saw two very different coastlines, and stayed in two very different AirBnBs, and laughed and smiled a ton.

Coastline #1: Rough and Rugged

The first half of the road trip was following the western coast, from Lisbon down to the bottom corner of the country.  We navigated twists and turns, and at one point decided against a ‘road’ that may have been okay at low tide, but the waves were lapping its edges as we looked at it.  Mostly the scenery was various farms and ranches on our left, and rugged cliffs and rocky beaches with crashing waves on our right.  One of the memorable sights was passing an ostrich farm – too surprising and too quick to catch on camera.  But what odd looking birds!  We made it to Sagres, the end of Portugal, just in time for sunset.  The wind was powerfully fierce upon our arrival, adding to the remote feel of the fortress that is watching for friends and foes approaching from distant seas.

AirBnB #1: In the Dark

We picked up the key to our apartment for the first night, and after some slight confusion in finding the right door, we were happy to have arrived and were curious to see the place compared to its photos.  However, we couldn’t get any lights to turn on!  The neighbouring apartment clearly had power given the vacuuming sounds behind their door.  When I called the contact number, and he asked, “What do you need?” it sounded odd, but I said, “Electricity.”  That generated a long pause.  But props to him for getting an electrician out within ten minutes, and a really friendly and helpful one at that.  His forensics determined that the refrigerator was shorting the whole panel.  As long as we didn’t plug it in, we would be fine – which simply meant no bringing leftovers home after dinner.  It took a moment for the wireless router to reboot, but then we were back on track, though things were looking a little dark there for a while.

Coastline #2: Serene

The second half of the road trip was following the southern coast, which is where most of the Algarve publicity photos are taken.  We had loosely considered hiking the Seven Hanging Valleys trail which runs along the top of the cliffs.  When we arrived at the trailhead, we discovered a nice beach, and an even nicer boat tour company.  We changed our plans, to first see the cliffs from the water, and see some of the famous caves that are only accessed from the water.  IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!  The sky was royal blue, the cliffs were caramel brown, and the water was shimmering turquoise.  The two man crew clearly loved their jobs, and loved driving the boat in the off-season when they didn’t have to compete with other boats trying to see the same caves.  It was a real speed boat which was a surprise to us, and we enjoyed the thrill of going at top speed from point A to B.  By the end, we were even cheering for the donut move and the fly-bys.  The photos speak for themselves – just so serene, magical, and majestic.

AirBnB #2: Zen

We picked a place for our second night that gave us some time in the countryside just outside of Lisbon before heading in to the city in the morning to return the rental car.  It was modest as far as sleeping accommodations – a single wood cabin with three twin beds, a bathroom, and a space heater. Ironically, we were given instructions that if we wanted to boil water in the kettle, that we should do so before having a shower and engaging the hot water tank, else a circuit may trip.  Ha!  The other amenities though were incredible.  1. Have you ever had an opportunity to take a yoga class at your AirBnB??!  The second wood cabin was a fully fit-out yoga studio, complete with mats, bolsters, blocks, blankets, you name it.  Basically moments after piling out of the car, we were on the mats just focusing on breathing and stretching.  At the end of the session, our hostess played some chimes (see photo – really cool sound), and then served us tea and chatted for a while.  So nice!  2. The second B in AirBnB is not often enforced.  In this case though, we were offered a gorgeous spread – croissants, homemade bread, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, pomegranate, homemade jam, scrambled eggs, custard tarts, tea, and coffee.  Our host also brought out his box of fresh walnuts with its own nutcracker so that we could crack our own. WE DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE.

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Closing:

As we crossed the river toward Lisbon, a full rainbow arched all the way over the bridge. Just one more small piece of magic to a pretty amazing road trip.