We booked a year-end trip to the Quinta do Lago, which was excellent for recharging our batteries. The year 2020 was so complicated and stressful, but at the same time so special for us with baby #2 in the oven, that I didn't want to end the year at home, you know? I started thinking about traveling for New Year's in October, but with so many high cases of Covid-19 and restrictions changing all the time in Portugal, I was only able to be sure in December.

Due to the ban on movement between municipalities from 12/31/2020 until 5:00 am on 12/04, we ended up making a reservation at the hotel to check in on 12/30/2020 (Wednesday) and check out at lunchtime on 01/04/2021 (Monday). Everything within the law, in stress. 🙂

Our accommodation

We chose a hotel with houses with a full kitchen, an indoor heated pool with all safety standards and lots of green space so that we wouldn't feel the pressure of the lockdown after 1pm on days 1, 2 and 3. The chosen one was resort Vilar do Golf (rated 8.6 on Booking), in the region of Quinta do Lago. The hotel is nothing more than a large condominium with blocks of 3-5 semi-detached houses on quiet streets with impeccable gardens and a golf course nearby. There is a main building with the reception, the NOA Café and a mini market that was very useful during our stay, as well as an area with the leisure center (outdoor pool, indoor pool, gym, playground, sauna, etc.) and 2 more restaurants within the complex (Il Vero – Italian – and BAO – Asian).

It was a delightful stay, even with the 3 afternoons of mandatory confinement, because we were able to enjoy the walks around the hotel while we couldn't go out and the beautiful places around the hotel when we were free.

Remember this name in the Algarve if you want luxury and wealth: QUINTA DO LAGO!

Some photos of the hotel:

Photos of our little house:

Now some photos outside the resort, but still of this rich region:

Now let's get to the details of the trip!

Day 1 – 12/30/2020 (Wednesday)

We left Cascais around 2pm, as we wanted to leave after lunch so Paddy could take a nap while we hit the road. He slept almost the whole way and towards the end of the trip, now awake, he was excited about the new things and games he invented (each one had to say 3 words, the songs had the wrong lyrics, etc., etc. – oh, what a wonderful phase!) We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, around 5pm, we won a upgrade for a 2 bedroom house (we had only booked 1 room) and I was told that we needed to make a reservation for the indoor pool. I was upset to find out that the 30th and 31st were already sold out, after all we really wanted to enjoy the pool with the little one, but since we were able to make a reservation for the following days, I was more relaxed.

It was already getting dark, so we quickly walked around the hotel and went straight to our house to unpack our things and prepare dinner. We brought some ready-made and super practical meals, so we just turned on the oven and heated up our chosen dinner (a pot pie!). After all the excitement of arriving (Paddy loved the 2-story house, since we live in an apartment in Cascais), we prepared the little bundle's bath, put him to bed and finally got some rest. Long day!

Day 2 – 12/31/2020 (Thursday)

We had a great breakfast at home (of course thinking about those in hotels without worrying about gloves, masks and social distancing, right?), we played while we got ready and went out to enjoy the only day of the trip without mandatory confinement from 1 pm. We went straight to see the most famous church in the region, the Church of Saint Lawrence of Almancil, which is known for its 18th century blue tiles, but we found it behind closed doors.

QUARTEIRA

We then continued on to the city of Quarteira, because I wanted to see the boardwalk. We were horrified by the amount of tall buildings crammed into the streets and one another, as if it were a big city with no space, you know? I thought it was a worse Copacabana, to be honest. We parked the car in a street parking space and went to the boardwalk with Paddy and his balance bike and it was a blast. The boardwalk is very wide and empty, so we were able to walk a lot and burn off all the little guy's energy. Quarteira beach was without waves and wind, but since it was freezing cold, we didn't even get to enjoy it. I imagine it gets crowded in the summer with so many apartments in the area, so I think it's only worth it if you're staying there. Some photos:

VILAMOURA

We got back in the car and gave him lunch (2 ham and cheese sandwiches) while we drove to Vilamoura and the shock between one city and the other was striking, because the latter is so cute! They had warned us that it was the tidiest and most pleasant in the region. We walked with him still awake in the stroller through the Vilamoura Marina and when he fell asleep, we finally sat down in a restaurant with a balcony and tables outside to have a quiet lunch. It was sad to see so many restaurants and shops closed in the Marina, especially considering that it was the last day of the year and people could be celebrating, right? But that's all part of it... the effects of the pandemic, winter, government restrictions, etc.

We chose the Italian restaurant Luna Rossa, the only one with a wood-fired oven in the area (according to them), and we ordered bruschettas, calzoni and saltimbocca alla romana, a dish with veal, and they were all delicious. We managed to have a leisurely lunch (holy nap!) and at the end, he woke up and we went for a walk. We bought our fridge magnet and when it started to rain, we went to the car.

VALLEY OF THE WOLF

We drove to the region of Wolf Valley, recommended by a dear aunt, and we loved the mansions and super nice streets. We didn't get to go out to walk anywhere because the weather was really bad, but I think that in good weather, the beach area must be really interesting for a walk.

We then went home to heat up our last great dinner of the year – meat lasagna – and enjoy the coziness of the warm house with all the heaters on. Paddy couldn't stay up until midnight and to be honest, neither did I, but my husband asked us to and we stayed up until New Year's Eve watching the only decent movie on TV: The Sound of Music. lol We popped the Portuguese sparkling wine, ate some snacks and went to bed not too late because we knew the baby would wake up promptly at 7 in the morning. That was our New Year's Eve! With health, love, lightness and many plans for 2021 with the arrival of our second child. <3

Day 3 – 01/01/2021 (Friday)

First day of the most special second year of our lives! 🙂

We had breakfast at home very early and took advantage of the great weather to ride around the hotel with Paddy on his bike. It was a lovely and very calm ride, since there was no one around so early. We took the opportunity to check out the leisure area with the pools, took a walk around the golf course and when the little guy asked for a break, we went to NOA to have a snack while enjoying the sun on the balcony.

THE LONG-AWAITED POOL

We then returned home, had lunch, took a good nap and when we woke up, it was time to go to the indoor pool that we had reserved at check-in. We went by car because it was freezing, but it's super easy to walk on warmer days. The pool water was nice, not as warm as I would have liked, but I thought the changing rooms and pool area could have been warmer. Since Paddy was always getting out of the water to jump into our arms, he started shivering after half an hour in the pool. I ran to the changing rooms to give him a hot shower and dry him off with a towel, and when he was back to normal, we continued the fun. It was a little stressful to see if he was shivering or not, but it was SO worth it for the fun, you know?

(Oh, bring swimming caps, because we forgot and had to pay 4 euros for each one! Due to the pandemic, the pool reservation is valid for 1 hour, there are 15-minute intervals between one reservation and another for the staff to clean, and a maximum of 6 people from different rooms are allowed per reservation or 8 people from the same family.)

We drove to our house, had dinner, took a shower and slept practically together after the tiredness of that delicious day.

Day 4 – 02/01/2021 (Saturday)

Day to discover new places in the morning, since in the afternoon we would have to stay confined to the hotel.

LOULE

We had breakfast and went out to explore the city of Loule, famous for its Saturday market. We parked the car in a spot on the main street, right in front of the aforementioned market, and that was our first stop. I thought the building was cute with its red Moorish details and I loved walking around inside and seeing the products for sale, even with the tension of the pandemic in the air.

Then we walked around the historic city center, which was very tidy by the way, and saw some squares with Christmas decorations that Paddy loved. We passed by the castle, which was closed, and then I went into a little shop called Teresa's Pottery which has beautiful ceramics hand painted live by this lady. I had to buy something to honor her after watching her paint… 🙂

We then got back in the car and drove to the church we had tried to visit on Thursday, but it was still closed. Since there was a giant sign saying it was closed on Sundays and Mondays, I had to accept that visiting it would have to wait for another trip.

We went back home and thought about ordering food from a restaurant, but we couldn't find anything decent on Uber Eats. I even called the hotel reception and asked for recommendations, but they couldn't give me anything. It was super frustrating. We ended up making pasta with sauce and then took our sacred nap with the little one. When we woke up, we walked around the hotel until we were really tired and went back to our usual routine: dinner, shower and bed.

Oh, it is possible to rent a bike at the hotel, but since Paddy is still quite small and we need to be careful with the cars around, we thought it best not to rent one. We saw a lot of people riding around on bike and they looked like they were rented, so here's a tip!

NOTE: I had booked the pool for this afternoon as well, but after the stressful experience of the cold the day before, I thought it best to call to cancel the reservation, leaving only the confirmed reservation for the following day.

Day 5 – 01/03/2021 (Sunday)

Another day with lockdown in the afternoon, so we went out to enjoy the morning! After drinking coffee, we went out to explore the super pleasant region of Quinta do Lago, which is where our hotel is. We happily lost ourselves in the streets full of mansions, playing at choosing our favorites, and then stopped at the lake to take a walk.

It was a beautiful day and not too cold, so we walked the entire way around it, with Paddy on his little bike catching the attention of everyone who passed us. What a lovely walk!

Detail of this last photo of the hug: We had to stop during our ride to calm him down because he wouldn't accept that he had to ride on the right so as not to disturb other people who were on the bike path. We explained it in a thousand ways and when he kept insisting on riding on the left, we had to take his bike away until he understood that rules are rules. There was crying, there was a lot of hugging and when he finally calmed down and accepted staying on the right, we continued on. Traveling with toddlers is like that: a rollercoaster of emotions., but we are loving the experience and learning.

QUINTA DO LAGO BEACH

We left the lake and went to the Quinta do Lago Beach, with a parking lot right in front of the path to the beach. The walkways are very well maintained, people were respecting the social distancing and fortunately it was quite empty, so we were able to enjoy it without too much anxiety, you know? We sat on the sand enjoying the sun, the sound of the sea and Paddy being super happy to play in the sand, while we recharged our batteries for this very special and challenging year.

We returned home at 1 pm – as ordered by the government –, had lunch, took a nap and then went out to enjoy another hour at the pool. indoor.

This time it was less stressful than the first time, because we were more psychologically prepared for the cold. Pure fun! 🙂

Then we took our baths, had dinner, and packed our things for the checkout the next day and we went to sleep happy with the result of the trip.

04/01/2021 (Monday)

Early coffee, junk in the car, checkout at 10am and then brunch at NOA to get us through the almost 3 hours of driving with the little one taking a nap. Absolute success!

I know this trip may seem boring, but that's exactly what I wanted from it: a slower pace, a calm and different confinement, easy-to-prepare meals, lots of rest for the 3 of us (we finally took naps with the little one) and the 4 of us stuck together.

Come with everything, 2021! I just ask for good health, okay? Thank you!