PORTUGAL

Portugal was my second holiday this year. I went to Amsterdam at the beginning of the year, but this was a proper summer holiday. It was just myself and my boyfriend that went. We just went for 11 days, although I wish it was much longer.

We flew from Doncaster/Sheffield Airport to Faro Airport. We were staying in Algarve Alvor. The airport was a good hour away from our hotel. We got transfers included like most people, so we had to stop at a million and one places before we got to our hotel aha.

The hotel we stayed in was called Alvor Baia Resort Hotel (I'll link so you can all have a nosey). It was pretty quiet around the hotel there didn't seem to be much around. Some of you may know that I'm a really fussy eater so the food here wasn't for me. Every now and again they would have turkey and chips. Unfortunately most nights it was fish or other foods I didn't like. I ate mostly bread, chips and the odd bit from the kid's section haha. Luckily I did find a supermarket about a 10-minute walk down the road from our hotel. I went and bought a bunch of food to take back to the hotel room. The food is the only thing that puts me off staying there again. Apart from that, everything else was great!  

                                 

For the first couple of days, we thought we were basically stranded. It didn't look like there was much near the hotel whether it was walking distance or a taxi ride. Then we decided to go for a walk and found a bunch of restaurants and gift shops, not too far from the beach either. However, activities wise there wasn't much to do. I'd been looking forward to seeing the dolphins or even going to the waterpark. They were all in different parts of Portugal which would have taken a bit longer in a taxi and would have cost a fortune. We did manage to find a little Dinosaur mini golf course at the back of our hotel and if you know me, I love a good game of mini golf. So we'd go have a game or two then have a few drinks.

Overall it was a nice chilled holiday. I think if the hotel was in a different area I would definitely stay again. If you prefer doing activities and days out, then I recommend researching before you book anywhere. That's something I'll be doing next time.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Hello. I bet you've all been wondering where I've been recently. I have been a little MIA. I went on holiday to Portugal in May, then about 3 days after I got back I moved into my own house, hence why there haven't been any posts in May. Let's kick things off again!

I love being organised. I thought I'd give you some of my travel essential. Don't count clothes etc you put in your main luggage because obviously, they are essentials.

Money/Passport/Documents

Money is an obvious one, whether you're taking cash or card. Passports and any documents like a boarding pass, confirmations, insurance papers, keep everything together, in your hand luggage, you won't want to lose any of that.

Phone/Charger/Headphones

Most of us now can't be without our phones so I can't imagine you're going to forget it. Flights can get a bit boring as you're limited to what you can do. I like to make sure I've downloaded as much music as I can and any games that you can play without wifi.

Lotions and Potions

There are loads of different things you could put into this category, it will differ for everyone. These are a few things I like to make sure I have with me. NuSkin Facemist and lip balm. Suncream an obvious one, only if you're going somewhere with the sun shining. 

Medication

I get really bad migraines and can feel generally unwell every now and again. So I always take some paracetamol with me. Apart from any medication, you might need to take I know you can also get tablets to help if you get travel sick.

Tissues and Wipes

Now I don't know about you, but I have to carry a little packet of tissues and wet wipes with me at all times. Whether there's nothing in a toilet stall, you've spilled something, you need to clean yourself anything. I always find a need for them.

Anything you want

These are just a few ideas and things I like to take with me. Of course, you can take whatever you want/need. Maybe a face mask while you're relaxing on the plane, a book, a mini board game it's all up to you.

A x