Algar de Benagil

The highlight of my day was going on a speed boat in search of dolphins.  I was picked up at the hotel at 9.20am and taken to the marina at Albufeira where our group boarded the boat.  It was compulsory to wear face masks at all times even on the boat so it got quite warm! We headed straight out to sea and hadn't gone too far when we came across a pod.  Unfortunately we were facing into the sun so not ideal for the photos, but I'm really pleased to have seen them and have a few decent shots which I've added to my extras.  The difficulty is that they're so quick and you never know where they're going to surface.  

We stayed and watched them for some time before heading off at full speed along the coast to Carvoeiro where we sailed inside many of the caves, the most impressive being the Benagil cave that has a beach and  a hole in the roof.  It's only accessible by boat, or kayak and really is spectacular as you can see.  As we sailed back along the coast the boat moored up for about 30 minutes for anyone that wanted to go for a swim.  I had planned to, but I saw the biggest jelly fish near the boat, so I didn't bother!

I got back to the hotel at 1pm and met up with Alan who'd been exploring - boat trips aren't his thing, but he was quite happy for me to go.  We went for lunch in the restaurant and then this afternoon went for a walk along Falesia beach which is absolutely stunning with the colourful cliffs.  We went in the sea and sunbathed for a while before heading back to the hotel for a drink.

Tonight's entertainment was traditional folklore dancing by a team of dancers, so after dinner we sat on the terrace of the bar to watch.  I have to say that as this wasn't originally the holiday we'd booked, we're really enjoying it and are feeling very relaxed.  It's quite a few years since we were last in Portugal and are very glad to be back.