Well, it was all a bit unknown as to whether we could/should/had to go to Portugal and of course – sod's bloody law – we were forced to go as otherwise would have lost the cost of the flights / house, but then equally forced to come back midway through due to the imminent quarantine. Any other week would have been fine either way!
But we did manage to have a really nice time – the flights weren't anything like as worrying as I had been concerned they might feel – BA did a really good job in both directions, and – amazingly – given the enormous demand for the return flights on Friday pre-quarantine they still kept lots of empty seats for distancing purposes, so each row of 3 only had two people in it, unless it was a family group. First time the onboard gift has ever been a little bag with a wet wipe in it too! And the only time that people took their masks off was for a sip of water or if they wanted to eat something – and we were de-boarded 4 rows at a time, so no rugby scrum on landing.
And of course the house was LOVELY! Oh my god, just having something new, different, with a pool, several outdoor eating areas, a roof terrace, pingpong table round the back and a beach within 5 mins walk, felt SO good. This was our local one – Rabbit Beach.
We managed to trot off to a different beach each day, and were also very impressed by every single cafe/restaurant also taking things seriously, without it feeling onerous or sombre. Hand-san at the door, wearing of masks to the table and to and from the loo, but obvs not while seated and eating. Even a chap on the beach, handing out little advice leaflets and a free phone waterproof bag, to soften the message, even though we erectly happy to hear it! Nothing busy, lots and lots of space for ourselves – just as hoped for.
Add in a daily BBQ opportunity for Jules & Hawksey, while Nicky & I alternatively ate Magnums and made salads – and me whipping ass at Uno, a rare treat – and all went well.
And our local restaurant was really lovely – and even knocked out a decent caipirinha on our last night there- amazing.
Just a shame we had to leave N&J there for an extra 2 nights while H & I felt back, but think they still enjoyed their added time too. H collected them from LHR last night and now they are in quarantine – with Mojo joining them this Thursday as we head off to Devon on Friday!
Was it worth it? Honestly, yes. A chance to really appreciate the opportunity for something different, some bonus sunshine, good food and to relax away from the misery of this year.
And H& I both had a COVID test at Parkside on Fri eve after we landed, which have been been negative – hence I am now having chemo there right now. Yup, back to the same old, same old…sigh.
Still – we walked on beaches, swam in the pool & in the sea and ate sardines & octopus – and of course several pastel de nata – so a much appreciated change, albeit for just a few precious days x