Today was a GREAT day. My feet hurt but my soul is happy. Prepare yourself for seeing photos of the 2nd best hike Jay and I have ever done (Maui is #1).

Have I mentioned how much I love the style of this hotel?
We watched the sunset from our balcony while sipping wine from Duoro – yummy
I really don’t like figuring out where we are going to eat while I’m on vacation. Kind of like how I hate figuring out what we are having for dinner every night in real life. Knock on wood but we have gotten really lucky so far. My technique for restaurant hunting is very high tech and analytical….i look at Google Maps and find a restaurant on the ocean.
Recommend!
Grabbed a drink in the lounge before going to dinner
She is so happy here. We fueled up with a great breakfast before heading out on our hike.
We parked the car at Praia da Marinha and started walking West. Lily and I were admiring the view when a guy said we needed to climb down a path to find the heart cave. The trail was a little sketch, but I am so glad we did it!
Love
Ty was off running around the cliffs
You really can’t tell in these pictures how huge these cliffs are.
Well that’s a gorgeous beach. I wonder how people get down there
I asked a guy where the cave ended up – he said a Magical Kingdom. He wasn’t lying.
Magical
There was a little kitchen area in the cave.
Lighthouse
Ok this might give you some perspective. There is a lighthouse on top of the cliff.
These homes have amazing views
Kind of reminds me of the 7 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Australia
The guy on the edge of the cliff was fishing.
This beach was about halfway – perfect spot to grab a smoothie
There were lots of these giant holes in the earth along the trail. This picture is looking down from the top. Some of them were so deep you could hear the waves crashing in but couldn’t see anything.
Lots of fossils
So beautiful
The only wildlife I spotted
We ended at Carvoeiro. Just over 4 miles of hiking – up and down, moderate intensity. Major views.
Again, my stellar restaurant searching skills did not disappoint. This little gem – Olivalmar – was the best meal we have all had in Portugal. Ty tried crab for the first time. We all basically licked our plates clean, and then Lily talked us into dessert. Um. Wow. Make sure when you go you leave some room for dessert.

Days like today remind me how fortunate we are. When the daily stress levels are at a peak, I need to take a deep breath, close my eyes, and remember this hike in the Algarve. I heard someone in a Rick Steves podcast describe vacation in the Algarve as adding to the “Mosaic of Memories”. We all added some tiles today.