72 hours in Portugal

Anyone who follows me on Instagram has noticed that I've been floating on a little cloud these past few days. The cloud is called the Algarve. I don't quite know what it is, but every time I'm there, everything is just perfect. Why sit at home on the couch during the weekend when you can walk in Portugal? In the category of short but powerful, I can't shout often enough: take a weekend trip to Portugal. Because man oh man, what a wonderful country it is.

Do: rent a car. Portugal is made for road trips. For fifty euros, you can rent a car for three days. Meanwhile, if you take a taxi from Faro airport to your hotel, you'll already spend forty euros. You can do the math.

Don't do: choose a flight with ‘chill’ times. Yes, I understand that setting your alarm for two in the morning isn't really a party, but if you're only going for a weekend, there's nothing cooler than landing at 07:00 on Friday morning. Hello day that still lies ahead!

Do: head straight to the beach. There's no time to waste. I found Praia da Senhora da Rocha to be an incredibly beautiful spot. The Benagil sea cave is also in the top ten most beautiful beaches in Portugal. Forget the rushed city trip; the mini beach holiday is just perfect for fully recharging yourself.

Don't do: make a plan. Finding a nice little place to eat: okay, but please let everything else just happen as it will. What did we get up to? Not a damn thing. A sort of eat, sleep, sun, repeat. Rent a little car and explore everything at our own leisurely pace.

Do: eat pastel de nata, undoubtedly the most famous sweet treat in Portugal. If you're near Albufeira, go to Pastelaria Riviera. The rule is often: the uglier the bar, the better they are.

Don't do: think that you'll ever eat better sushi in your life than at Tatsumi in Olhos de Água. Yes, I don't quite get it either. Order a jug of sangria and the sushi boat, and you'll be sweet for the whole evening for thirty euros.

Do: now that we're talking about good food; the tastiest Amêijoas (you know, those Venus clams from the pasta Vongole) are also eaten by the sea in Olhos de Água. Add an oyster, a good glass of white wine, and you'll be purring with happiness.

Did I already mention that this was the best trip in ages? Hereby.