il Basilico, one of the restaurants at our hotel, Portobay Falesia, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was excellent.
First, Rosé Sangria, then fresh grilled Ahi tuna & chargrilled beef fillet accompanied by seasonal vegetables, and lastly, Tiramisù & red berry Cheesecake for dessert.
The service was perfection, the views stunning & the live band’s music was entertaining. You could sit indoors or outside on the spacious patio. As we had a fairly early dinner, was quite warm out still so we settled on a cooler table inside.
Grilled Ahi tunaBeef fillet Rosé SangriaTiramisù & red berry Cheesecake
Our fabulous server happy to teach us some Portuguese
The beautiful patio overlooking the Atlantic Ocean & our hotel
In Albufeira, Portugal, in this funky glass pod, is a 50s Diner themed little cafe. It’s like a blast from the past!
There’s a life size statue of The King himself + one of Marilyn Monroe! There’s the front end grill of an old car inside & tons of memorabilia.
It’s called American Diner & definitely embodies that very thing. From the Philadelphia Cheesesteak to the Godfather Pizza, the Priscilla’s Rodeo Drive Salad, to the stools up next to the sofa fountain… everything is about as authentic as you could get.
We wish it had been open to go try some food but it was early in the morning & we were just there to pick up our rental car next door.
The rating above is based on a five ticket recommendation. We compare to hundreds of locations and activities during the last ten years.
Follow along with us the next few weeks as we take our first international trip since December 2018.
We’re heading to England via Heathrow Airport then on to Portugal via Faro Airport.
We’ve decided not to take any checked baggage because of the shortage of staff to deal with it at Heathrow… it’s a hard shell carry-on suitcase all the way for us this vacation. Remember your carry-on luggage with say, Air Canada, doesn’t have a weight limit but it MUST fit in the overhead compartment. You may also take one personal item but it MUST fit under your seat. Here are some suitable hand luggage suggestions https://shop.samsonite.com/ Don’t be that person with more than your allowance as it’s not fair to other travellers who have done as asked.
We’ll be arriving for our evening departure at least 5 hours ahead of time to avoid any delays due to traffic or lineups while going through security. Expert Traveller Tips: Have your allowable liquids in ONE separate, clear plastic 1 litre bag ready to place in an examination tray. If you have any over 100 mls or more than the one 1 litre bag, you will be expected to get rid of them. Also, have your medications & their paperwork together in a separate bag so it’s easily checked.
We need to get to our first destination (London, Heathrow) to get our rental car on time (the only vehicle available!). It’s at least 2.5 hours to the City of Bath where we’re headed. There are strikes going on regarding the trains & possibly other transit so it’s imperative that we get this rental.
After our holiday with family in Bath & Bradford on Avon, we head back to London for one day to be ready for the next leg of our trip… Portugal.
We’ve been reading that there are forest fires, a heat wave, the worst Covid Ba.4 & Ba.5 numbers in the world, also pilot & air crew strikes happening right now in Portugal… we’re completely vaccinated & have all of the sanitizers & masks we could possibly need but we have no control over fires & strike action. As professional traveller, travel writer & television personality, Rick Steves wisely always says, be prepared for everything. https://www.ricksteves.com/
