Birthday Bliss - Vale do Lobo

Lying by my private pool with a glass of chilled white wine, I knew I’d chosen the wrong glossy magazine. ‘Things you should have done at 40’ read the tantalising headline. Ten years past the deadline, I seemed to have failed dismally. I hadn’t read the Kama Sutra, had a fling with a younger man – or an older one – or spent an outrageous amount of money on a pair of shoes. Clearly too sensible by half.

My friend’s magazine, however, gave me a bit more time to catch up. ‘50 things you must see or do in your lifetime,’ it urged.

Now I hadn’t watched polar bears or driven along Route 66, but I had been white water rafting, visited Santa Land and had lunch in a top London restaurant. I felt encouraged.

The one must-do adventure that both magazines failed to mention was taking a break with your best friend. Whatever your age, it’s something everyone should do at least once. We were doing it in style at the luxurious Portuguese resort of Vale do Lobo.

Sun, sand and sea

Liz and I have been friends since secondary school. So when we hit our half-century within four weeks of each other, a celebratory short break was a must. We wanted something involving sun, sand, and sea. A villa holiday would offer physical space and a flexible lifestyle, but the most self-catering we intended to do was open bottles, so we wanted restaurants on hand too.

Vale do Lobo in the Algarve fulfilled all our requirements and more. Just a 20-minute drive from Faro airport, it’s easily accessible from a choice of UK airports, making it ideal for a short break holiday. We chose Monarch’s daily scheduled flight from London Gatwick for maximum flexibility – out Friday afternoon and back Monday evening.