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A local, driving a handsome Portuguese
horse by an Albufeira orange grove |
Our hero and his lovely sidekick arrived at the Faro International Airport on the evening of November 18, 2025. The journey from Madrid involved flying two short legs on TAP Air Portugal, an airline that is very highly rated and especially with regard to safety. The service was very good on these short hops and the stopover in Lisbon was just long enough to check out the capital's pretty darn nice airport. Happily, all the luggage arrived with the travellers in Faro and was transferred to a taxi for a 35-minute drive west, to the municipality of Albufeira.
Once out of Faro you drive past numerous orange groves and some small villages on the way to Albufeira. The destination was Pine Cliffs Resort which would be home for the dynamic duo for the next week. This massive development is a 175-acre fully-enclosed, seaside-property. It lies along the top of the red sandstone cliffs that overlook the blue Atlantic. Below the cliffs there is a very wide strip of a beautiful golden beach that stretches for miles back towards Faro. From the Champagne Bar you can get a great view of the sunset, perched high up on the edge of the cliffs. It was there that Mr. Gym and his dear wife began their week in the Faro District after they had checked in and unpacked.
Pine Cliffs is not just a massive 5-star hotel. Within the generous grounds dotted with Moorish tile fountains, beautiful gardens and a canopy of umbrella-shaped Stone Pines are longer stay residences and condominiums that are managed by Marriott. Everyone has access to the immaculate 9-hole golf course, the spa, the tennis courts, the amazing kids playground, a mini-golf course and 8 pools. The beach can be accessed by descending down 197 steps that thread through a natural ravine between beautiful sandstone cliffs on either side of the stairway. At the beach you come to the Mare Restaurant, one of Pine Cliffs' 15 restaurants and bars.
November is low season for Albufeira. The hotel was less than half-full which had its advantages and disadvantages. There were no noisy crowds like there is in the summer but because of the lower density of tourists on the resort only half the restaurants were open. Gym and his dear wife tried several of the venues that were open year-round but they also enjoyed getting off the property and trying a few of the local, family-run establishments adjacent to the resort.
Stay tuned.
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Pine Cliffs Hotel from one of the 8 pools
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Their room was a 2-storey suite at the top
with a ocean view veranda |
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| One of the many Moorish fountains on the property |
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| Another pool adjacent to the hotel |
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| Pool near the spa with condos behind it |
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| Water feature and green space in a Moorish style |
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| Very cool kids playground with two pirate ship jungle gyms |
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| Tree-top zip lines in the corner of the property |
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| The beautiful sandstone cliffs in the ravine |
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| Nice sunsets from the top of the cliff |
