Tag Archives: Beach

The Life Bus Returns from Portugal

16 Replies

I have to be honest, Portugal was never high on my list as a place to vacation.…I always felt like ‘I will get there when I have exhausted all other travel options.’  I cannot tell you how dumb that line of thinking was. I just got back from a 2 week road trip through the country and I have to say, it turned out to be one of the greatest trips to Europe I have ever had. I started in Lisbon with my husband, and drove the entire perimeter of the country – overall about 1,300 miles, much more than I had anticipated.  Greg ditched me after 6 days for work reasons and I spent the rest of the time trying to read the guidebooks, street signs, and navigate the one way streets on my own.  I can’t lie to you, there were some significant moments of stress, but in the end, the amount of personal satisfaction and sense of adventure far outweighed the strange encounter with the goat herder, driving the wrong way on a busy city street and the countless hours of trying to find last minute lodging in a strange city in the dark.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a difficult time planning the trip as very few of my friends and colleagues have been to Portugal.  I was at the mercy of the Lonely Planet guides to lead me on and off the beaten path.  I don’t know why, but I am always fearful of relying solely on a guidebook, probably because I have had some bad experiences in the past. I have to say, the peeps at Lonely Planet did a pretty good job highlighting the practical tips, lodging choices, and key experiences. As a reference point, some of the key cities I visited were, Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Aveiro, Obidos, Coimbra, Borcelo, Porto, Alamante,Manteigas, Marvao, Albufeira, Sagres, and Zambujeira do Mar.

What did I learn about Portugal?

  • It is a GORGEOUS country and is far more diverse than I ever imagined – Long, wide, soft sand beaches,dramatic cliffs, mountains, old world charm, historical ruins, castles, sophisticated cities, and vineyards.
  • It is an easy country to navigate in a car until you get to a city (regardless of size), then the street signs become a little less visible.  There are rest-stops with clean gas stations and restaurants about every 35 to 50 miles.
  • There are A LOT of tolls so I was grateful to have an ‘EZ Pass’ toll tag.  Saved me from digging for Euros at the toll stations.
  • The radio stations are the BOMB.  They play 2 or 3 English songs (Adele, Florence + the Machine, Michael Jackson, CCR, Rihana, Flo-Rida, etc) and will follow up with a Portugese song or 2.  I have never danced or sang in a car this much in my life!
  • It is clean and very tourist friendly.  You won’t see mounds of trash piled on the side of the highway and all of the lodging I found was extremely clean and affordable.  There are also tourist offices in every town to help lead you down an interesting path if needed.

What were the highlights? There were so many it was hard to pick but I managed to dig deep.

  • Porto has become my new favorite European city – it is an old, authentic city full of maze-like alleyways and colorful buildings.  The photo and exploring opportunities are endless.   I was never a fan of Port wine until I visited this fine city and visited one of the tasting rooms – Ferreira.  I ended up buying a vintage bottle of Port I can drink in 10 years.  I will be close to 60 years old when it is ready for consumption – probably not my finest decision.   The view of Porto from that side of the river is stunning, if you miss it you will regret it.

  • Driving solo through the Douro Valley wine region on a crisp fall day with blue-bird skies has to be one of the most liberating experiences of my life.  I rolled down the windows and cranked Dirty Diana on the radio (the Portuguese radio stations love Michael Jackson!).  Because I just missed the grape harvest season, the roads were empty and I felt as though I had the entire valley to myself. The views of the terraced vineyards were amazing and some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  The hotel Casa da Calcade in Amarante was my overnight stay in this area.  Trip Advisor gave it high marks, but I found it to be average.  Take into consideration they gave me the handicap room on the lower floor so it was no frills and dark (Why do hotels do this??).  I did have an enjoyable glass of wine on the patio near the pool with the scent of apricots in the air – perhaps that made up for the dingy room.

  • The velvety green mountains in the Serra da Estrala provided me with the feeling of home in Colorado, only with quaint whitewashed villages nestled in the valleys of the 5,000 ft. mountains, no fast food chains and few gas stations.  Given I almost ran out of gas in the middle of this grand terrain, I would suggest ensuring you have a full tank prior to making the drive.  I know what you are thinking – don’t ask, it’s embarrassing.  If you happen to get car sick, this drive just might throw you over the edge – the roads are steep and winding but worth the discomfort.  Every time I turned a corner there was jaw-dropping scenery.   I spent the night in a town called Manteigas and hunkered down at the Hotel Berne.  It was clean and cost me $35 + breakfast – what’s not to love about that?

  • Standing on the most Southwestern tip of Europe in Sagres was another one of those days that will stick in my mind forever. The cliffs, the blue green waves crashing against the rocks below and the feeling of being on the edge of the earth made it an unforgettable day.   As you can imagine, this part of Portugal is a little touristy (only slightly though), however, the drive between Lagos and Sagres will most assuredly provide you with plenty of off the beaten path beaches to explore.  I found 2 that I fell in love with.   Praia do Zavial is a little surf beach on an obscure road where I made a last minute turn – there must have been at least 10 surfers off shore waiting to catch the next big wave.  The second was Praia do Beliche where you descend 100s of steps to get to the sand – mainly because it sits between some dramatic cliffs which makes you feel as though you are in total seclusion.  It is so gorgeous, I could live there – right on the beach. Apparently you can also explore some of the nearby caves via a kayak or canoe. My crash pad in this area was in Albufeira which I would not necessarily recommend to visit (the town is unremarkable), however, there was an awesome Sheraton Pine Cliffs Resort there that I got for free thanks to my Starwood American Express points.  I didn’t leave the compound for 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed the beach and sunsets there.

  • The only 2 cities I could have passed on were Coimbra and Aveiro – I felt the guidebooks overrated both of these spots.  Coimbra is a relatively large city for Portugal and I did not find the university component to be the most interesting.  Apparently the way to see this city is on foot which I did not do.  Perhaps I missed out on a gem.  Aveiro they call the ‘Venice of Portugal’.  Again, maybe I missed something but the best thing I saw here was a girl walking her cat on a leash.  Come to think of it, that was the highlight of the entire day so perhaps the day in this city was worth it!
  • The other cities visited as noted above I would recommend.  The guidebooks cover those pretty well, they just didn’t make it to the top of my personal highlights list.

If you don’t have Portugal on your bucket list you should. I could literally go on and on about things I found interesting but if I put everything in the blog, it would be 5,000 words long!   Jump on the Life Bus and take a road trip through Portugal.  I think it is one of the best countries to explore in a car!

Beachfront Oasis in Tulum, Mexico

4 Replies

[slideshow]

The first time I vacationed in the Cancun area was in 1990 and I had just broken up with a boyfriend. I knew back then I was not a fan of Cancun – not really sure why, as I had not been anywhere interesting at that stage in my life. Then again, it could have been influenced by the break-up – it totally sucked.

Back then, Tulum felt like a VERY long drive away from Cancun and seemed way beyond my reach. I was too chicken to rent a car and drive South on a solo expedition – if only I knew then what I think I know now. Fast forward many, many years and Greg and I pay a visit to Playa Del Carmen.

We thoroughly enjoyed Playa, but in typical Life Bus fashion, we were in search of an adventure. We took off in our rental car and headed South to Tulum to find one of the famous Cenotes to explore and see some ruins. I had nothing with me except my phone camera, a towel and a bathing suit. We drove for a couple of hours without incident and found ourselves in downtown Tulum. I could not for the life of me figure out what was so exciting about this town. I knew there was something else around the corner – I could smell it.

After circling around some back roads of the downtown area and discovering an amazing old cemetery, we found a sign that pointed to ‘la playa’. We took the turn and headed along the coastline. OMG – the experience was night and day. All of the lodging along the Boca Paila Rd. towards Punta Allen consists of small, interesting non-chain bungalows and 98% are located on the beach front. The range included all the way from very basic to the very posh.

We came across an obscure lodging option called the Encantada Beachfront Boutique Hotel, fairly close to the end of the road prior to reaching the Punta Allen State Park. You cannot see anything particularly special from the road, but, the signage for the hotel was lovely and seemed to be very upscale. I convinced Greg to stop and take a tour of one of the open palapa style rooms. It was love at first sight. Next thing I knew, we booked a night at the hotel, ordered up some margaritas and enjoyed a cool beach breeze on our private deck.

The hotel is one of my all-time faves. The details the San Francisco based owners put into this resort are UNBELIEVABLE, all the way from the fresh water jug in the room, to the shower tiles, deck chairs, beach lounge chairs, bedding, and the outdoor lights in the trees around the property. An added bonus provided by Mother Nature is the sand on the beach – white and as fine as powdered sugar. The water temperature and the waves are completely enjoyable and oh so addicting. Any time I feel stressed I imagine my experience in this little oasis – a lot of sunshine, soft sand and pure relaxation.

To top it off, the food at Encantada is de-lish and is served in very large portions – easily shared between 2 people. The room rate comes with a great breakfast of fresh local fruit, pastries and yogurt – the good stuff, not yoplait.

There are a total of 8 rooms with 4 directly on the beach front. I would do my best to secure the beach front rooms as you are nearly guaranteed to have a lovely ocean breeze to keep you cool. Warning: This is an eco-friendly hotel so they do not have A/C. It could be hot and humid in the dead of summer so take that into consideration when booking a room.

Some how I managed to live without a toothbrush and in a wet bathing suit for about 24 hours. It was worth the fuzzy teeth and butt crickets. I absolutely cannot wait to go back and enjoy some tasty food, margs, waves and a fine sand beach.

24 Perfect Hours in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Leave a reply

When I was 17 years old, I took a road trip down the California coast with my best friend’s family. It was the first time I had experienced a road trip not jammed in the back of a Stay-Wag with 3 older siblings torturing me along the way or a car full of cigarette smoke with the windows rolled up – it was actually an enjoyable experience.

We started in San Francisco and made it all the way down to Redondo Beach outside of Los Angeles.  One of our pit-stops along the way was Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA which is located 120 miles South of San Francisco.   In 1982, I remember feeling as though Carmel was one of the most beautiful places in the world. We happened to pass by the Tickle Pink Inn which is perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean.  I swear it was pink at the time and I remember thinking – “It would be really killer to stay there some day.”

Fast forward 30 years later and Greg and I are on a road-trip passing through Carmel via Big Sur. I did some research on hotels via Trip Advisor and found that the Tickle Pink Inn is ranked the #1 spot to stay in the Carmel area. (You have to get over the name, it really is a beautiful place.)  I quickly got on the phone with the hotel and reserved a room for the night – with an ocean view – happy early birthday to me. And by the way, If you have never been to Big Sur, it is incredible and a must see.

This boutique hotel is a great buy.  It is somewhat expensive i.e, $250 + range but, you get all sorts of free stuff and free stuff = good stuff.    There is an excellent wine and cheese reception that is really nice AND, you are presented with a complimentary bottle of champagne when you check in.   The risk here is that you get so loaded you can’t drive to dinner and they don’t have a restaurant on site.  Continental breakfast is included in the rate. The breakfast is a little on the cheap side with what appears to be a bit of Costco ilk, however, it is free and they will deliver to your room.

Key Tip:  Request a room with an ocean view and a private balcony.   You will be completely fulfilled waking up to the sight and sound of waves crashing along the shore line. This means paying a little more, but it is worth it. Beware of overly healthy seagulls attempting to infiltrate your room if you leave the sliding glass door open too long.

If you feel the need to get out and burn some calories while you are in Carmel, check out the Point Lobos Reserve www.pointlobos.org.  If you follow the North Shore hike, you are guaranteed to spot some gorgeous harbor seals lounging around on the rocks along the coastline. Look closely as they sometimes blend in with the colors and patterns of the rocks.  If you are over 40 and have younger kids with you, have them spot those wonderful creatures. These trails are great for trail running if hiking is too tame for you. Also, you can get a nice 1 mile run/walk on the beach which you can easily access via Ocean Avenue in downtown Carmel.  If you are into golf, you will have a nice view of Pebble Beach.

Boutique shopping in Carmel can be quite fruitful.  I found some amazing Frye boots (my new faves) at Lloyd’s shoes – they also have brands like Stuart Weitzman and Tom’s.   Paloosh next door had some great stuff and carries brands like Ella Moss, Joie, and Splendid.  They get a bad wrap on Yelp because of customer service, but I had a great experience.   Girl Boy Girl (GBG) is another upscale boutique that may be considered one level up on the cost scale from Paloosh.  They sell brands like Haute Hippie, Rebecca Taylor, and Trina Turk.

As far as restaurants are concerned, if you are into Sushi, we found Sushi Heaven to be a great value and of excellent quality. The Carmel Valley Roasting Company is great for a cup of coffee, and the quaint La Bicyclette Restaurant  was excellent for dinner www.labicycletterestaurant.com. The menu changes nightly and the food is crafted with fresh local, organic ingredients, much of which is supplied by a local Middle School.

Carmel, is still a gorgeous place and will always hold a special place in my heart.  All I have to say is THANKS to Raleigh and Judy for unknowingly introducing me to the life bus in 1982!