We have been putting off our decision about Portugal until now. Although it may seem silly I didn't want to make any commitments until I secured my driver's license upon turning 82. Because of Covid I didn't have to take the test when I turned 80 so I was a tiny bit unsure about how the test would go. I was unsure about the vision test given my Fuch's Dystrophy in my left eye. I'm scheduled for a epithelial transplant sometime in 2024, but I wasn't sure how specific the eye test would be.
The reason for my concern is simple: I can't bear the idea of six weeks in the Algarve without a car. Driving with a stick shift in Portugal is something I enjoy.
The other issue is the airline tickets. We always buy budget tickets that are non-refundable as we have insurance in case of illness, etc. But as you probably know you can't just cancel airline tickets because you change your mind unless you pay for the privilege.
The driving test was no problem so we just bought our Air Transat tickets online. With the add-on charge for each bag each way ($300) the total was $3375.00 round-trip. Now we have to decide where to stay. We stayed at Monte Santo just outside of Carvoeiro last year and four previous years before Covid. Monte Santo is great but they have raised their price 27% since last year. But given that they had never raised it before we can't complain too much. The new rate was 88 euros per night or roughly $127 which seemed expensive as we had normally paid about $100 a night. None the less we looked around last winter (as we always do) and got a written quote from Vale d'Oliveiras only a kilometre away from Monte Santo. I emailed them today to see if they will stick to their quote. Vale d'Oliveiras is a gorgeous resort but never busy in the winter.
Just had an email from Vale and she says they have rented all of their two bedroom garden view apartments. So I wrote back inquiring as to other units.
Both resorts are high end but we could spend many more dollars if we wanted to. There are at least two resorts in the area that would cost us double but we can't see the value for the dollar.
UPDATE:
No two bedroom units at Vale d'O but do have one bedroom. Hmmm!
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