Destination: Santa Eulalia

What does a person’s ideal holiday include? Some sun? A cosy restaurant with friendly staff and which caters to personal tastes? An out-of-the-way beach for leisurely strolls of a morning or for soaking up the last rays of the sun of an evening? Cold beers and perfectly balanced cocktails?

Santa Eulalia on the Algarve ticks all of these ‘ideal’ boxes and then some.

Albufeira’s close neighbour on the southern Portuguese coast, Santa Eulalia’s tranquil neighbourhood by the sea makes for a sedate counterpoint to all the hustle and bustle of the old town and the yobbishness of the main strip, just a mile or two up the road.

The main draw for many tourists to Santa Eulalia is its namesake beach, a long strip of tranquil golden sands bordered by the magnificent Grand Resort Santa Eulalia Hotel and Spa, itself a bastion of all things relaxation.

Flanked by pine-lined cliffs and rocky outcrops, the ‘praia’ offers a range of watersports (in-season), although for the most part, you might find yourself content to settle on the sands and savour the passing of the day.

The Grand Resort Santa Eulalia Hotel is also known for its flagship restaurant, The Atlantico Restaurante, which practically kisses those golden sands of the beach, treating diners to a gastronomic voyage of seafood splendour. There is something distinctly luxurious about dinning outside on a sunny evening, the waves of the Atlantic lapping a shore a mere a shell’s throw away. However, Santa Eulalia offers much more to the hungry traveller.

Portobello, an Italian restaurant opposite the Grand Resort, is the pick of the bunch. A family-run establishment which mixes the best of Portuguese and Italian cuisine sits adjacent to the Grand Resort, just a brief but enjoyable walk away.

Most of all, Santa Eulalia is simply a great place to kick back and unwind. It’s so good, you might never want to come home.