Portugal Travel Diary & Lookbook: Part 1

I'm BACK! I've missed this space! On my previous post, I told you my family and I were heading to Algarve, Portugal for just over a week and I'm now back with my batteries recharged, ready to share everything about our holiday which was one of the best I've ever had. 

This was my first holiday of the year so you can imagine how excited I was. I was a little worried about the weather, the location, and the beaches prior to flying out, given there was a forecast of rain and cloudy weather during our stay and everyone had told us how cold the sea water was in Portugal, but I needn't have worried one bit. As soon as we touched down at Faro airport, the air was sticky, dry and the day spectacularly sunny. Our drive to Albufeira, where we rented a villa called "Vila Pomba" via the Air BnB website, was easy and quick thanks to clear signs on the roads. Our villa, situated close to the famous Strip yet far enough from the loud nightlife, was the cherry on top. Spacious rooms, en suites, and a swimming pool made our stay even greater. And the beaches, I hear you asking, were so stunning that our holiday exceeded our expectations. I had no idea Portugal was so pretty! I do not know why I hadn't gone sooner.

Weather wise, temperatures hardly fell below 30 degrees Celsius during the day and I'm happy to say I've actually tanned a little (after being badly sunburnt on the first day). On our first day, we were quite content with staying in, recovering from the very early morning we had and enjoying our villa pool. When a group of friends joined us later that night, we made plans to visit the beaches and I could hardly sleep with all the excitement. 

On our second day, we headed to Lagos which was about 45 mins drive via the A22 from where we were staying. We had researched the top beaches in the area and Camilo Beach (Praia do Camilo) was our first stop. 200 wooden steps down to sheltered, sandy cove divided by ochre-coloured rocks with hand-dug tunnel lead to this hidden beach; a place I will never forget and that is how breathtaking it was. This is by far my favourite beach we visited and despite not being particularly sunny when we first arrived, the water was clear, clean and the views just perfect. 

For this day at the beach, I chose a simple look; an ombré cover up (which actually belongs to mummy) and is from Matalan from their holiday collection a few years ago. I twisted it at the front and tied it around my neck to create this "dress" look; one of my favourite ways to wear beach cover ups. The hat which has appeared many times here before is from Primark and was a mere £2, and my leopard sunnies also from Primark, because salty water ruins sunglasses lens and I didn't want to risk my Ray Bans. I love how effortless yet chic this look is and you would have seen it already if you follow me on Instagram (@pamella_scalfi).

A photo posted by P A M S C A L F I 💍🌺 (@pamella_scalfi) on Aug 29, 2016 at 8:42am PDT

Cover Up: Matalan (similar here) // Slogan Sun Hat: Primark (similar here) // Sunglasses: Primark (similar here)

Later that day we enjoyed our first typical Portuguese meal and needless to say, the famous fish dishes of the region were my top choices. In terms of pretty much anything; food, beaches, the people, and the vibes, Portugal was greater than I could have imagined, and I can't wait to share more about my holiday with you guys as well as everything I bought whilst there (hello Sephora!!!). Keep your eyes peeled for everything that is to come about Algarve and Lisbon, where we spent 2 days. And sorry in advance if you're already getting into the fall mood, I personally do not want to think about cold weather just yet!

Tell me, have you been to Portugal before? I'd love to hear about your experience!

On a very different note, thanks to everyone who entered my Urban Decay giveaway and congrats to Georgie from thelipstickdaily.com for winning it! It gives me great pleasure running giveaways and I will try my best to do a few more before the year end so make sure you're following me on either Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates from me.

That's it from me for now. I will be back later in the week with more updates.
Thanks for reading beauties  and enjoy your day ahead!

xoxo