Suites Alba Resort & Spa ★★★★★

Autumn has arrived and winter is closing in on us, the summer is beginning to become a nostalgic memory already and I am getting itchy feet. I want the sun again! Just a little fix, just to get me through the cold months ahead. So it is a blessing indeed when I am given the opportunity to whisk my man away with me on a weekend of pampering in the paradise of the Algarve. When I tell him it is a resort he is not convinced; but, when I add the words “five stars”, “own villa”, “overlooking the ocean”, “luxury spa” and “infinity pool”, his eyes light up and I know I've got him hooked. Soon we are winging our way to the balmy Mediterranean climate of southern Portugal and already I am beginning to feel summery again. It isn't until my partner looks gently elbows me that I realise I've been singing aloud, “We're all going on a summer holiday...” Before we've stepped off the plane he has made me vow that we are not taking Cliff Richard on holiday with us and we compromise on singing anything summery by the Beatles.

“We all live on a yellow submarine...”

Well I would hardly call these Portuguese villas “submarines”, being flooded with light and infinitely more spacious, but they are a peachy yellow I suppose! We have 85 square metres all to ourselves, with two bedrooms, a living room with fireplace, a kitchenette and a splendid bathroom, with traditional tiling and a generous bath. My man is equally thrilled and very impressed with the flat-screen television with DVD player in the lounge, where we both envision curling up on the sofa by the fire with a good classic. We have a tradition when we go on trips together now where, once arriving and settling in, we have a small siesta. It is our way of slipping perfectly into our new relaxed rhythm and making ourselves at home, we're a bit like cats in that way you could say. This is no exception, windows flung open, sea breeze whispering lazily in and crisp, clean sheets on a soft, immaculate bed beckoning to us, tempting us to try it and, willingly, we succumb.

“I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden...”

I awake from strange, fantastical dream to see the blue sky outside my window, which has no drizzle running down its panes, and is, instead, sending a myriad of rainbows bouncing light across the room. For a moment I assume I'm still dreaming until I see my man, fast asleep still and snoring like a peaceful, contented bear. That's a bit more real then... With a sudden gleeful moment of recognition I bound out of bed! We're on holiday! In the sunny Algarve and we have the whole weekend ahead of us to enjoy it. No time like the present, I want to get out there and explore, I want to see the sea and paddle my feet in the lapping waves, sink my toes into the warm, silky white sand... I pad over to the minibar and return with a sneakily picked flower from the garden just outside and a refreshing bottle of water with a slice of lemon to gently coax my beloved out of sleep. I have also found some chocolates should mere water fail... It takes rather more than both but eventually we emerge into the sunlight, blinking happily, and make our way the few yards to the Albandeira beach.

“We would shout and swim about the coral that lies beneath the waves...”

The delicious sensation of the salty sea stroking your feet when they've been locked away in winter boots is heaven on earth and in my case I find I cannot resist letting my whole body relish that same experience and before you know it, I've whipped off my dress and dived in. It turns out I am not the only one who had optimistically slipped on their swimming costume under their clothes and with something between a mighty bellow and a girly squeal, my man jumps in after me. We have an exhilarating swim and run out laughing like teenagers, flopping down onto the soft sand to dry off. We have forgotten towels and so, sandy but beaming, we clamber back to our villa to jump into the shower and wash ourselves clean. It is then we have the brilliant idea to finish warming ourselves up in the sauna and so it is off to the spa we go to take advantage of its extravagant pool with cascading water, and its indulgent steam bath. This leads us to recall our special complimentary treatment; much, much later, refreshed and rejuvenated, we finally emerge as the sun begins to set. We end our perfect first day in the delicious Morgadinho restaurant, overlooking the moonlit sea as we toast to our romantic Indian summer in the Algarve at the Suites Alba Resort & Spa, and promise ourselves many more such escapes to come.