A villa in the Algarve and golf lessons please

Crystal blue skies as far as the eye can see, radiant sunshine, birds chirping, yellow and red flowers timidly unfurling their petals in the shade of pine groves and scrub brush. With earth the colour of red clay, sandy beaches and warm sunshine (16C, 61F), the Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal is proving to be a perfect winter getaway from sub zero temperatures, snow and ice.

What a fantastic way to start 2009.  Sitting by the pool (albeit not IN it!), tipping back a couple of cool ‘Super Bock’ Portuguese beers, book in hand (Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road), I could not help but laugh at the beady-eyed sparrow hopping back and forth on the chair across from me, desperately in search of the crumb he was not going to get today.

To soak up more sunshine, I later took a long walk around the Quinta do Lago area we are staying in near Faro and was struck by how beautiful it is to be on vacation near a golf course.  There are at least four golf courses and a fair amount of retired Brits who have caught on to this winter secret.  Sun, golf, peace and quiet… what more could one ask for in January to beat the winter blues?  I am once again reminded how I really should take up golf, so I too can enjoy the beauty of the courses and share laughs about lost golf balls and surly iguanas.  In the meantime, at least I can still partake in the ‘apres-golf’ drinks and enjoy the scenery!

It occured to me as I wandered through palm shaded streets, and past immaculately manicured gardens of villas such as  ‘Casa Esmeralda’ ‘Casa Bella’ and Casa de Lobo’, (second holiday homes for seemingly wealthy English and Germans), that this would be a very nice place to have a ‘little’ getaway year-round indeed.