Lagos // Barbosa Bar & Kitchen

So if you read my last post you'll know that I have recently returned from a super sunny holiday in Portugal. It was the dream, and I'm still suffering from the holidays blues (even as I have a Christmas countdown on my phone). Lagos is a great little place, with some gorgeous eateries, which is where we stumbled across the beauty of Barbosa Bar.

Okay, I lied. I actually found this pre-Portugal, after looking through tags on Instagram, but it paints more of an exciting picture if it was an accidental find doesn't it? + we did have to track down the exact location, so there was a small hint of stumbling.

 After a few confusing moments of trying to get in when they weren't officially open, (their windows said 10am, Facebook said 11am & the staff said 12pm) we were finally allowed through the doors, and I headed straight to the courtyard. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Tiled walls, pallet benches, big plants- the whole interior was right up my street and oh so Instagram.

Obvs we didn't just come here to stare at the decor {I could have easily done} so we found a comfy spot and ordered some brunch. To drink we both opted for a refreshing lemonade- but these had a twist. I went for the pineapple and basil, and Jay went for the lime and mint, and my goodness I neeeeed to recreate this, it was incredible. For food, I originally opted for the yogurt w/ granola and berries, but the yogurt was yet to be delivered, so instead I went for the croissant with homemade jam, and it was delicious. Jay went for a fancy panini, which came out looking super yummy and was gone in a flash, which was his way of saying it was good.

I could have happily pitched up for the whole day, but that wouldn't have been fair for other like-minded Instagrammers, and I had less than 24 hours to top up my tan, so every second counted. If you're off to Lagos anytime soon, I'd definitely add this spot to your to-do list.

Lagos

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was prancing around in bikinis and swooning over the gorgeous beaches. It's only been just under two weeks, but if I could, I'd be hopping on the next plane out there. This was my third visit to Portugal, and Jay's second, but it was our first time in Lagos, so it was super exciting for the both of us.

Our home for the ten days was Apartmentos Turisticos Marsol, a quaint little complex equipped with plenty of cacti and a twelve-hole mini golf course just north of the main-centre. We knew the moment we drove through the town that we were going to have a jolly good holiday, and when the owners of the apartments have a giant smile on their face at your arrival, you know you've chosen a gooden.

The first evening was spent mooching round the gigantic Intermarche, where naturally I bought too many bars of Milka and not enough OJ. But with a fridge full of food, we headed off into town for some dinner. Our route took us down a steep old hill, which was never too fun on the way up, but when there's gorgeous cobbled streets, tiled walls and bustling souvenir shops, you can't really complain.

For the rest of our holiday we managed to split our days between relaxing by the pool and snorkelling in the sea. I'm a sucker for the big, blue ocean and when you pair that with the Algarve's gorgeous coastlines, you have a hard time dragging me away. We also managed to choose the hottest day of the whole holiday to explore the town by light, thank goodness for the rows of ice-cream shops & the gorgeous little place that we stopped by for some brunch- keep your eyes peeled for the next post.

In the evenings we managed to spend half of our nights cooking in the kitchen, and the other half trying out some gorgeous eateries. The favourite probably has to be O Camilo, a terraced restaurant that overlooked the beach. I was definitely not prepared for my sea-bass to still have the head on, I managed to play it cool though and keep my shit together. {Secretly I was dying inside!} After eating we'd normally wander round the town, stand and watch the buskers, grab a ice-cream and head back to play cards. One great place I deffo recommend for an evening is Pro Putting Garden. Think of a golf course, think of a putting green, then merge them together. It's great fun, and guarantees lots of laughs! I could keep rambling on forever about what we got up to, but I don't want to bore you. There's stills some exciting holiday blog posts to come. before the Autumn weather sets in- although I think it might already have!

Monthly Round Up: August {2016}

So that thing I said last month about not leaving it till two weeks in before writing my monthly round up, yeah it didn't happen. I'm afraid a super, sunny break away in Portugal kinda got in the way and I'm not even a single bit sorry. {Well, maybe a little, but not by much}. With the return of GBBO (not even going to mention the recent devastating news we've received) & the team GB spirit, August was a pretty damn good month, with very few hiccups!

The Good
The good obviously has to be the fact I celebrated my birthday and went on holiday in the same month- what gets better than that? In the first week I received some wonderful gifts, saw Finding Dory and scoffed my way through more cake than the Bake Off tent produces. In the last week I was spending my days lying in the sun, swimming in the sea and getting through my mountain of books.

The Bad
I ended up having a pre-holiday MOT with a trip to both the dentist and doctors after convincing myself that everything was going wrong with my body. I deemed holiday-worthy though, and was reassured that my teeth, and head, and tummy is all okay and not failing me.

The Ugly
I dropped my phone down the toilet and it spent 48 hours in a bed of rice. Luckily, it survived. However, having no phone and temporary internet down time when your trying to work from home can send you into a panic when you start thinking of all the different scenarios that could happen when you have no contact to the outside world. {I can be a bit of a drama queen if you haven't already realised}

The Weird
I passed my probation at work which means I have now been there for over 7 months. That's over 200 days. Where has the time gone? I remember when back to my first week where I managed to get blisters on both my feet to the point they bled, my salad dressing leaked in my bag and I stepped into the deepest puddle in the world.

The Wonderful
My Mumma and sister came up for a flying visit, which gave me a chance to have some well-needed girly time. They also brought with them presents in the form of Disney DVDs and Jammie Dodger tubs. I also got to play host and provided them with chocolate, haribos and biscuits- Beth's Bread 'n' Breakfast will be starting soon.  

Here's to the start of an organised blogging schedule!