Today was a WOW day. Not only were the Ponta da Piedade grottos incredible from above and below, but every bite of our dinner was delicious! Originally, our plans was to take a short drive to Ponta da Piedada to view the grottos from above and book a boat tour tomorrow but, tours were available right onsite so, we went for it! It was a perfect day for the grotto tour.

Let’s start with the site. It is only ~10 minutes from our apartment so we can go as many times as we want to view the grottos. We also found a swimming beach we can reach via stairs – next time… The grotto viewpoints were accessible via boardwalks or if you dare to go further out, the rock formations.

Along the walkways and amongst the rocks are flowers everywhere. Some known to me but others, I could not name. Doesn’t the first picture look like a pterodactyl?

The view of the grottos from above is breathtaking! These pictures don’t do them justice. One must see them in person. Everyone should visit Portugal and definitely, Lagos. I am so glad we ended up in Lagos rather than another part of Algarve. I esp. love the Sphinx head (middle). Some might see a monster, I see a Sphinx.

Now if you think the above pictures are amazing, there are no words for the view from the water. So many rock hues and vibrant water colors depending on the boat’s approach or picture angle – S P E C T A C U L A R !

Nope you are not seeing things – dolphin! As if the views of the grottos were not enough, our tour guide took us to a dolphin spot. How lucky, we spotted this dolphin several times. We also spotted birds & pigeons above and below.

Do you spot the camel drinking water and the elephant? Hint: They are not alive but are part of the natural environment of Ponta da Piedada.

Like the grottos were not enough – wow, we spontaneously decided to try a Michelin Star restaurant that was highly rated by a blogger and an article we read. Restaurante dos Artistas! Also, it was surprising inexpensive for a 5-course meal.

Tomorrow is our last, full day with Sue, so we decided to dress up and have a nice dinner together. We part ways at Faro Airport wicked early on Friday. Sue heads to Madrid, Spain to meet an old time friend and we head to Cardiff for the weekend to visit Marilyn (our old time friend).

It has been really wonderful traveling and spending time with friends. We look forward to meeting with the others yet to visit or whom we plan to visit. 👯‍♂️