Time away in Portugal

Two sleeps - as I say to Zachary - until we leave for our holiday away from our Principe home. I'm fast approaching my 'island sanity limit' and can't wait for the time away and some first world lights and action, including...English movies, restaurants, clothes stores, toy shops, cars - not white bakkies, choice, variety... and so the list goes on. Zachary, however, is most excited about the possibility of finding a playground with a slide!

We're meeting up with friends and their two children in Praia das Macas and all staying together in a villa in Cascais, with lovely grounds for the kiddies to play in. Being from South Africa, a novelty for us will be travelling using the public transport system, which we are told by Portuguese colleagues, is efficient and safe. It's been a long time since I've been on a train.

Beautiful Belo Monte

Zachary, Mark and I attended the opening of the Roca Belo Monte Plantation Hotel today. I've blogged before about beautiful Belo Monte, which will give any new readers a bit of background about this plantation estate, but with the estate's renovation, it has new life. Sipping a glass of chilled white wine on the terrace this afternoon, overlooking the spectacular sea view, everything suddenly felt very civilized on our rural little island.

Our family adventure to Principe has its ups and downs, but with the renovation of Belo Monte, I am excited about having somewhere else to go for leisure! It will certainly add to the 'ups'. Weekends at the beach are great, as is Bom Bom Resort, but a little choice when it comes to weekend plans will be excellent. A chocolate milkshake - strangely, an impossibility for us on this island thus far - will be something for Zachary, and his parents to look forward to, one of these weekends to come...