Beautifully equipped & situated, we were thrilled with Rod's apartment & the Silver Coast. When renting apartments for 6 in the past, we'd usually arrive & think, "hate to be squeezed in here in a group of 6". That was definitely not the case here; it was fantastic.

All 3 bedrooms are generous, the living/dining area huge & the kitchen spacious. Every room has a balcony except the bathrooms & the hall. The property has all you need & also has comprehensive info on supermarkets, restaurants, etc.

The wifi was quicker than mine. The tv had BBC1, 2, 4, ITV & all the news channels you'd get on a Sky package, as well as many local & international channels. We discovered that Portugal has indeed Got Talent.

We stayed late Summer; it was quieter in the resort than high season, I guess, but it meant that the pool was a private pool half the time. It's properly deep at one end (appreciated by swimmers), but plenty of shallow & also a waist deep shelf all the way around. Lots of sun-loungers.

The immediate surrounds were silent at night. It was a 2 minute drive to the clubhouse or the hotel. We only frequented the clubhouse, finding the two menus more than enough on our too-lazy-to-cook-or-drive nights. Take away menu too. People there (& throughout the region) were noticeably friendly, more so than the Algarve of which we are also fond.

The beach at the far end of the resort is endless, dramatically picturesque, backing onto low crumbling cliffs. It's lifeguarded, which meant I couldn't risk my life in the huge waves as the red flag was up. You'll find somewhere swimmable on one of Baleal's two beaches. Baleal is 15 mins away, dotey & seductively relaxed, we adored it. Surfing opportunities are everywhere too.

Google pics of Obidos & pick your favourite; it will still not come up to the loveliness of that town. We walked every lane and I walked all the ramparts (a bit hairy!) but we are left with the realisation that our photos just don't do it justice now. Be sure to have some Ginja in a chocolate cup (everywhere). We had a particularly memorable meal in Petrarum Domus, not least because we had to get a bridge to our table upstairs; so charming. We didn't have a bad meal out in about 20 attempts on this holiday. Obidos is a casual 20 minute drive away.

You will need a car unless staying solely on the resort. So much to see and do; can't fit half of it here.

We'll be back next year, so we'll tell you the other half then!

Thanks Rod!