F.L.I.P F.L.O.P.S Blog #3 THE ONE WHERE EMILY (FINALLY) SWAPS HER SLIPPERS FOR HER FLIP FLOPS IN FARO

25 May 2021 Kathryn Glover

How to find your feet (and F.L.I.P F.L.O.P.S) again in a new world of travel

Let’s Play Bamboozled!

So, our F.L.I.P F.L.O.P.S contestant Emily, Media Assistant at Sunny Heart Travel, has just heard the pilot announce, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been cleared to land at the airport in Faro!” Long-awaited music to your ears?! Well, let’s put your best flip flop forward in exploring the holiday highlights of the hotel and resort in Round 3 of my interview questions!

LANDING

The plane has finally touched foreign lands… How great was it feeling the pleasing Portuguese heat of the sun warm your face the moment you stepped out of the plane at Faro airport in your flip flops?!

“The plane was much busier than I thought it would be… It’s a Monday?! Every row of seats had a place spare but all the rows were taken. There was a great atmosphere onboard as we touched down in Faro, and as I stepped out of the plane into the scorching sun you could see everyone relax and smile… But, wow, I needed to get on my sun-cream A.S.A.P!”

BORDER CONTROL & JOURNEY TO RESORT

How did you ensure you were ready for this part of your journey? Your gorgeous hotel in Vilamoura is almost in sight…

“I think the main thing to remember at this part is to be friendly and have all your documents ready to hand. It was a fast-moving queue to the passport checks and Faro Airport had a great system that was very quick and no stress! I collected my passport stamp and proceeded to GO! Next stop: Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa! My lovely driver Mario winds down the window and we pass palm trees and white villas with terracotta roofs like the Sunny Heart photos I’d seen. Vilamoura is just beautiful…”

HOTEL ARRIVAL

So, you’ve made it to your new exotic (and rather luxurious Hilton) home away from home for the next 3 nights… Safe ‘n’ sound! First thoughts?

“I can hardly wait to dive into the pool! But, I must wait… (If I don’t unpack first I never will.) To the room! I open the door and am instantly impressed with the space… My room overlooks a lush green golf course and has the BIGGEST bathtub I’ve ever seen! I jump for joy, rushing to hang up my summer dresses, kick off my shoes and slip into my bikini. Such a nice change to spending so long in lockdown in my joggers at home!”

POOL & FACILITIES

How exciting or daunting was it to have left your living room, swapped your slippers for your flip-flops, hopped on a plane to Portugal and now (finally) stepping through your hotel room door to the POOL?! (Or, As we say in the F.L.I.P F.L.O.P.S Game of Bamboozled, ‘PARADISE POND!’) Worth the wait?

“Oh yes! Now, any pool is a good pool in my books but the one at Hilton Vilamoura is something else! It’s such a bright space with bridges and waterfalls and many inviting sun loungers to choose from… Time to dip my toes in the pool!”

Hmm, so how do you navigate the ‘new normal’ whilst in the hotel grounds and the pool in the most enjoyable yet safest way possible now?

“Some seating has been removed so everyone has more space and can safely socially distance. With everyone keeping masks on until they get to their place and lay down on their towel, I felt perfectly comfortable and safe enough to relax! The pool was large enough to keep swimmers apart and there were also two others to choose from. My favourite was the waterfall one!”

Would ‘Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa’ suit families with teenagers as well as younger kids?

“There were a lot of young families staying at the hotel, with grandparents too all having fun together. The hotel has some great wading pools to keep young ones cool and a fantastic games room for the teenage hangouts.”

HOTEL STAFF

Any elements that could have been done better and did you raise it with the hotel staff to improve for future travellers?

“One of the things I love about a hotel is the Air Conditioning! I wasn’t sure if I operated it properly as it didn’t seem to work and (being overly polite, like many of us) I was reluctant to raise it as an issue… However, after all that swimming in the heat, I decided to call the front desk and it was indeed faulty! But, the friendly Receptionist sent up Maintenance and it was fixed in minutes, impressive! So now my room was a safe haven of cool.”

EXPERTS IN RESORT

How did the Sunny Heart Travel Experts in the resort assist with your holiday needs or give any extra help?

“On the first night, the amazing Tiago and Duarte, our In-Resort Experts from World2Meet who are great partners of Sunny Heart, recommended the tasty hotel restaurant, ‘Cilantro.’ What a memorable dinner it was! I asked the staff to choose my meal so I could taste the local flavours and they suggested the local ‘green’ wine. It was great and I asked what other exciting things there were to do in Portugal that I could try tomorrow…”