Portugal Coastline with Oli, David, Ayshea & Marguerite

 Portugal Coastline 

Wow! How lucky were we? Our swimming enthusiasts couldn't wait to make a splash in the wonderful pool and show off our swimming skills.

We walked down to the harbour where our boat was awaiting us. Once all aboard we headed along the sandy coastline, hoping to spot dolphins in their natural habitat. 

To our utter delight, she was right. Infront of our very eyes we could see them swimming closer and closer towards, hoping for a treat of sardines! How lucky were we! We watched them for a while as they leapt in and out of the water before we moved on to the Bengali caves, which are hidden in the rugged cliffs of the Algarve coast. The different colours of the yellow and orange rocks with sunlight shining through a large sinkhole in the cave ceiling, also recognised as ‘the eye’. It was just stunning and felt almost magical. The boat then sped up and it was great to feel the wind through our hair. 

Another great day at Zoomarine had been planned. We took our seats around the huge splash pool ready for the highly anticipated dolphin show. And wow what a show it was. First, we were introduced to mummy and her baby, who was so cute. We then were wowed as we watched all 8 of the dolphins perform for us. They leapt out of the water, played with balls, swam up to the glass wall of their pool and waved at us. Best of all was watching their trainers interact with them in the water and get given a ride! Now it was time for a once in a lifetime experience for some of us. After meeting the staff and donning our life jackets we were ready to get up close to these special animals. The rest of the group were taken to their front row seats so they could watch us.

Our next show of the day was called Upbeat which was a compilation of singing and dancing. The actors dressed up like butterflies and lit up as they told us a story of how to look after our planet. We then went to see the pirates, another great performance of acrobatics and stunts.

 

Beach days are some of our favourite days and the daredevils amongst us were keen to try our the inflatable obstacle course in the sea. It was so much fun as we whooshed down the slides into the sea. 

An ice cream treat is always must on one of our holidays! 

We wandered down to the local town where we explored the market looking for some souvenirs to take home. The old buildings and fountains looked spectacular, steeped in history.

Every evening we headed to the local strip to sample a taste of the Portuguese nightlife. We were entertained by tribute acts, joined in with a spot of karaoke and danced the night away. 

Best of Benidorm with Darren, Paul & Jackie

 Best of Benidorm 

The sun was shining and we couldn't wait to head down to the beach and make a splash in the crystal clear water. 

A boat trip was the order of the day. We boarded the metal bottomed catamaran boat for the first part of our journey over to the small island of Tabarca and watched as the shore with its many hotels, houses, restaurants and Spain’s beaches and mountainous coastline passed us by. There were numerous other boats and ships on the water, and we saw many small collections of fish and lobster pots along the way. 

A fabulous day out was spent at MundoMar aquatic zoo which was not to be missed. We watched a show from the cheeky sealions and spotted the flamingos and meerkats. 

 We spent the day exploring the underwater world in the dolphin aquarium where we learnt about the conservation effort that goes into looking after any injured dolphins. Then, we took our seats around the outdoor pool theatre, and we wowed by theses amazing animals showing off their tricks and splashing through the water in return for some treats.

Luckily for us we then got to get up close to the gentle mammals and have our photos taken with them; they were so friendly. 

Every evening we enjoyed some fabulous live shows and tribute acts. In true JollyDays style we danced the night away till late into the night. 

There were so many brilliant activities for us to join in with and there was some friendly competitions on the pool table. Some brilliant rallies were had on the table tennis table.