Wild Atlantic wellness at Algarve’s Pine Cliffs Resort

You’ve got company Benjamin Button, I just knocked seven years off my age. Sweet! I have just been told I am 32. I light up like I’ve just been asked for ID when buying a bottle of wine and I recognise that I am officially middle-aged to be having such a reaction. I learn of my new reduced ‘age’ by Armindo, a personal trainer at the Pine Cliffs, a Luxury Collection Resort in Portugal’s Algarve.

My new age is, in fact, my metabolic age and we’ve landed on it after 60-minutes of running, weights and stretching assessments as well as a body scan while I stood on what looks like a very slick weighing scales (I think it estimates your BMI, but I’m not sure). I am confident I could knock another year off this new age if I’d been expecting the fitness test and I’d have certainly applied a fresh coat of nail polish if I was expecting the latter. 

My confidence is based on two things – firstly I hadn’t eaten before arriving and was far from hydrated as I dashed in the door of the bright, airy gym, which is not good for any type of exercise. Secondly, when I realised I would have to run for 15 minutes, I succeeded in somewhat distracting Armindo with my soccer musings while I was on the treadmill (hint for anyone seeking similar distraction techniques when speaking to a Portuguese man: soccer, soccer and more soccer), which meant I didn’t have to hit top speed for too long. He noticed my tactics of course, but let me away with it. Had I known, however, that it was all going to feed into my new reduced age, I confidently share with him that I would have found more in the tank. Armindo laughingly agrees and I am positively glowing at this news. 

Holistic wellness

Looking out at the gardens outside the gym through floor to ceiling windows, we chat about changes in the wellness industry and I am surprised that many of his clients on retreats at Pine Cliffs are motivated solely by weight loss. However, he says there is a shift alongside this, with clients looking towards ‘healthy ageing’, functional fitness and general wellness regardless of their decade. He encourages all clients to think about their longer-term health, in line with the many holistic wellness offerings at the resort, and he uses tools like establishing someone’s metabolic age as a motivation factor for some.

“I’ve had people who would track 15-20 years older than their physical age…that can give you a wake-up call,” he says, before sharing that another of his clients is in her early 70s but measures a decade younger. I have to agree that my new age (have I mentioned I’m 32?!) is motivating to me and I say this as someone who is usually anti-measurements – I don’t own a weighing scales and haven’t checked my BMI in about two decades. However, this feels less like a measurement and more like a baseline that I could aim to hold or improve upon into my 40s (which, for full disclosure, I have landed into since visiting the resort). 

When I chat to my mum about my new age a few days later, she cuts me off to remind me that “didn’t Leo Varadkar have that done a few years ago on Operation Transformation? It didn’t go as well for him, he was older.” I look this up later and she’s 100% right – the Taoiseach did do it when he was 40 and his metabolic age was estimated to be 52. That explains all the snaps of him running laps I’ve seen over the past few years. 

Dramatic coastline

Back at Pine Cliffs, it’s time to take a stroll around the gardens I was overlooking at the gym – a space that Armindo and his colleagues often use for fitness and yoga classes. I can see why – it is simply beautiful. The manicured stretch of green, dotted with tall coastal pine trees, offers stark contrast to its natural perimeter, dramatic ochre cliffs that seem to tumble straight into the Atlantic Ocean. On closer inspection, Praia da Falésia lies in between, an idyllic 5km stretch of sand that I access via 100 steps on the boardwalk. Looking back up the cliffside, I marvel at the colours and the aspect, which give me the feeling that I could easily be in southern California – think Laguna Beach crossed with Pebble Beach. Though tempted to stay on the sand, I take a glass elevator back up to the clifftop (in my defence, I have just ran for ages…!) to explore the hotel, which is one the region’s most iconic, having launched some 30 years ago.

New perspectives

I’ll pause for a moment here and be honest – I am not usually a ‘resort’ type of traveller. Anything with ‘resort’ in the title usually means I’ll skip over it in any online research, without even finding out more. My search keywords are more likely to include: boutique, soul, unique, family-run…you can guess the rest. I usually travel solo or with another adult (and often a four-legged friend), so luxury for me is being able to easily go off-track and take a gamble with where I might stay, which might vary from a new glamping find to a small five-star boutique hotel on the side of Mt Etna. However, my mature years are giving me a more open-minded perspective on a lot of things so I had decided to apply it to travel too in a post-pandemic world. And then I was invited on my first press trip to a Portuguese property since moving to Algarve. Kindly and expertly arranged by Surinder Manku, of P1 Communications, for Pine Cliffs Resort and Algarve Tourism, it was the perfect way to stretch my new perspective.

Despite now living less than an hour away, I had never been to Pine Cliffs and I did minimal research before arriving, keeping an open mind. I expected families and golfers galore. I was right about the latter but given the early season date, there were few families but I would expect many more in summer and at school holiday times given its Porto Pirata Kids’ Club activities and its many accolades for family travel. The onsite cookery school, Mimo Algarve, even offers kids classes, which would be the ideal way to spend an afternoon out of the sun while on your holidays (it is open to book for non-residents too). 

The resort has an impressive capacity – about 870 rooms in total, across the hotel (270 rooms), villas and sleek Ocean Suite Residence. However, given the expansive grounds of 172 acres, I sense that Pine Cliffs would never feel that busy. There are 11 bars and restaurants, a nine-hole golf course, gyms (I’ll visit the second later), the Annabel Croft tennis academy, outdoor pools, beach loungers and numerous places to simply hang out overlooking the ocean or in dedicated yoga and stretching areas for sunrise and sunset stretches. It could feel crammed with all this activity, but it doesn’t as it’s spread over the landscape and around piazzas which mean you might get somewhat lost but you definitely won’t feel claustrophobic.

Moorish architecture

The sense of spaciousness is aided by the architecture, which pays homage to the Arabic history of the region that is often overlooked. Terracotta tiles, white walls and corridors that are open to the Atlantic breeze feel fresh, while piazzas with lemon trees heaving with fruit add an exotic twist to each turn. Colourful tiles are part of Portugal’s history having originally been brought from Egypt by the Arabs. King D Manuel I became enchanted and decorated his palace in Sintra with the ‘small polished stones’, known as ‘azulejos’ in Portuguese. At Pine Cliffs, azulejos and other coloured tiles are a feature on corridors, on signage, in the sun-drenched internal courtyards and my bedroom has a hand-painted tiled headboard. It brings a nod of tradition to the otherwise fresh and modern room, which has a covetable bed, fine linens, desk, sensor lights to avoid midnight stumbles to the bathroom, a rain shower and spacious bathtub. My balcony overlooks the cliffs and ocean. For families, the Ocean Suites offer kitchens and living areas suited to extended stays.

The next morning, I sample a yoga class in the second gym area which overlooks the golf course. We’re ahead of the golfers so I gaze at the Hoopoe birds (Poupas in Portuguese), which feature on the hotel’s logo, as they hop across the fareway and I stretch and get grounded ahead of the day. The Hoopoe’s name is onomatopoeic and it is easy to identify with its distinguished head crest and zebra-striped wings. It’s years since I have done any yoga and I thoroughly enjoy the class, which is available as part of retreat packages or at a charge for guests. Afterwards, I enjoy a healthy breakfast in Zest, which offers an all-day menu of pressed juices, smoothies, an acai bar, protein-rich toasts and salads. I’m beginning to think I could get into the vibe of a week-long wellness retreat so while I’m there I skim the numerous options on offer year-round, which include Detox Holidays; Fitness Journeys; Yoga for Detox, Chakras or Sleep; and Pilates to Reconnect Body and Mind. 

Many of the retreats include treatments at the Serenity Spa, which has received many accolades over the past few years. Located in the resort, it has 13 treatment rooms, including the Japanese-inspired Sakura for oriental treatments such as Shiatsu, Thai and Ayurvedic massage; a marble Hammam room; and a private jacuzzi room. The thermal oasis includes experience showers, a hydrotherapy pool, sauna with Himalayan salt, steam room and Kneipp therapy pool.

A signature treatment for those interested in local ingredients is the 80-minute Senses of Algarve Treatment which involves massage and a scrub using elements such as sand, salt and carob (alfarroba).

Algarvian Roots 

For those interested in Portugal’s culinary offerings (and who isn’t?), Mimo Algarve offers cookery classes for young and old in state-of-the-art kitchens featuring local dishes such as seafood cataplana, bacalhau (cod) à brás, bacalhau fritters (my creations are pictured below) and baking for younger chefs, as well as cocktail workshops and its popular Chef’s Table experience every Thursday night.

The resort is 10 minutes from Albufeira which means there are also plenty of restaurants within a short drive if you want to wander further afield (I can recommend the variety of Mediterranean dishes at Versatile Restaurante), but despite the ease of access you feel far removed from the late night parties the town is well known for. 

 

For those who wish to explore further afield, the hotel can arrange culinary, artistic or nature day trips with Francisco Simões who set up Algarvian Roots to tempt visitors to less well-known areas of southern Portugal. His passion for eco-tourism  will see you painting tiles with local artisans; exploring trails around Monchique; taking pottery workshops led by artists; savouring olive oil tasting in hillside groves; or visiting his granny in Silves market. 

Francisco’s hikes are happily within my comfort zone given hiking is the foundation of my ‘wellness’ rhythm. I am lucky to be able to pop on a pair of runners and hit the trails with my dog almost daily. Back at the hotel, I reflect on the word ‘resort’ which has its origins in the 14th century as a “source of comfort and solace”. In  modern english it is described as a “place to which people frequently or generally go for relaxation or pleasure”. As I sit atop the cliffs in front of the hotel, it’s easy to lean into that feeling of relaxation to set some new wellness intentions ahead of my impending birthday.

I reflect that despite a decent level of activity (ask the dog), I have not been as conscientious at maintaining other elements of fitness, especially when it comes to bone strength (hello peri-menopause), flexibility and cardio. With Arminto’s encouragement that I can indeed knock another year off my ‘new age’, I commit to giving this a boost and I toast it with a glass of local espumante (Terras do Demo) as I watch the sunset over the Atlantic. It is all about relaxation and pleasure afterall. 

Post-script: A few weeks after my trip, I signed up to weekly reformer pilates close to my home, which mean I am feeling core muscles neither my 40-year-old or 32-year-old body knew existed. I’m sure Armindo would be proud and I’ll be back to check my ‘new age’ before my next birthday!

Two adults can stay at Pine Cliffs Hotel in November 2023 from €190 per night including breakfast. A family of four can stay in a two-bedroom Pine Cliffs Ocean Suite in November 2023 from €320 per night. For more information visit pinecliffs.com where you can also find a full list of retreat options.

For comprehensive information about Algarve, including ideas for off-the-beaten-track experiences, visit the Algarve Tourism Bureau at visitalgarve.pt or check them out on Instagram @algarvetourism. 

Leonie was a guest of Pine Cliffs Resort and Algarve Tourism.