Beautiful oceanfront villas & apartments in the western Algarve. The perfect secret.
09/02/2025
LUZ LIFE: A brief recap - Since arriving at Ocean Villas Luz in August 2020, writer David Lugg has been experiencing all aspects of Luz Life. This is his review of January 2025:
Okay, I’ll admit it – Portugal isn’t perfect. There are plenty of quirks that can send you a little bit loopy. But hold up – before you think I have fallen out of love with my adopted land, let me qualify my statement by pointing out that perfection is overrated. In fact, it’s quite likely that perfection is imperfect and imperfection is perfect. Confused? Allow me to explain.
Do you remember the first toy that you loved when you were a child? In my case, it was a giant rabbit called Esmerelda. From what my parents tell me, she used to accompany me everywhere from bedtime to holidays. Over time, Esmerelda became a bit scruffy and various parts of her anatomy had to be sewn back on (it happens to the best of us). Though she was no longer at her prime, it didn’t matter. Her imperfections made her perfect.
But how can perfect be imperfect? Here’s an example. Have you ever watched the US Open golf championships at Augusta? Whilst it is visually stunning to watch on the television, it has been well-documented that any areas of grass that are not up to standard are painted green. Similarly, a journalist famously took a sample of water from one of the lakes on the course. He found that a blue food dye had been added to make it more appealing to the eye. What’s more, those pristine white bunkers that you see are not actually sand. They are a type of white quartz from a mining district in North Carolina. Perfect Augusta? I think not.
Which brings me to our wonderful region, here in the west Algarve. I’ll admit that the occasional foible can sometimes make life a little frustrating. Regular readers will be aware of my personal gripe about supermarket queues that never move, waiting for some kind of divine inspiration to allow them to continue. And don’t get me started on the insane laws regarding Portuguese roundabouts. You need a masters in engineering to understand the rules and another masters in psychology to try and understand why zebra crossings are positioned on roundabout exits. But these imperfections tend to be trivial. I’m not going to lose much sleep over them.
For fear of being called superficial, I will highlight that there are larger problems facing the country. A 2024 study showed the top three national issues to be the health system, low salaries and corruption. Far from being alone on his matter, there is a good chance that your own country will be faced with similar problems. But, certain newly-elected presidents should take note that there is no mention of gun crime and violence. Portugal consistently ranks highly on safety and general kindness of the people.
We live in a world where we face more and more pressure to be perfect. Facebook and Tiktok and Instagram are full of people trying to show us how beautiful they are. Got a spot on your face? Don’t worry, we can airbrush it out before publishing it. But does striving for perfection make us happy? I very much doubt it. And anyway, perfection for one person is just as likely to be imperfection for another. Otherwise life would be boring and we would all do the same thing.
Portugal’s imperfections are what makes it so special. Portugal isn’t manicured like the golf greens of Augusta. Perhaps the sand in the Maldives is a little whiter or a little finer. But Portugal is authentic. It is unique. In a way, its authenticity and uniqueness make it kind of perfect. Just remember to steer clear of supermarket queues and roundabouts.
More news next month.
David Lugg
All photo images owned by David Lugg
