LNOF in theAlgarve

SATURDAY 7PM - Boat party baby

An evening cruise can be so romantic. But who needs romance when you have a boat full of booze?!

After boarding we set sail for an evening of, well, total carnage. Highlights included our accountant trying to do everyone’s shot for them at once – and spraying half the boat with the remnants from his mouth – while the vessel got so wet from it basically became an ice rink on the open water.

We may have bruised our backs from all the falling over – and our internal organs from all those shots – but my word is this is a fun experience. A must-book for any stag or hen weekend.

SATURDAY 9:20PM - Bar crawl time

Returning to dry land (and dry clothing), it was time for our boozy bar crawl.

The Algarve is great because, young or old, it has something for everyone. But at the heart of it is a truly vibrant party scene with bars and clubs akin to the likes of Benidorm.

As we found out, the strip in Albufeira is as good as anywhere for gloriously tacky fun. Stags and hens are welcomed with open arms, the bars are absolutely bouncing until the small hours and any bar that markets itself with a big polar bear outside is a winner in our eyes.

SUNDAY 8AM - Exploring hotels

Anybody who has spent Saturday night partying on the Albufeira strip will know how we all felt on Sunday morning.

Rough was an understatement.

But after a filling brekkie at the resort, a leisurely morning of hotel visits was just what the doctor ordered.

We checked out some of the best Algarve accommodation on offer through Last Night of Freedom - Balaia Plaza, Acua Maris, Janelas Do Mar Apartments and Ourasol – and we would recommend staying at any of them (but we wouldn’t recommend the headache we all had that morning).

SUNDAY 1:30PM - Giant tapas!

Thankfully, hangover help was at hand in the form of a giant tapas feast – with portions bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego.

We parked up at the Waterfront which, you won’t get a prize for guessing, boasts stunning sea views.

Our famished group then tucked into some truly immense grub that helped soak up the booze – and catapult us back into the seeing of things for another day of hard partying.

SUNDAY 6PM - Ribs and wings

Now while we weren’t in Barcelona, we still needed a siesta to recover from our bar crawl, so after a power hour in our beds, we were ready to once again paint Portugal red (and green).

But still in need of sustenance (We admit we were still hanging a bit) Team LNOF was whisked to the ultimate stag do diner.

Ribs and Co sells the best ribs and wings in Portugal (well, in our opinion) and after a heavy night, the prospect of unlimited saucy, fatty, meaty pork is music to anyone’s ears.

This is a cracking spot, especially for stags who like their meat and want to ensure they’ve lined their stomach ahead of a heavy night on the sauce.

SUNDAY 11PM - Hitting the strip again

And a heavy night on the sauce followed – as Round Two got underway.

We once again hit the rowdy strip although this time it was VIP all the way as our group swarmed La Bamba – one of the Algarve’s most premium nightspots – for table service.

There was bottle service, sparklers in the Grey Goose and being a stag and hen party firm, there was of course some sexy strippers to entertain the staff (and leave one with what has been cryptically described as a ‘defensive’ wound).

MONDAY 10AM - The Benagil Caves

Nothing beats a spot of sea air to clear the cobwebs.

Thankfully, we had the highlight of the weekend to wake us from our vodka-induced slumber.

A trip to the famous and very Instagrammable Benagil Caves is a must-do for any tourist to the Algarve. We were transported via speedboat (very James Bond) to the caves which were absolutely immense.

However, the real main event was what we spotted en-route – a pod of orca whales! Sightings are rare (our guide said this was only the third time they’d spotted any all year) which made it even more memorable!

MONDAY 1PM - A cocktail masterclass

Back on dry land, we suddenly had the appetite of a whale, so what better way to soak up that stunning Atlantic view than lunch on the marina at Fat Cats – which was followed by a cocktail masterclass with our lovely host, George.

This is a fun experience that really helped get the group going again after a tipsy 48 hours – and the list of cocktails we could make was bigger than the ocean.

MONDAY 7PM - The Old Town

With the weekend now winding down, we were due an easy night after two days of whales, vodka and over-enthusiastic lapdancers.

So for our final night, we kicked off proceedings with a spot of fresh, al-fresco food at Carpe Diem before heading to the Old Town.

Now the Old Town is a bit more sophisticated and sedate than the New Town (home of the strip) but fear not – it absolutely isn’t tame. Almost every bar seems to offer karaoke and there’s plenty of liveliness to be had here – although after two late nights of sunrise bedtimes, it was the perfect way to say Tchau to Portugal.