Seeking recs from people who have been there - for mid September stay
Lagos
Olhao
Carvoeiro
Albufiera
Thanks in advance.
We stayed in Lagos last summer - a little bit of discussion of that here: Lisbon & Porto Update? - #268 by Zachary_Ross
I liked it a lot, especially for the beauty of the coastline. We stayed in a small but great airbnb apartment just up the hill from the main part of Lagos. The area is stunning with amazing beaches. The food we had was average, and we tried some of the recommended restaurants but nothing was all that amazing. Driving and parking in Lagos is terrible, but having a car to roam around the Algarve is nice.
Was also in Lagos last summer and would say +1 to everything Zach said. I didn’t find driving that much of a hassle, though we did Uber when we went out for dinners- We stayed at Lagos Atlantic hotel. Nothing fancy. Had a Miami vibe. Real close to beach. Zazu beach Club was decent for dinner. There’s an "old town’ part of Lagos near the water that’s fun to explore on foot.
Go Cave snorkeling if you are up for it, that was a good day trip.
I am thinking about the Carvi Beach Hotel in Lagos. Should be a nice place to jump start the last leg of the trip.
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We stayed at the Velamar Botique Hotel in Albufeira back in 2018. We enjoyed it.
If you want to see the Benagil cave, rent a sea kayak and be the first in the water. We had it all to ourselves for about 10
minutes.
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Paul,
It looks like one could walk to the beach from the hotel, did you make the trek?
Mike
Mike,
You can only access the inside of the cave via the water. You can walk to the top and look down, but it is not nearly as cool.
Booked the W hotel in Albufeira.
Should be nice!
If you make it to Lagos, we had a great lunch a few weeks ago on the patio at Don Sebastiao. Way better than you would expect for a restaurant in a full on tourist walkway. Fresh fish, pork cheek stew all good. Have fun, that coast is a great part of the planet.
I have lived in Portugal for six years and been to the Algarve several times. The last place I would stay is Albufeira. It is overwhelmed with drunken rowdy Brits crawling from English pub to pub. Unless that is what you are looking for I would strongly recommend Lagos.
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Understood.. however traveling in September might be better and the Brits might actually go to work!
Also I do not anticipate touring around this area, will have a car to hit Lagos, Faro, and Olhao
Agree getting out of Albufeira will be important to your sanity and wellbeing. We were just there and used that stretch well for pubs and watching world cup. I don’t see much else there, either.
We stayed in Olhos de Agua, near where the Club Med is, at the beach called Praia Maria Luisa. Its a great, quieter beach that some in the area said was one of their favorites. If you get a chance its worth a visit and not far from Albufeira. We had more beaches on our list to explore but didn’t see a reason to leave.
Actually the W is in Gale, which is west of Albufeira.
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Mike, regarding the question of a possible slowdown in September I posted the question on a Portuguese travel Facebook group that I frequent. People planning travel to Portugal, and particularly Algarve, ask questions and are answered by locals and many tour guides. To summarize, the unanimous response was that the party scene might slow down a little in September but not enough. Whatever you decide I hope you have a nice visit to this wonderful country.
Thanks Scott, and to be honest, my late night partying days are over. Instead I start much earlier.. Regardless, I think our place should be quiet enough.