Our latest Portugal adventure took us south to the Algarve for a long weekend. We made Lagos our home base, but that was a somewhat arbitrary decision. We opted for staying right in the center of old town, surrounded by restaurants, bars and plenty of activity.
While Lagos is walkable, getting between beaches and attractions can easily take an hour, so having a car is a must.
Lagos and the Food Scene
Lagos was a great home base, especially because we could walk to restaurants in the evening.
We ate out three times a day, which gave us plenty of opportunities to sample the local food. Unfortunately, nothing particularly stood out. The food was generally average compared with some of our other experiences in Portugal. We did get more sardines and tried a new fish – dorado.
Staying in the “hot spot” meant open windows in our AC-less AirBNB and late night partying, singing and over debauchery made it hard to sleep.
We also discovered that finding breakfast before 9 a.m. could be a challenge!
Kayaking Ponta da Piedade – HIGHLY RECOMMEND
The highlight of our trip was kayaking around Ponta da Piedade, known for its dramatic limestone cliffs, caves and grottos. The place we rented was walkable from our AirBNB but check what side of the marina you are renting.
We kayaked through several incredible rock formations, including one called Kissing Rock and another known as the Art Grotto, where the sunlight illuminated the deep water and created beautiful colors.
We also stopped at a beach accessible only by boat, where we had the opportunity to snorkel.
Kayaking was a fantastic way to experience the coastline because we could enter smaller openings and explore areas that larger boats couldn’t reach. Some passages are only accessible depending on the tides and water conditions.
Our tour was one-way, with a boat towing the kayaks back afterward. That was a nice bonus! A few lessons learned:
- Go in the morning. The water and wind conditions are generally more favorable.
- Pay attention to the weather. Later kayak excursions were canceled because of conditions.
- Consider a small boat tour if kayaking isn’t your thing. You’ll still get to experience the spectacular coastline, although some openings may be inaccessible.
On a different day, we were able to hike along the top ridge of where we kayaked. Totally different views and flat walk up top but the grottos remain hidden.
Exploring the Algarve Beaches
We visited two very different beaches during our trip.
Praia do Beliche, near Sagres, is on the western side of the Algarve. It’s surrounded by dramatic cliffs and has a wilder, more rugged feel. This is surfer’s paradise. A good 45 minutes west of Lagos.
Praia do Burgau, along the southern coast, offered a different atmosphere. Burgau is a charming beach village that is pretty chill. The water along the southern Algarve coast was approximately 5–7°F warmer than what we’d been experiencing around Sintra.
We were also searching for beaches with good waves for boogie boarding. Let’s just say ChatGPT wasn’t particularly accurate about the wave sizes. We learned that checking actual surf conditions is more reliable than trusting a general forecast!
What I Wish I’d Known
Algarve is HUGE with over 125 miles of coastline, and each beach is a ways from the main road. The distances between beaches add up, and the best experiences are often dictated by the ocean conditions.
We had friends stay in Salema, Albufeira and Portimao. Our AirBNB was below average and wish we had stayed at a hotel with a pool. All locations had easy access to the water and some type of water excursions to see rock formations or dolphin watching.
