Lagos Portugal

As you may or may not know, I recently went on a month long holiday to the UK to celebrate my brother getting married and to enjoy some of that fabulous British weather (ha ha, I think the summer ended two days after my arrival). Whilst I was home stuffing my face full of Cornish pasties and chips, I felt I deserved a little break from my holiday, so went on a little get away with my mummy dearest to Lagos in Portugal.

Deciding to take a last minute break in August (eg the busiest time of the year) we were very limited to where we could stay. Not wanting to stay in a 2 star hotel that looked like it was last decorated in the early 90s, we opted for a little search on Air BnB where we found the wonderful Villa Graciosa. The small family run complex had a real charm about it, and looks even better than the photos. Our room was cute and bright, with even a fully sized fridge freezer for us to fill up with booze, ice and snacks. There were also two pools and plenty of sun loungers as most people went out during the day. Our favourite thing about the place was the incredible homemade breakfast spread which was included in the price. Every morning I stuffed my face with homemade quiche, cakes, and salads. It’s located a 15 minute walk from the main town in a quiet residential area which was perfect for us as as we could stroll into town each evening for dinner and catch a taxi back. I whole heartedly recommend this place and the staff couldn’t have taken better care of us. Please contact them via their website for rates.

On our first night, we headed to the ultra popular Casa Do Prego. We hadn’t reserved by thankfully I had suggested we go early so were able to snag the last free table, if you want to go out later I would advise booking. We were advised to try a jug of their White Sangria which was incredibly good, I loved it, though mummy informed me she still prefers red. We ate a medley of delights including their famous Peri Peri prawns, which I adored but mummy found too spicy, a hummus and veggies, a steak dish, and a side salad. The bill came to under 30 Euros between us so we were very happy with the price.

One spot that we passed by every night and was booked out two nights in advance was The Garden. As the sun goes down the shabby chic garden restaurant is the place to be. We love to dine alfresco and the South African joint had plenty of choices jumping out at us. In the end we opted for the incredibly well priced BBQ Platter which came with sausage, pork chops, ribs, chips, coleslaw, and an alcoholic drink for a bargain 10 Euros. We also tried the lamb chop platter which was equally large and the same price minus the drink. You’d have thought we would have been full after eating all that lot, but clearly overeating runs in the family as we found room for the crepes with honey. It’s no wonder this place is packed every night, they have plenty of drinks and the food is cheap and tasty, so be sure to make a reservation.

The closest and most beautiful beach to us was Praia de Porto de Mos, which thankfully was only a 10 minute stroll from our hotel. The beach has a large beautiful stretch of sand, and crystal clear blue sea. We stopped by Campimar, one of the two restaurants, for lunch. The food was tasty and fresh and the restaurant was right on the beach. Just be sure to check the prices before ordering anything, our jug of sangria, while tasty, came to an insane 19 Euros! Thankfully you can rent out sun loungers on the beach or spread your towel and soak up the sunshine. We called an Uber to take us back to the hotel as we couldn’t face walking back up the hill and since it was only 3 euros we figured we’d splurge.

Overall I had a great time Lagos. the town is is full of beautiful quaint cobbled streets and small places to eat and drink. Portugal itself is full of many famous foods which are are all available here. I can’t even begin to tell you how many egg tarts I ate during the week, and I even managed to bring back a treasure trove of goodies for my poor old dad who was stuck at home. It was my first time in Portugal but I will be going back in November as I am going to be getting married there for the third and final part of my trilogy of weddings!