Summer 2022
I spent a week in Portugal in July 2022 with my sister and two cousins. We decided, going into the trip, that we wanted this to be a relaxing trip with the majority of the time lounging on the beach. That meant that we focused most of our time in Algarve vs going to Porto, Duoro Valley, Sintra, etc. We'll save that for a future trip! We met up in Lisbon since we were all coming from different countries, rented a car, then drove down to Lagos. If you're coming from other parts of Europe, you may also be able to fly direct into Faro. There are also options to head south from Lisbon by train, but we wanted the flexibility of having a rental car to check out various beaches. I believe July is considered high season, but things did not feel packed or overcrowded at all. Especially in the Algarve, it felt like a lot of people on family vacations, not the typical "eurotrip" crowd. We opted to stay in AirBnbs (will flag that it was very hot while were were there and most places don't have A/C). We considered splurging for a night or two in a nicer hotel or resort and those were almost all sold out across the board, so if you're going to go that route, you should definitely book something early.
Aside from flights, we spent about $1200 USD per person on lodging, food/drink, and transportation. Going for Airbnbs over hotels was the biggest money saver - our most expensive expense by far was the car rental which came out to almost $1200 USD for only 4 days. Food and drink will not be your biggest expense. You will eat like a queen without breaking the bank!
More detail below but here is the Google Maps list where I marked most of the spots we went to and also recommendations we got from others -- huge shout out to Mafalda for all her help!! (Side note: I'm still confused why Google Maps has the list function and the map function...feels like two different parts of the same org not talking to one another).
Aside from flights, we spent about $1200 USD per person on lodging, food/drink, and transportation. Going for Airbnbs over hotels was the biggest money saver - our most expensive expense by far was the car rental which came out to almost $1200 USD for only 4 days. Food and drink will not be your biggest expense. You will eat like a queen without breaking the bank!
More detail below but here is the Google Maps list where I marked most of the spots we went to and also recommendations we got from others -- huge shout out to Mafalda for all her help!! (Side note: I'm still confused why Google Maps has the list function and the map function...feels like two different parts of the same org not talking to one another).
Lisbon
Getting around:
|
Where we stayed:
|
Food:
|
Sights:
Drink:
|
Algarve (Lagos)
We chose to stay in Lagos as a home base. It has a cute old town with lots of shops and restaurants, which was walking distance from our Airbnb. Each day we explored a different beach - we got a lot of recommendations (everyone has their favorite beach) and based on our experience, it doesn't really seem like you can go wrong. If you want to surf, then it's probably good to check to see which beaches are best for that (and good surfing spots often mean the ocean is a bit rougher than you want to just wade). Every beach we went to had a bathroom and restaurant on site. Most of those restaurants also rent out beach lounge chairs and umbrellas (2 chairs for 16 euros for the full day, 10 euros for a half day). Bring your own towel though!
- Comporta - we stopped here on the way from Lisbon. It's not really on the way, but it was recommended by a friend as a pit stop. During COVID, wealthy people from Lisbon started going here more, so there are some pretty high end boutiques and hotels here. The town itself though is really small and probably not worth the stop unless you're staying here. We did have a GREAT meal though at São João - their seafood with rice is amazing (see photo below). It's soupier than a paella/risotto but not as soupy as a porridge. Highly recommend! We like it a bit more than cataplana which is what the copper pan is called that some dishes are served in. You can't really go wrong with that either, the rice just had some more flavor.
- Lagos - so we didn't end up going to Meia Praia which is the main beach in Lagos. Our Airbnb host told us it gets windy in the afternoon - it looked really nice though! We tried to go to Praia do Camilo which is a small, very secluded beach surrounded by steep cliffs (lots of steps to get there). Unfortunately we did not look at the timing of high tide so there was a tiny sliver of beach to sit on and there were lots of sand flies so we only stayed a few minutes before relocating to Praia de Porto Mós. We had a late lunch at Campimar which was really delicious (I got the cod) and the wait staff were incredibly friendly. It was highly recommended by our Airbnb host. There is a more casual outdoor section of the restaurant that serves a more limited menu, but if you have time, go inside and get some real seafood. A few other recs in Lagos (see the Google Maps list above for more spots our Airbnb host recommended):
- GeIícia for gelato - their menu changes so grab an extra scoop of your favorite flavor while it's on the menu
- Pepperino - solid pasta/pizza. We wanted a break from seafood and this hit the spot
- Kohinoor - solid Indian food, satisfied our craving for some asian flavors
- Mar - restaurant along the coast. Our host recommended it for a sunset meal. We didn't end up going, but it looks nice!
- Mar d'Estórias - lots of home goods and other "made in Portugal" items. Great for gift shopping. They have a rooftop restaurant/bar but it didn't really have any views!
- Olaria Nova - very cute pottery
- Odeceixe - really cute beach (see photo below). There is a river that connects to the beach so it's easier to swim here since that part doesn't have any waves. After the beach, we went to the center of town and got a snack (great toast and juices) at Ao Largo. It'd also be a good breakfast spot too if you want something in the morning. For dinner, we ate at Taberna do Gabão which was on a really quiet residential street. It has a modern vibe without being too over the top.
- Sagres - We started at the Sagres Fortress which is cool to see, mainly for the views. You probably only need 30-45 minutes there. We had lunch at Laundry Lounge which was really good (and you can actually do laundry - wash and dry! - if you want). They seemed to have live music in the evenings. Great to get some veggies for the first time in awhile. We spent the day at Praia do Martinhal. No surfers here - the water was too calm for that which means it was easier to swim in (though cold!). We had dinner at A Tasca which overlooks some docks - a great spot to watch the sun set with a glass of cold sangria! We lucked out and were able to get a table without a reservation but they did start to turn people away, so I'd recommend booking in advance. There were a few things on the menu that you also had to pre-order (i.e. lobster).