Good news - this will be a short one! Welcome to the LAGOS RECAP!
Isabel and I popped down to Lagos from Lisbon via bus for a couple days of sun-soaked Portuguese adventure.
Getting there
Super easy! We came via bus (Rede Expressos) which picked us up at a terminal right next to a central Metro stop in Lisbon. Amazingly, the bus stop in Lagos was literally directly behind our hotel....like hilariously close. I think it was about a 3hr bus ride - there were other stops and we picked up and dropped off other passengers, but it was a wonderful way to see the countryside. Would definitely recommend!
Stay
We stayed at the Marina Rio and really liked it! It probably took us 5-7 minutes to walk into the city center, but was super convenient for beach access and it was sort of nice to be able to pop away from the tourist hubbub of town when we wanted. Nice clean room, mega friendly staff, great price! Also, rooftop pool. Always a win.
Eat
Padaria Central (Pastry Shop) :: an instant favorite of mine!! Very local pastry shop. Everything we got was SO yummy and we may have made repeated visits. Lots of locals buying bread for the day, etc. Loved the vibe! (Rua 10 de Maio, Lagos)
Taska do Kiko :: such a winner! I did some research and decided to hunt this place out - I think for 95% of our walk, Isabel thought I was insane. I definitely led us through a dark and somewhat abandoned shipyard to get there? Which, in hindsight, was unnecessary. Whoops. ANYWAY - we had a great time here. We got fish cakes, tuna tartare, shrimp, veggies, serrano ham, and a local Algarve wine. Definitely go find this spot!! SO GOOD!
Casa do Prego :: SUPER highly recommend!! We got super lucky with this one - we didn't know anything about it and just stumbled onto the cool-looking menu as we walked around Lagos one night eyeing dinner options. Its was delicious and had such a fun atmosphere! We got tuna, chicken, and wine. I didn't take any food photos (whoops) but trust me - it was wonderful. 10/10 would go back, would tell everyone to go.
Portofinos :: Italian Restaurant with a view! We grabbed a bottle of wine and some calamari before dinner and thought it was great. Can't speak to the rest of the menu, but what we had was great!
Do
Kayak Tour :: Absolute must-do!! We did a 9:30 am tour with Kayak Adventures and loved it. It's about a 2.5 hour tour - you paddle around and look at a lot of rock formations and pop into come caves and then end up at a sort of "secret beach". We had about half an hour there, and then a boat tugged us all home in our kayaks. It was an awesome way to see the incredible beach/rock formations and so fun. We ended up just booking the day before at the kayak shop by the beach, but you can also book online.
and that's all I have for Lagos! For a recap of our time in Lisbon, click here! Check back soon for the Part 3 Recap of Morocco!