Images of this azure coastline are what first drew me to the destination of Portugal. We arrived here via Lisbon on a bus, which was a comfortable four hour trip each way. Our jumping off point for exploring Algarve was Lagos but the bus also stopped in Portimão, which was lovely as well.

EXPERIENCE

To fully experience the towns and landscapes of Algarve a vehicle is necessary. Rent a car in town at Lagos and drive the beaches. We started with a day trip out to the fort at Sagres. From here we traveled up the coast stopping at beautiful coastal spots like Castelejo, Cordama, Amando and Bordeira near Carrepateira. The water is bright, the rocks are jutting and the beaches are breathtaking. One of our favorites was a stop at Praia do Castelejo near Vila do Bispo.

The next day we took our car off road in pursuit of the Algar de Benagil Grottos near Pria de Marinah. This stretch of coastline is great for hiking and offered some of the best views of the turquoise water and big sandy stretches of beach. There are coastal boat trips available to get tourists even closer to these secret spots, but we didn’t want to interrupt the local fisherman.

Wineries were the other selling point of this region. We had an especially nice visit to the gorgeous property of Quinta dos Vales. This property is also a widespread sculpture garden.

STAY

The accommodation was a huge part of what made our off-season stay in Algarve so wonderful. We managed to snag an amazing hot tub equipped Airbnb in Penthouse in Lagos near Pria da Marinha. The weather was too nippy to enjoy traditional beach time, so a place with a great view, nice kitchen and tub for soaking made the trip!

EAT

On a ten day trip in a country with mediocre food, sometimes taking a break from the restaurant hopping is nice. While in this region, we fell so in love with our Airbnb apartment, (and the wines we picked up at vineyards) we found it hard to leave. We primarily cooked at our seaside penthouse. Check out the Algarve Fish Market in town for a great selection of fresh seafood and vegetables. We also were told that this region is very well known for some special which we never managed to find. In addition to cooking, we had a great wood fired pizza dinner one evening at Pizzeria Gato Pardo near our residence and a mediocre breakfast in town.