Lagos 2016

Loved Lagos so much we came back for a month from 1st June until 1st July..

We had to come back, we had left a piece of our hearts here, we booked the same traditional Portuguese town house <Airbnb>

Where as last trip we spent every day pretty much on the beach, this trip we relaxed lots in cafe’s, watched a lot of the Euro football matches, we did also spend time on the stunning Lagos beaches, but this year there was more football and sunbathing and not a lot of swimming, we found the water just a tad too cold, Grant and Lucas did swim a bit as they are not as wussy as Jake and I..

Praia da Luz

We did one day trip to Praia da Luz, I had read that this is where a lot of people retire to and also read that Praia da Luz was an all season place and was still busy through the winter, so we were keen to visit, I did love the beach, the sand was really soft, it was a busy bustling little place, I loved watching the sun on the cliffs, it was a very pretty but didn’t have the same atmosphere as Lagos that we love :).

Dona Ana Beach

Last year this beach was closed as they were making it safer and larger, so this year we actually got to see it..

Dona Ana beach has 100 steps down compared to the 200 at our still favourite beach Praia de Camilo beach, apparently Dona Ana beach a few years back got voted the most beautiful beach, but they imported a whole heap of sand to make it bigger and the sand isn’t as nice as a lot of the other beaches, this sand has lots of sometimes sharp shells, don’t get me wrong though Dona Ana beach is still stunning, as are all the beaches along this coast, the rock formations are a photographers dream, the ocean most of the time Crystal clear and now this beach is huge, lots of room to play football 🙂

Our favourite Beach ‘Praia de Camilo’

This was our fav beach last year along with Pinhao Beach, and they stayed our favourite beaches, Camilo beach from the top of the steps is a site that on a trip to Lagos you shouldn’t miss, it’s stunning. There is a restaurant at the top where you can get a well deserved Ice cream or cold drink once you climb the 200 steps..

Praia do Pinhao

Pinhao Beach was our closest beach aside from the town beach, and definitely one of our fav’s, it’s a small beach with lots of character and lots of great photo opportunities, make sure you take plenty of water with you as there are no shops close to this beach.

Ponta de Piedade

We decided one day that we were going to go on a photography day trip from Camilo Beach to Ponta de Piedade, we picked a stunning day. The ocean was as clear as it could be with a little wind, this walk is one of the most stunning walks, every view in almost every direction is crazy beautiful..the rock formations along the coast and the desert like pathways, cacti and bright coloured wild flowers scattered about, and tantalising views down to secluded beaches that can only be safely reached by kayak.

This walk is a must, you will not be disappointed, just take plenty of water, once you get to Ponta de Piedade you can grab the tourist train back if it’s too hot..

Bandeira Beach

The town beach was a lot calmer this year, the sand here is so beautiful and soft, it’s always full of life has a historic fort and a great cafe with toilet facilities, Kayak Hire, Kayak tours and a sailing club. It’s a perfect town beach…

Kayak Hire

We hired Kayaks out one day from the town beach and kayaked to the Ponta de Piedade, we loved that, the boys were not totally convinced, I think because the last time we kayaked was on a river in Omis, Croatia and it was much calmer, Jacob actually started to feel a little sea sick this time and Lucas got a bit fed up, maybe we pushed them too much, they helped more this time though…next time we will take it a bit easier on them..

Euro 2016

Jake has really got into football during our travels, we had left his last football in Croatia as it was starting to come to bits from a hard life of kick about’s on concrete streets and pebble beaches, so first order of business was to buy a new one in Lagos.

Jake went for the official Euro 2016 ball which was pricey so we made him chip in half the cash for it, we have also been getting Jake the country football shirt for each country we visit so he got a Portugal shirt and had his name added to the back.

Meanwhile Luke was given a Ronaldo mask to keep and this was a big hit, Jake got one too and they loved the attention they got when they walked around town with them on. We both commented that something as simple as a cardboard mask can give children so much enjoyment.

We loved going into town and watching the Euro 2016, the atmosphere was always pretty good, especially when Portugal were playing, we watched the Portugal vs Croatia match in the centre, for this match Jake was torn between Croatia and Portugal but decided to cheer for Croatia as we had spent the most time there…plus Jacob does always like to be a bit different, to stand out…:)

But his heart was also with Portugal as well and he was still very happy when Portugal won this game and went on to win the whole Euro…Well done Portugal.

Jacob spent a lot of this trip at the football field at the top of our road and everyday came back happy as he had played with other kids, on our last week Jacob made a really good and hopefully lasting friend in a local boy called Francesco, everyday they met up and played football together.

On our last evening, it was the semi finals Portugal vs Poland, we met up with Francesco, his sister and his mum for dinner and to cheer Portugal on…what an awesome evening, made me sad that it was our last night, how great would it have been if we had all met up on our 1st week..but we will all keep in touch.

A handmade origami gift from our very clever friend Odete…Thank you

‘Casa De Pasto O Ze’ Restaurant

There are plenty of great restaurants in Lagos, but we became very attached to one called Casa De Pasto O Ze, it’s very reasonably priced we went a la carte everytime but the set menu looks to be a bargain, I was obsessed with their grilled prawns, even now I dream about them in their garlic oil, totally mouth watering. Grant says the homestyle Lamb is great and the portion was generous.

The lady who serves you appears to run the whole place and she has the manner of a mother or grandmother who wants you to enjoy her homemade meals but doesn’t have much time for any fussy eaters who don’t like her otherwise popular dishes. One customer at another table complained to her of too much salt in the cabbage soup, which appeared to be universally popular (though we didn’t have any), she tch’d at her a little but took the soup away of course, she’s a real character and adds to the experience!

Treat her like your portuguese Grandmother and you’ll have a great time. Would you send Grandma’s soup back?