Lagos

Once we decided that we were moving to Portugal, we started researching different towns to potentially call home. One of the more popular choices across the internet seemed to be Lagos. It is a very popular vacation destination and it also attracts a lot of expats (the word expat is controversial and I don’t love it.) It is a small city of about 30,000 people but that number jumps way up during tourist season. It seemed to have a moderate climate and lots to do, both of which were important to us. It also had the most stunning beaches and coastline with gorgeous rock formations. So we set our sites on Lagos as our intended target and I set my lock screen background to Ponta da Piedade as my inspo to continue working towards this goal.

So moving to Lagos didn’t happen. We weren’t able to find an apartment in our budget that we really liked, so we ended up in Tavira, which actually really worked out. But we still wanted to explore Lagos. One day, on Facebook, a photographer from Seattle named Elizabeth Curland, was asking for couples who wanted to do some pictures on the beach in the Algarve and I was interested. She chose Lagos as the spot so we decided to go up for a couple days so we could explore the town. We are technically still not sure if we will stay in Tavira so we like exploring other areas of the country to see where we will end up long term. It’s only a little over an hour drive away so it was a super easy trip.

Lagos was pretty cool. The old town area is very lively. There were musicians in the street and lots of cool street art. It isn’t even the tourist season yet, but there were a decent amount of people there. There were a bunch of cool shops, some are the typical tourist shops with souvenirs and then some other cool ones. We found one that even sells Sure Design, which is a company from Thailand that makes really cool clothes and stuff. There are also a lot of cool bars and restaurants, which of course I love. 

We stayed at WOT Lagos Montemar. It was a simple, no frills hotel room, but clean and decently comfortable. It was about €90 a night. I don’t like to spend a ton of time in the room when I travel, especially if it’s a short trip, because I would rather explore so I usually pick some basic hotels. As long as they are clean, with good ratings and decently located, I don’t care too much about what amenities it has. (If I’m going to a resort or something though, I will definitely go with a much nicer spot)

Food in Lagos:

The Studio Coffee Roasters & Cafe- We got came here 3 times during our 2 night trip. They had multiple gluten free options for food and it was really good. I ate breakfast toast with eggs and red pepper one day and the next I had overnight oats with peanut butter and honey. Karl had a power bowl with quinoa, veggies and eggs. The coffee was also great, they roast it themselves and have a pretty extensive coffee menu. They are dog friendly and even have treats for sale that benefit Cadela Carlota, a non-profit dog shelter. It also is a popular spot for digital nomads to work. Breakfast each day was about €20 total with both of us having food and coffees.

Artesão- We had lunch here on our first day. I found it on the Find Me Gluten Free app, which I use constantly. It had decent reviews and looked to have a lot of options, but it really didn’t have very many. I ordered a wrap with chicken, bacon and chilis. I couldn’t get fries because of cross-contamination so I got a side of fruit. I had a whole conversation with the server, who I think was the manager or owner about celiac and she helped me choose what to eat and what would be safe, however I still got sick. Karl had a burger and he liked it. 

Barbosa Bar & Kitchen- We went here for dinner our first night.  It was a cute restaurant with a nice atmosphere. The food was ok. I honestly don’t remember what I ate but I know they had a few gluten free options available. I did have a really delicious panna cotta for dessert though and cider that I had never heard of. The food was good but the portions were not very big and it was a little expensive comparatively. 

Casa do Prego- We ate here for dinner our second night. We were just wandering around and we saw the menu on the wall and it looked good and they had gluten free options on the menu. I am so glad we found this place, it was amazing! I had the Milano- a sirloin steak with parmesan cheese, roasted tomatoes and a balsamic glaze. Karl had a really good chicken dish. They also had the most amazing chips. We had a pitcher of sangria and some grilled prawns as well. The total was around €50. It was an amazing meal

Beer & Co.- We went to this place twice. It was a cool bar with a fun vibe. The first night we went, we just had a couple drinks. They had karaoke that night. The 2nd night we went back and there was live music, a really cool Brazilian guy named Fernando Niva (check him out on Insta.)  He was a great singer and even sang some Garth Brooks when he found out we were American. We chatted with him for a while after his set. If he is ever playing where you are, definitely check him out. We had a great time here

Bon Vivant- We stopped here for a drink because it seemed to be where the party was. It was a Tuesday night and it was Carnaval so apparently everyone was in the next town over for the Carnaval celebrations. We didn’t know or we would have loved to go there. But this place was cool. There were people dancing and having a great time and they had great drinks. I had the most amazing Paloma. It was definitely a fun spot. 

Lagos was a cool town, however I am kind of glad that we didn’t get an apartment there. It was definitely a fun place but it didn’t seem as authentically Portugal as other areas. There are a ton of expats there from all over, which isn’t a bad thing but I barely heard any Portuguese the whole time. I am really trying to learn the language and I love being immersed in the culture here, so I like being somewhere that has a bigger blend of expats and locals. I definitely want to go back to go kayaking there though because the beaches are spectacular and to have another Paloma at Bon Vivant!