In Lisbon we hopped on a train to Lagos in the Algarve of Portugal. It’s where all the beautiful beaches are and we knew we couldn’t take a trip to Portugal without heading here especially considering my love of water. And oh boy did we get lucky! The weather was perfectly warm and the sun was shining. When we arrived in Lagos we lugged our bags along the boardwalk just itching to lose our bag, get into our sandals, and start exploring. Since we had to wait to check in we found the beach in town so we could enjoy and also eat lunch. Once it was time to check in we headed to the place and were greeted by the sweetest lady ever-our lovely host Benta. She hugged us and ushered us around the corner. We were confused at first because we were walking away from the place we thought we were staying. She didn’t speak much English so we just went along. We met up with her son and they explained that they wanted to surprise us since we were on our honeymoon. They upgraded us to a private apartment and gifted us with flowers and champagne. How sweet is that! We were so touched.



Benta’s son had given us a rundown of the city and mentioned that we were inside the old walled city of Lagos. He also provided us with a map and showed us a walking trail to the beaches. We changed as fast as we could and headed out to see these beautiful beaches that we came so far to see. They did not disappoint. I saw many pictures before coming but truly it was so much better in person. Being able to walk the trail from above gives such impressive views of the rock outcroppings and the beaches as you come upon them. Most of the beaches have stairs that you can take down but it’s quite a bit of work going down and back up. Well worth it I’d say. That first day we mostly took pictures and walked the trail but the next day we spent more time enjoying the beaches and watching the waves crash into the shore.







On our last night in Lagos we ate at a place called Casinha do Petisco. Our host said it was one of his favorite places to eat so we knew we had to try it. We wanted the fish cataplana and it has to be ordered the day before so luckily we planned it just right. Our dish of cataplana was huge and it was full of fish and potatoes and topped with fresh shrimp and clams. We got a bottle of red wine to go with it and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. With such good food and wine in a beautiful country how could we go wrong?


On our last day in the Algarve we took the train to Faro and spent the night there so we could take a direct train to Porto the next day. It was the only place we didn’t stay at an airbnb. Instead I booked us a cheap room at a guesthouse. It was surprising lovely. The room had a balcony that overlooked the street. It’s funny how much a balcony can really sway me toward liking a place. Just before sunset we decided to take a little harbor cruise. It was pretty silly but it was fun being out on the water on such a lovely night. In the evening we did a bit of grocery shopping for the train the next day and headed in for an early night. Have I mentioned how exhausting travel can be? Ha!