Apparently the Algarve enjoys a rather bad reputation. Shaped a lot by British and German tourists. Apparently. I didn’t really experience it that way. For sure not our hotel which was 5* and a prize sponsored by Health&Fitness Travel. The hotel we stayed at was the Epic Sana Algarve – what a gem. If you ever consider a wellness resort this should be on the top of your list. Although it is quite huge in sheer size it doesn’t feel huge once you are there. The whole area is used in the most thought-through way. With quiet relaxing areas here an there, different pool areas, a spa area (where we actually spent a lot of time), various eating places, hiking trails and many more things to do. With the hotel being relatively new, the décor throughout is stylish and contemporary. It was truly a wellness heaven. Included in the prize was also the opportunity to use up to four activities offered by their Spa.. for me this was yoga – with a private teacher. It was amazing.

One evening we went out for dinner in the closest town,  Albufeira which was a nightmare and we could’ve rather stayed in the resort. We did find a cute little restaurant which was OK’ish but the town itself: a nightmare. Bright neon signs everywhere, cheap pubs on every corner, those tourist I spoke about at the beginning everywhere.. Nope.. this wasn’t our type of vibe.

Lagos on the other side, is a gem of a town on the West Algarve. It’s about an hour drive from Albufeira and just beautiful. We started with a stop at the well-known Ponta da Pidade, a breathtaking coastal cliff line.

Next stop, the beautiful town of Lagos (and please don’t get confused with one of my previous post about Lagos in Nigeria). Lagos in Portugal is the perfect example of how you imagine a sweet little holiday town to be. Quaint streets, lots of amazing cute coffee shops, cobbled streets, surfers walking with their boards from the beach straight through town, beach accessories available in every shop along the main road, churches, many churches. We didn’t have a plan where to go, we just walked and got lost. Not to worry, Lagos isn’t big enough to get lost completely.