Lagos, Portugal

Lagos buddy, Haley

A couple of months ago, my friend Haley suggested we sign up for a trip to Lagos, Portugal which was organized by a travel company in Sevilla.  After hearing all the wonderful reviews of the same trip from my roommates and friends here in Malaga, I hardly needed convincing.

I don't think I realized it at the time, but it was certainly obvious once we arrived at the meeting point that we were probably the oldest people there and that the majority of our 150+ travel companions were there on their final trip of their study abroad semester.  Although this was extremely intimidating, the situation mostly added laughs rather than frustrations to our 72 hour trip.

The beach next to our hotel

Lagos, part of the southern region of Portugal, was absolutely stunning to say the very least.  I’ve definitely been to my share of spectacular beaches around the world, but this may have taken the cake (although, without an absolute side-by-side comparison, this statement is impossible to quantify; if only one could have every beautiful beach lined up side-by-side!).  The steep cliffs of the coast fell into beautiful clear blue waters.  Where the rocks met the water, grottos were worn into their sides; some only small enough for birds and their nests, others large enough for a small boat to pass.

Our hotel was spitting distance from one of the most beautiful beaches in the city.  The weather on our first and last day was beautiful and perfect for enjoying the pearly beach and even cooling off in the Atlantic waters.  The second day was a bit disappointing once we arrived at the sand, but it hardly dampened our spirits during the sangria-grotto sailboat tour. 

"Welcome Americans!
Safe Zone --> Go Get Loose"

The nights were filled exploring “downtown” Lagos, a sleepy little place which might have seen livelier days in the times of Columbus and the slave trade.  We were given the opportunity to see a couple of Lagos’s more “happening” places, including a particularly enjoyable bar called Joe’s Garage which looked more Los Angeles than borderline-Mediterranean.  Given the large mass of the group we came with, we didn’t stay out too much, as we also preferred to get in a good night’s rest before a rough day and the beach.

Overall, Portugal was inspiringly beautiful, and my short trip there has only made me want to see more of the country.  I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say that Portugal is one of the most overlooked countries of Western Europe, as most people probably think of the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain more.  But I for one will never forget my stay there and will always tell others that Portugal is worth any effort to see.