Spain / Portugal beach holidays close to town
Discussion
We're looking for somewhere to spend a week in June. We "must be by the sea" - ideally with a sea view, but we won't be spending all day on the beach.
Portugal is the favourite (wife has never been there, whereas she has been to Malaga and similar locations).
Canary islands don't really interest us.
Current favourite is Lagos. It seems to have decent beaches, and have a decent sized town - so there should be plenty to keep us occupied.
But any better suggestions? Budget for flights / hotel for a week is probably about £2k for two people
(Note : Italy is not an option)
Portugal is the favourite (wife has never been there, whereas she has been to Malaga and similar locations).
Canary islands don't really interest us.
Current favourite is Lagos. It seems to have decent beaches, and have a decent sized town - so there should be plenty to keep us occupied.
But any better suggestions? Budget for flights / hotel for a week is probably about £2k for two people
(Note : Italy is not an option)
Edited by davek_964 on Wednesday 2nd April 12:45
I'm not really a beach person but I really liked the city of Tarragona which is about an hour and a quarter south of Barcelona - not too big and has a lovely beach. Further south still is Valencia which is another great city with fantastic beaches. Also great if you like Paella as that's where it was invented.
davek_964 said:
We're looking for somewhere to spend a week in June. We "must be by the sea" - ideally with a sea view, but we won't be spending all day on the beach.
Portugal is the favourite (wife has never been there, whereas she has been to Malaga and similar locations).
Canary islands don't really interest us.
Current favourite is Lagos. It seems to have decent beaches, and have a decent sized town - so there should be plenty to keep us occupied.
But any better suggestions? Budget for flights / hotel for a week is probably about £2k for two people - it can be higher, but means I will have to spend a week saying "....because that's what it costs"
(Note : Italy is not an option)
San Sebastian is magic.Portugal is the favourite (wife has never been there, whereas she has been to Malaga and similar locations).
Canary islands don't really interest us.
Current favourite is Lagos. It seems to have decent beaches, and have a decent sized town - so there should be plenty to keep us occupied.
But any better suggestions? Budget for flights / hotel for a week is probably about £2k for two people - it can be higher, but means I will have to spend a week saying "....because that's what it costs"
(Note : Italy is not an option)
nickfrog said:
davek_964 said:
I'm not really looking for somewhere that I need to hire a car
Fair enough. I wouldn't choose Lagos on that basis.I could quite happily spend a week in Lagos, but it's not exactly got many sights to see.
bennno said:
davek_964 said:
bennno said:
San Sebastian is magic.
A friend recommended that last year, but you can't really fly there can you? I'm not really looking for somewhere that I need to hire a car
Another recommendation for San Sebastian - it's brilliant in every single way. You also don't need to hire a car if you fly into Bilbao.
If it must be Portugal, I'd be avoiding the usual British hotspots and going to Cascais. It's a fantastic coastal town with lots to do. It also has a great train link to Lisbon so again, you don't need a car.
If it must be Portugal, I'd be avoiding the usual British hotspots and going to Cascais. It's a fantastic coastal town with lots to do. It also has a great train link to Lisbon so again, you don't need a car.
TownIdiot said:
nickfrog said:
davek_964 said:
I'm not really looking for somewhere that I need to hire a car
Fair enough. I wouldn't choose Lagos on that basis.I could quite happily spend a week in Lagos, but it's not exactly got many sights to see.
Oops.
Lagos has the headland of Ponta da Piedade, boat trips, tuktuk tours, surfing, you can walk round the old town for hours, marina, the boardwalks that are now along nearly the entire coastline, and you can get out and explore further west - Praia da Luz is 10 minutes drive, Sagres and the End of the Old World are 30 minutes with a few beach towns between. Or just visit the dozen or so local beaches some of which are award winning - Praia do Camilo and Praia Dona Ana are the 'typical Algarve beach' images used in holiday brochures.
It's one hour's drive from Faro airport (private transfers maybe 70-80 euros) and once you're there Uber works very well if you're travelling locally, or just hire a car (A22 east-west fast road is now toll-free) via Zest. Check tripadvisor forums for Faro hire company reviews before booking.
Sea views - Lagos was built as a fortified port several centuries before Jesus was a boy so the town itself is sheltered from the coast as the tourism industry hadn't really kicked in at that point - for full-on sea views you'd either choose Porto de Mos (has a hill) to the west of town, or Meia Praia area (mostly flat) to the east, or just go straight for Praia da Luz if you've got kids - a superchilled much smaller village with a great south facing beach, real family atmosphere and very little loud music etc but just enough bars and restaurants.
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