We were invited by the very kind Clem from Bura Surfhouse to visit their surfhouse in Lagos, Portugal last month – for a long weekend of eating piri piri prawns, surfing and exploring the coastline.
You can read the full article here. In the meantime, these are reasons why you need to get down to that sunny, sunny end of Portugal…
It stays warm all year round
Well, the Portuguese would disagree with you here. But for us sun-starved Brits, 19 degrees in November is not bad going.
The waves are pumping throughout autumn and winter months
It can get big. Like really big. But the beauty of the Algarve is if the waves are too big on the west Atlantic coast, you can head around Cape St. Vincent and explore the more sheltered beach breaks along the south coast.
The people are so friendly
We stayed at the Bura Surfhouse and felt so welcomed, we were pretty much ready to uproot our lives and move their. Lively group meals with delicious Piri Piri prawns, an outdoor pool, sunshine and a surf-hungry crew, ready to pile into a van and head for the beach – what more could you ask for? Check out their website here.
Portuguese food is really, really good
Pastel de natas (Portuguese custard tarts) are addictive, as Clem will testify. The seafood comes fresh from the market every day. There’s even a place that serves homemade olive oil and tomato flavoured ice creams. Yep, really.
It’s cheap!
Compared to other European destinations, Lagos is not too pricey – particularly in off season (from mid September onwards). Prices for accommodation drop and the beaches are way less crowded. Plus, some of the best experiences are totally free…
There’s plenty to do, even if you don’t fancy surfing
A few of our favourite expeditions included travelling around with TJ’s adventure crew eating mangos and exploring the caves along the south coast, browsing the fish market in Lagos, and walking along the cliffs overlooking Porto de Mos near Lagos.
It’s beautiful
As I said before, crowd-free Lagos in autumn is the Algarve at its best. You can really appreciate the beauty of the coastline without hundreds of families with screaming children clogging up the beaches.
You might even see dolphins…
We went on a stand-up paddleboard expedition from David with SUP Lagos – and were lucky enough to spot around 30 dolphins swimming on by!