A Week in the Algarve: Benagil Caves by Kayak, the Sea Cliffs of Lagos and Ananea Castelo Suites

Getting there

We flew from Seattle to London, then caught a British Airways flight down to Faro in the south of Portugal. From the airport we picked up a car and drove west to Albufeira.

Six nights at Ananea Castelo Suites

Our home for the first six nights was Ananea Castelo Suites, and it was a great place in a great location. It sits just outside Albufeira, close enough to Uber into downtown to shop, walk around and eat, and it is surrounded by beautiful beaches. There is a really good restaurant down at São Rafael that you can take the shuttle to, and it had some of the best shrimp I have ever had. Honestly, a lot of this part of the trip was lounging and hanging out at the pool, and I would not change a thing.

Kayaking to the Benagil Caves

One of the most unique things about this part of Portugal is the sea cliffs, and seeing them from the water is awesome. We did a kayak tour to the Benagil Caves, only about a 25 minute drive from the hotel. The guides were great, and I highly recommend it.

Falling for Lagos

We drove up to Lagos so many times that it became our favorite part of the trip. Praia dos Estudantes is where you will find the stone bridge shot, and there are viewpoints all along the cliffs. Praia Dona Ana was one of our favorite beaches. It gets really busy, but it is beautiful and so fun to explore. The food in town was so good too. Beats and Burritos had one of the best burritos I have ever had.

A sunset boat tour along the cliffs

We booked a sunset boat tour with Lagos Grotto Trips and it was so much fun. Food and wine were included, and they took us along the sea cliffs and grottos as the sun went down.

Two nights at Palmares Beach House Hotel

We loved the Lagos area so much that we finished with two nights at Palmares Beach House Hotel, which we booked on points. It has a beautiful pool and a beautiful location, and we spent time at Meia Praia right nearby.