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Lagos Hotels and Apartments A - Z

A Cerca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Style - June 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Paul Hanson - Burnley 49      Barbara Hanson - Burnley 48

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Perfect location for the old town, which is a picturesque tarditional part of Lagos. The accomodation was excellent with a very quite relaxed feel to it. We had no problems with the room which was of a very good standard.

The pool was clean surrounded by lemon trees with a large brick barbeque for an evening meal.

The only problem we had was that there is scheme to enhance the 15th century wall that surrounds the old town.This involved three JCBs digging up completly the car park beside the appartments. However I would imagine once complete it will enhance the vicinity.

Can highly recommend it especially if yuo want a peaceful berak away from the kids (no u 16's allowed) 

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A Cerca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Style - May / June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Jean Eardley - Cheshire

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at A Cerca apartments in Lagos at the end of May and early June.  

Lagos is a lovely resort with lots to see and do.  The town is quite compact and full of character, with little cobbled streets  and excellent restaurants and  pavemant cafes.  The promenade leads a bridge where you can cross to the marina with it's mass of sailing boats, shops and cafes; or to the long sandy beach; or to catch a train to visit other resorts and attractions. Further along the promenade you can visit the gypsy market (1st Saturday of the month) and see the stork's nests on route or call in at the fish market.  In the other direction coves with small sandy beaches  are separated by beautiful rocky outcrops shaped by the weather. You can visit the grottos, further along, by boat. 

The apartments are only just outside the old city walls and a few hundred yards to the nearest supermarkets, shops and small restaurants.  We felt that they were in an excellent location and offered everything that we needed.  Most of them are set around a central pool and all have a patio area.  They were exceptionally clean and well maintained.

In all I can't fault these apartments and thought that they were excellnet value for money (yes we were happy to pay the full price). 

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A Cerca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Style Holidays - 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Andy & Angela 26,26

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Your feelings of A Cerca all depends on your expectations and whethere you have paid full brochure price.
We never paid full brochure price so we were satisfied with what we got, however if we had paid the brochure price I dont think I would have been very happy.

The A Cerca is very basic and the furniture in the aparts is dated.  On arrival into your apart you will notice a foisty smell, this seems to go or you get used to it after a day or two.  The aparts are spotlessly clean, cleaned every other day, the showers are good, however it is a tight squeeze in ( i was 6 months pregnant at the time though!).  The pool area is kept clean and tidy and you are limited with space, however there are only 6 apartments so its easily managable.  It is a very small complex set about half a km from the cafes etc.  It is lovely to sit on your outside chairs late on with a glass of wine (minus the wine for me)we were right by the pool so was lovely.

If you get it at a discounted price then I would say its a good place to go.  Do  not pay full brochure price as you would be disappointed.

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Aqualuz Aparthotel Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson  - July 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by :

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The aqualuz aparthotel is very clean accomodation. You get clean towels nearly every day. The pool area is quite quiet but not too dull. It is a nice poolside to sit by and the pool is cool and refreshing. I would reccomend going to the BBQ's on a monday night in the apartments because they are very enjoyable. Staff are all very friendly and the barmen are all really nice and helpful. We asked one of them for advice about transport and he was a great help. We discovered that it much much cheaper to use the train service than the bus service and it is also a lot faster. The trains go to lots of places including faro and albufeira.
Lagos itself its a lovely resort witha  great atmosphere. The food is brilliant.

Overall a brilliant holiday.

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Aqualuz Aparthotel Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Dawn Bedworth - Warwick (37, 34)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at Aqualuz on a self-catering basis, which I would recommend in this resort as there are over 360 cafes and restaurants to choose from!  

Food is relatively cheap although a few establishments are on the pricey side.  Restaurant Barros (left of the fish and vegetable market on main front - Avenida Dos Descobrimentos) is a typically Portuguese restaurant with beautifully tiled walls and excellent food - we ate fresh tuna steak and sirloin steak - neither of which could be faulted.  Also large portions and fairly cheap.  The chinese restaurant around the corner from the apartments was also excellent and incredibly good value for money.  There is another restaurant on the corner, opposite the nearest supermarket which does a variety of fish and meat dishes.  We chose to have 'mixed meat on a plank'! This turned out to be loads of juicy meat on a wooden platter.  Good if you love meat! Swiss restaurant called La Vaca (I think), lots of cow print outside, was also exceptionally good food. 

Evenings are quite different in Lagos from daytimes as the place really comes alive.  More shops and bars are open and locals as well as tourists come out to eat and drink.  The atmosphere is really great!  There are always several buskers about, singing, miming, playing instruments etc, adding to the lovely atmosphere.  One night all the spectators joined in dancing in one of the many squares - it was really fantastic! 

We didn't go on any of the tour company excursions but we did book a 2 hour boat trip to see the many grottos around the coast.  This was with a company called Bom Dia and cost 17 Euros each, which was well worth it.  Their office is found on the marina complex of shops but there are also many stands along the front selling these tours.

There isn't a lot for children to do in Lagos but if you hire a car there are zoos and a fab water park not too far away.  Walking along the coast from Aqualuz and into all the small coved beaches is good, although most are down fairly steep steps.  Meia Praia beach is fantastic, there were many people here but it was still not crowded.  An easy way to get here, rather than walking all the way around the marina, is to take a ferry called Vai Vim, which is situated along the harbour (square blue boat)which costs 50 cents.  

Aqualuz studio apartments are very modern and furnished to a high standard (bathroom was beautifully mosaiced).  The one bedroomed apartment which we were in was a little more used looking but really clean and spacious.  The air conditioning in our bedroom was a godsend!  The pool was also cleaned out every morning, although not until about 9.30am. Staff here are all really helpful and polite and the whole place is really clean.  

If you want a holiday to really chill out then I would recommend coming to Lagos, the way of life is very laid-back and I will definitely be returning!

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Aqualuz Aparthotel Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson April 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Kevin Radford- Halifax (37 and 32)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We visited Lagos in April and although the weather was quite cloudy, dont let that one fool you as both my wife and myself arrived back at Manchester with a great tan. The Accomodation is approx a 15 minute walk in to the main town and there is a slight incline.The accomodation was clean and tidy and quite basic. If your stopping on a S/C basis make sure you take an electric kettle as the kettle provided goes on an electric ring and the rings dont get overly hot.

The resort itself is lovely. Ideal for people wishing to do plenty of walking as the streets go on forever. We visited a nice Chinese Resturant just round the corner from the hotel(Out of Hotelm main door, Turn left, to jcn go right and resturant is on the right at roundabout). Well worth a visit if you like chinese food.

Also on the walk into the town as you pass the fire station on the left you  will see an Indian resturant on the right. Doesn't look much from the outside, but dont let that fool you. Apart from that most resturants in the town offer the same type of menu.n Mostly fish (well recommend the Swordfish)and meat. Their speciality is Sardines.Typical cost of a meal out for two with wine( Grandjo is their own make and absolutely fantastic) was approximately 40 euros. Beer was varied and priced around 2 euros for a small one to 3 euros for a large.

All in all the resort is fantastic and we will definately be visiting again.     Have a great time.

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Beachcombers - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independently - 2007

Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : jerry pollentine

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Beachcombers is a converted country house that was once a club for green bowlers it has 5 apartments two with two bedrooms and 3 with one bedroom. We stayed in the Pool apartment which has a nice size twin bedded room off of which is a big bathroom. There is a comfortable lounge area and a fully equipped kitchen, we could have cooked but Lagos has so many excellent places to eat we never bothered. It was very quiet despite only being 3/4 minutes away from the sea by car. There was a large pool probably 18/20 metres in length with a large sun bathing area. We had regular change of linen during our two weeks and a thorough clean as well. We had 2 small patio areas where we had our breakfasts. There are lots of beaches which we found to be very clean and the main ones have a lifeguard. We did exploring and had beaches totally to ourselves. As said earlier Lagos has many restaurants and we never had a bad meal or poor service. 

Overall we had a super holiday, Lagos has a nice feel to it day and night and we never saw any questionable behaviour and we will be returning to Beachcombers have no doubt.

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Bluesky Apartments - Lagos Marina

Operator and Date: CasadoBarlavento/Flybe - June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : The Price Family - Hereford (52,42,13)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Booked this beautiful apartment on the internet with Casa do Barlavento website, which is an agency that deals in properties for sale/for rent in Portugal.  We booked reasonably priced flights with Flybe from Birmingham and everything went without a hitch. Not too impressed with the hire-car company,Amoita- as we hoped to get a Renault Clio or Fiat Punto and ended up yet again with a PEUGEOT 206, which my partly-disabled hubby finds crippling to get in and out of. No one at the airport at 9am on the day of our departure to hand the car over to either.(They don't have a desk, just a lollypop sign that you stand by when you arrive.)

Our apartment was on the ground floor, which was slightly elevated giving us a fabulous view of the Marina. We had two bedrooms, a large spacious living room/ dining room, a smallish kitchen with oven, microwave, washing machine and a huge fridge freezer. The bathroom was a good size and it even had a bath, with a shower over it. The living room and both bedrooms were beautifully air-conditioned, which didn't automatically switch off as soon as the door opened. We had a huge double balcony with patio furniture and a clothes airer/line(very useful). I would have loved a couple of sunloungers on the balcony to enjoy the hot afternoon sun but you can't have it all!!

Included in the price of the rental, were four passes to give you access to the pool/gym at the beautiful Marina Club 4* Hotel just a stones throw away.  You are able to top up your tan around the pool, but I don't think beach towels are included, they are probably just for the Hotel's own guests.The bar staff are extremely friendly there and bar prices are not too bad either. 

We found a couple of different restaurants during our stay this year, to add to our favourites list. The Navigator was beautiful, however the wine which cost us about 3 euros in supermarket, was priced at 11 euros on our bill.  The Italian restaurant in the square, was a lovely place to eat, but it does get extremely busy as it's so good.  The Pirate Restaurant in the old part of Lagos was a lovely place too, but does get very busy. We re-visited The Paraiso(in the old part of Lagos) again a few times as the food there is spot on and so are the staff.

A new bar opened in the Marina during our first week, and it is run by Storm who is from Perth, Australia. He is also hoping to get a couple of Catamarans up and running within a few weeks to do tours.  The bar is named "Bamboo Too", and well worth a visit as the staff are really lovely and they also show all the major cricket/motor sport/Rugby/Football etc on Sky tv. Don't expect Storm to be all sweetness and light though if Australia has lost!!(My hubby took great pleasure in winding him up on many occasions, especially when Bangladesh beat the Ozzies at cricket!!)It's a lovely bar to relax in and have some fun, but "Happy Hour" had yet to be clarified, on our departure.(Was it 5pm to 7pm or 4pm to 7pm??????) Get Gregg or Glenn to make you a Pina Colada after a few hours sunbathing, and maybe ask to see the cocktail list!!(they will laugh at that one as they didn't have a list when we left).

If you want to telephone home buy a MEGA MINUTOS or ONICard from the supermarkets or papershops, it will save you a fortune. 5 euros last for ages, instead of PT cards or shovelling change into the phone, which last no time at all.

We drove down to Cape St Vincent this year, which was lovely, with breath-taking views out to sea. Lots of stalls selling crafts nearby, ie ponchos, sweaters, ceramics etc.

Stopped for a drink on the way back and admired a wonderful cove, with a golden sandy beach and crystal clear sea, looked as though it could have been the carribbean!

Whilst in Lagos do try and visit Catherine, the Nail Technician.  She's English and fabulous at her job.  She sells lovely toiletries also. My daughter had a manicure on our second day and it lasted well over three weeks. Her shop is sign-posted from the square, as it's up quite a steep hill.

No doubt we will return to Lagos again soon, as we love it there. It's traditionally Portuguese, with lots of charm.

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Canavial 1 Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: First Choice May 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Mary Smith

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Good Restaurants 20 minutes walk away, going towards town centre, there is also a mini-market there, location called Tulip Roundabout.  The beach is about 15 minutes away, it is a beautiful bay.  From there you can walk to Praia Da Luz along cliff-top, it is about 3-4 miles but is well worth the walk.  There is a bus back to Lagos from Luz, we found a time-table in one of the restaurants.  The train station in Lagos has trains to Portimao and Silves (the fares are cheap).  Silves station is about 30 minute walk from the town centre, but well worth the visit if you are a good walker.

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Casa Kultus, Barrada do Poco - Bensafrim, Lagos

Operator and Date: self catering 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : sue 42, john, beryl

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

we had a top floor apartment, set in a nature reserve. there were many birds including eagles close to the apartment. we could see from the many windows in the apartment.close by is a zoo which has a resturaunt.the best steak i have ever had and a band playing.i can see why sven goran ericcson chose this town to build his hotel in.the apartment is just a short walk from the small portugeuse town.beaches and golf courses are nearby.

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Condominio Mar - Meia Praia

Operator and Date: Private Operator - Sep 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Peter Yhang - London (44,38,8)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The great views and the swimming pools at the bottom of the stairs was great - even kigs crazy golf. Also, 10 minutes walk to the massive Meai Praia beach, will definately be going back soon. Lagos and its marina is very picturesque and full of shops, history and nice restaurants. Hubby was let out on the Palmares golf course net door and we had a great time. 

Strongly recommended to all ages.

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Hotel Costa D'Oiro - Lagos

Operator and Date: Kwik Travel - August 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Alex Bryce - Glasgow (49 &51)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This Hotel is mostly used by German/Nordic/Dutch and was probably the cleanest place we have stayed.   

The Hotel comprises of about 6 'blocks' each with its own pool and garden area.   These 'blocks' are more like grand houses.   The rooms were cleaned, really cleaned, daily.   Towels changed daily, bed linen 3 times a week.  We stayed bed and breakfast and the food was excellent - plenty choice and plenty of it.  

The only problem could be the walk to and from Lagos center.   The Hotel is situated in a residential area and a good 20 minute walk into centre of town.   However, a taxi ride from town only costs 4 Euros.   During the day you could either lie by the pools or take a walk to one of the  beaches nearby.   The pool area in our block was so quiet and peaceful we rarely moved from there.  

We found 2 particularly good restaurants in Lagos and must mention them.   First is the Swiss Restaurant A Vaca, Rua Silva Lopes (close to the centre) the food is superb and the service first class, and not expensive.   The second is a gem of a place - a bit pricey compated to some other places but worth every Euro!  It is called No Patio, Rua Lancarote de Freitas, near the Police Station.  A very unassuming place but the food has to be the best we have tasted for a long time.

Portugal is, in our opinion, far superior to Spain, it is cleaner is every way and the locals are beautiful people.   I would have no hesitation in going back to Lagos.

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Giramar Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Budget  Travel(Ireland) June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Mick(43),Claire(41) & Aoife(9)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Giramar have just twelve appartments, there are ups & downs to this.The positives are that there is never a problem with sunbeds even though the area around the pool is not very big. One of the minuses is that you tend to get to know everybody and this might not be your cup of tea. 

The apartments are all two bedroomed,air-con and tv and are decently furnished. All have two balconies (ours had three due to the fact that we had an end appartment). The complex is part of a small sports centre and as such the pool is enclosed but has a retractable roof which works well,the pool is heated. The area around the pool is small but sufficent due to the small number of apartments.

Lagos is a nice resort, the centre of the resort is closed to traffic and has excellent restaurants, especially if you like fish. The ones that spring to mind are Trangula near the Giramar, Giovannis (Italian)and Venezia(fish & steak) in Lagos town but there are so many go and discover them yourselves.

We intend to go back to Lagos and would not have a problem staying at the Giramar again.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Private booking - September 2006

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Singer - Stockport (55, 54)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having read some of the other reviews of this apartment block, I would agree that, on arrival, the site is not of a modern appearance. However, our accommodation was in block B overlooking the pool and the sea and the setting could not have been more appealing. We watched the sea in all different lights - the sunrises were magnificent.
Our apartment is privately owned so we had every convenience and comfort. We were very happy with the site - routine 'patrols' (walks round) by the friendly security guards and generally quite quiet. However, we were out of the main season - September - and it was disappointing that the pool wasn't open.

A few hundred yards walk down to the lovely, sandy beach. picturesque rock formations and the coastal path.
15 minutes stroll into Lagos centre with its interesting shops and amazing range of restaurants. Try L'Artista - a little more expensive but special.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Self- booked    April 2006

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Mo Whittle   -   Glossop     (53 & 54 )

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed in Lagos in April 2006 and had a wonderful time. We stayed at Iberlagos and, although the entrance is not wildly attractive, our apartment in Block B was fabulous. The verandah overlooked the private swimming pool and then offered breathtaking views out over the small beach and out to sea - wonderful to wake up to each morning!!

The apartment was welcoming and met all our needs and there was lots of useful information and leaflets about the area to aid our planning of days - including info about where to go paragliding - but we decided to give that a miss on this occasion!

If we chose not to enjoy this georgeous view over breakfast from our own verandah, a short 5 minute walk brought us to a friendly little clifftop cafe where we could enjoy a light meal and watch the boats set out to sea and enjoy the fine views from this lovely spot.

In lagos town there are lots of interesting little streets to explore and a wide range of places to eat to satisfy most pockets and palettes - including we veggies who do not always get a lot of choices when holidaying in Eurpoe!! In particular we would strongly recommend the Duquesa with its female chef from Holland ,and the Mediterraneo. Both offer a good range of meat, fish & vegetarian main courses and the Duquesa do fab puddings!!

Travelling along the coast to Cape St Vincent is well worth the time and we recommend stopping off at Luz for lunch in the Fortaleza da Luz - another clifftop restaurant.

In summary we had a lovely relaxing holiday in Lagos and will certainly be looking to return again soon and, if possible, to the same apartment to soak up the wonderful atmosphere and views that we had on our first stay in Lagos - and maybe do some paragliding!! Highly Recommended!!!! 

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - September 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Senga Neave - Balfron (48, 50)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our 17th visit to the Algarve but our first stay in Lagos. We have visited Lagos several times on day outings but thought that this time we would come to stay. 

The apartments looked great in the brochure (well done to the photographer)but when the bus arrived at the apartments we thought that we were coming into cell block H. Tired and rundown were our thoughts.

The Rep basically abandoned us at reception.We were duly taken to our ground floor apartment(no sea view), which stank of damp, had no light shades on several lights, mildew/damp patches on the wall,only one dirty two seater settee, a glass dining table with rusty chrome legs, dining chairs with rusty chrome legs, damaged furniture in lounge & bedrooms. We spent our first night there as there was no Rep & reception was closed but we did attend the 'welcome meeting' next morning to air our views to the Rep.She managed to get us another apartment in another block which was better. Maid service/cleaning was almost nil and the towels were only changed once in the week.

You pay a deposit for a pool pass (10 euros per week) but you have to pay an extra 5 euros (per day) if you want a sunbed with a mattress. This extra payment was not stated in the brochure and works out at quite an expensive extra. The pool & area was not kept very clean and many of the sunbeds broken. The pool bar was closed permanently but is still advertised in reception as being open. Most of the apartments are privately owned and can be very noisy with music, dogs etc. 

One resident entertained us almost nightly with his loud music plus some frightening entertainment in the form of a fight with some of his guests. Staff in reception are quite surly and not at all helpful when there are problems. There is no telephone in the apartment so who do you call in times of an emergency? The stairs and landings when going to your apartment are very dark and you don't feel safe. When you are departing from the apartments there is normally a room made available for luggage & changing. No changing room is made available here. If you are fortunate the manager will allow the use of the staff toilet.

In all our years of holidaying in the Algarve we have never encountered apartments with conditions such as these and we would never recommend anyone to use them. They have the Portugese & Direct Holiday  rating of 3 ticks plus but we think they do not deserve any rating at all.
Lagos itself has plenty to offer and we had a really great time away from the apartments.
We will be back to The Algarve and Lagos but we will not be back to Iberlagos Apartments.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - May 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Mark V - Leeds (43, 41, 17, 14)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Be aware that the Rep probably wont stay on the bus with you all the way, my guess is you will realise why when you get to the entrance (it isnt pretty).
The shop in reception does not have anything, so make sure you get some food and drink in, before you arrive.
The receptonist didnt have a clue where our room was.
The door into your block slams closed, like it is a prison cell, hmmmm.
If you want entertainment nearby - dont go

If you want a whole swimming pool to yourself for the whole of your stay then go, why you have to pay a deposit to enter the pool, i'll never know, only one other family seemed to use it regularily.
Some open electric connections on lights above our apartment door was touchable.
We had the whole Block to ourselves as they are owned by Portugese people who did not use them while we were there, maybe they dont ever use them ?
DH only own approx 20 of the rooms, I cant believe they were all in use as we only saw the same 3 British families each day.
Great atmosphere NOT.
The walk into the town gets boring after the 3rd time.
If you are unhappy, then I am certain you will find the Rep may offer a different accomodation (this will cost half of your spending money).

Finally on the negative points, if you are wanting any life, atmosphere, entertainment then go somewhere else. If your prepared to feel you are the only people on earth for your entire Hols then it is okay. Definately nothing for older teenagers.
Also bare in mind that certain travel agents are not part of ABTA ?
Just to help poor lost souls,
Nearest supermarket, go out of the complex, turn left after the dingy football ground so you go past the dingy campsite (in front of the apartments) and approx 100 metres up this road there is a decent store on the right.
Get a bus to Luz it is much prettier and has a beach wth water sports etc.
Nearest bus stop is agan out of the complex and up to the left. Do not bare left in front of the campsite, carry on up the road about half a mile.
To end, the Lagos marina is pretty,
the Town has some brilliant restaraunts which is the only amusing thing we had to do all week (choose which one we would eat in).

My advice to anyone going to this part of the Algarve is to budget for a hire car for a week to allow you to go to maybe somewhere which has more going for it, i.e Spain OR you could pay for all the expensive Travel Agent deals.
ps Make sure you get the time of departure from your Rep, dont rely on her putting it on the board in reception, we even had hastle regarding this.

I can safely say I wont be going back.
I hope this helps.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Fairbrother   (68, 44, 44, 16, 16.)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Lagos is lovely but the Iberlagos appartments holiday is a big let down.Staff and rep. unhelpful and accomodation dirty and tired.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - September 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Kieran/Suzanne G (21,21)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Last year we both travelled to Lagos. The flight from Northern Ireland was comfortable & pleasant. On arrival to the apartments, we were very optimistic. Around the reception there where loads of empty units which was an eye-sore to say the least. The lady at reception was pretty rude too, but she did manage to give us correct directions to our room. 

We stayed in block C.....which was pretty okay & although we hadnt a 'room with a view' the room was adequate & spacious which a good-sized balcony. For anyone travelling to these apartments-try to pre-book a room in Block A or B as they have great scenic views. The pool at Iberlagos was great & had a fantastic cliff-top view. It seems the further you go from the hotels shabby/dirty entrance the better the place gets!! Food in the Irish bar in the hotel is great & reasonably priced. At the edge of the cliff, travel down a few flights of stairs to the SUPERB picturesque beach. There is also a nice beach club where you can grab a bite to eat or a drink.

Lagos itself is comfortable & relaxing. The fort of the way down from the hotel to the town is a bargain 2euros to catch up on the local history. The mentioned by the rep, bullring is a big NO-NO!!!walked out to it (on the other side of the marina) took one look & walked away!the marina was excellent & the little scottish cake place was great. The trip out to the caves on boat was great also but **BEWARE - THE LAGOS DVD we bought at the marina shop (beside Pizza  Hut) was FAULTY***

Another great thing about Lagos is the pretty water feature at the entrance to the town. The best present, in my opinion is the artwork available to buy from the local artist, who appears in a doorway near the chinese restaurant in the town. Bought 4 great little paintings....all look FAB!

All in all-would defiantely try Lagos & other towns (Alvor, Portimao etc.) if you havent been to the Algarve before but the Iberlagos Apartments are only suitable if you get a room in Blocks A-D only!!

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - August 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Jane Stachini - Elstree (41,32,5,3)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just come back from the beautiful Portugal and had a lovely time. 

The apartments were very spacious but basic and we overlooked the camp site which we worried would cause a lot of noise but they were fine. The downside to the apartments is that bedding is only changed once a week and the towels twice a week which I think is not adequate. Whilst we stayed a lot of people were demanding to be moved as we (and myself) were not aware the majority of the apartments were Portugese holiday homes and they were very noisy til the early hours with children, teenagers and dogs. On the whole if the bedding and towels were changed more regularly I would have been very happy. Another downside was having to pay 4eu each for the beds to sit around the pool and extra for a brolley.  If you calculated this over a two week stay it is very expensive and I think very cheeky as we were staying at the apartments.

I would no way book with Direct Holidays again as the Rep was the most unhelpful person I have ever met when I complained to him regarding the towels and bedding. 

We had a lovely holdiay though and would definately go back to Portugal but with a different tour operator.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Glasgow - 44, 43, 16, 16

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Lagos is a charming town with plenty of good restaurants and lovely sandy beaches. We had visited the town on previous trips to the Algarve.

However, the Iberlagos Apartments were awful.  They are situated on a beautiful spot close to one of the nicest beaches in the Algarve but block J is an ugly breeze block building overlooking a camp site.  To be fair the camp site wasn't that noisy but the other inhabitants of the apartments were! We were situated on the 2nd floor beside the dark dingy stairwell and lift and were kept awake evey night with people returnig to their apartments at all hours - even over two 16 year old boys complained about the noise!

The apartment was also dark & dreary and was poorly equipped. We complained immediately to the management and the First choice rep and asked to be moved on a daily basis - with no success. On the 4th day of our holiday, when voicing our concerns that the apartment had a gas boiler in a cupboard, we were informed by the rep that First Choice did not put guests in apartments with gas boilers.  We thought - now they'll have to move us -but no, they just fitted a new electric boiler which didn't work and added to our misery!

Upon our return we complained to First Choice and were told that it was an due to an administrative error that we were put in the apartment.  We have received some compensation but we will never, ever return to the Iberlagos Apartments and I would advise anyone booking these apartments to check if their apartment is going to be in block J or go somewhere else!

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Marie Coyne - Clayton-le-Woods (50, 50, 13)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just spent two great weeks in Lagos. The appartment was brilliant very clean with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms for 3 of us, and because it was a late booking no extra to pay.

We never saw the rep which suited us fine, but if you are into lots of entertainment, bingo and daytime activities this will not be for you. Also there was nothing for young children apart for a great pool and a pool table also inflatables are not allowed in the pool, again this all suited us fine.

The pool bar had just reopened as an Irish bar running karoke every night. (We gave that a miss) also a nice restaurant on the beach.

Facilities at the appartments are limited, there is a small shop selling basics, we walked to the nearest intermarche and stocked up on beer, wine and basics and got a taxi back at 4e.
The beach below the pool area is sandy, watch out for the rocks when swimming at low tide.

Lagos is fabulous and comes alive at night with street entertainers. The restaurants are great, chicken piri-piri is a must. We recomend  the Millenium Jardin for a great meal and friendly staff.
A great holiday for the adults a bit boring for our 13 yr old.
Our next hol is in Cyprus in Feb it will have a lot to live up to.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Lincolnshire Party, 59, 57, 40, 35, 6, 8

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have been to these appartments before and got into the front blocks, but First Choice have only access to the back appartments, and these are not good.  

They overlook a campsite at the back and the noise is horrendous. However, Direct Holidays seemed to get a better deal on appartments.  

The resort is excellent and the beaches are too.  I would return to Lagos but unfortunately not to the Iberlagos unless with Direct holidays.  The street entertaining is brilliant for the kids and Lagos still retains its appeal.  Restaurants are good, better that the odd English ones. 

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Tim & Yvonne (45) - Wolverhampton

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was the third time we'd been to these apartments. It will also be our last.

Unless anything has changed over the winter months, these apartments are starting to look tired and tatty. More importantly the service has become lacklustre. Having abandoned their holiday, a young couple from the apartment next door left it in a disgusting state. The terrace was a awash with their litter, including an overturned bin and towels. Despite reporting this to the management immediately, the mess was left for nearly a week. Indeed, the manager seemed quite put out that we'd complained.
The hotplate in the apartment made for hours of fun, tripping out all power when used. Luckily we ate out most nights.
We'd also agree with the comments concerning block J at the rear of the development.
On the positive side, the pool is large and clean, and the gardens well maintained. Praia Donna Ana beach is 2 minutes walk and very pretty.

Lagos itself  is well worth our fourth visit next year and we can't add much more than has already been said. What better recommendation can you give than to return so many times!
On the subject of restaurants.There are many to suit all pockets, although we'd recommend you take a look away from the main 'drag'.
If you're looking to have a nice relaxing drink with friendly service, we wholly recommend Bar53 (run by a British couple). You'll find it not far from the town centre on Rua Cadido Dos Reis.

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : David Dalziel - Glasgow

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our second visit to Lagos and we enjoyed this holiday very much. The accommodation in the Iberlagos apartments was spacious and clean. The gardens around the accommodation was lovely and well managed. The staff were also very pleasant and helpful.

The pool and beach are just a few minutes walk but may not be suitable for the elderly or infirm due to the stairs to reach them.

During our stay, the poolside snack bar was closed but this was due to the fact that there were very few guests.
The restaurant at the beach, however was open for business and highly reccommended for lunch or just to give you a break from sunbathing.
The beach (Praia D.Ana) is probably the most beautiful beach in the Algarve and a great place to spend your holiday...much better than the pool!!

Lagos town is about a 15 minute walk in the evening if you are going out for a meal. There is a huge choice of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets and we found that the quality of food and service was very good as was the prices.....very reasonable!

We found Lagos to be a very relaxing and enjoyable destination and we will certainly return again.

If you need to relax and want to 'chill' Lagos is perfect!

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice-june 04

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : lindsey dunwell 32,44,26,14,5

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

just come back from iberlagos apts pool bar was closed we couldn't eat or drink any of our own food around the pool area wasn.t even aloud lilos in the pool.if you stay here in a family room you are about a mile away from the pool and beach.

if you go into the centre of lagos you have a steep hill to climb or a taxi which is 4 euros in 2 weeks we have spent over 100 pound on taxis getting up the hill on a night.would not recommend these apts if you have got walking difficulties or loaded

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Iberlagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Direct Holidays) Direct Holidays - 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Carol Boyd - Enniskillen (42, 21, 20, 14, 9)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Apartments were really clean and quite, although on first impressions from the coach you see only grafiti and barron ground. We had a lovely appartment with a large balcony overlooking pool which had 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms also 2 fans already in rooms. 

Really hot weather, pool was really massive with hardly anyone in the pool(although no rings etc allowed in pool) also no poolside bar. Beach was a few minutes walk away, beach was beautiful (Praia d ana) not many people on the beach, lovely and peaceful also a beach bar with lovely food. No noise at the appartments either. 

The town has plenty of small shops and a lovely marina. It was the best holiday we ever had and we would go back next year. Also visited slide and splash which was briliant, Zoo marina was ok, but it was too long a day as the bus drops you off at 10.00am and doesnt come back till 5.00pm and the noise in the food hall was unbearable, not enough to do for 7 hours and not much places to sit away from the very hot sun. 

Only one small complaint about appartments, we had to be out of our rooms at 10.00am the day we were leaving and the coach to bring us to the airport was not due till 4.00pm we had to sit outside or in the reception area for 6 hours and they had lost the key to the toilets that were situated in reception area. 

Not suitable holiday for people looking for lively night life. 

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Marina Club Suites - Lagos

Operator and Date: Expedia - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Gwen Guy (31,37,10,7)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a fantastic holiday to these apartments. We found them to be clean, spacious and very well maintained. The apartments have a very laid back atmosphere which was just what we were looking for, however if you are travelling with kids who need entertainment these are not the apartments for you as there is no kids club or mini disco etc. Our kids were quite happy with the pool and we wouldn't hesitate to go back. The apartments are a 10 minute walk to the center and maybe 15 mins to the beach, which is well worth a visit as it is one of the most beautiful we have ever seen.

The resort of Lagos has something for everyone and we found it to be better value than the Balerics or Canaries. Lazy Jacks at the Marina is great for a drink or meal and the live music and friendly staff make for a great night. If you like curry visit Shimalays, this is one of the best currys we have ever had. We didn't have a bad meal all holiday but watch out for the beggars that come round as you are eating your meal.

All in all a great holiday fantastic accomodation and a lovely laid back resort, we will definetly be back.

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Marina Club Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Sunworld - June 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : J Matt (44,40, 11, 8)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Apartments - very clean, air conditioned, cleaned regularly, spacious, classy and comfortable.

Lagos - full of resturants with good food at extremely good prices. Great if you like fish.

Around - Plenty of excursions possible - we went to Zoomarine and Slide and Splash. Slide and Splash is good fun, but if you remove the dolphin show from Zoomarine, there's not a lot else there. You can do it in a half a day.

The only complaint that I had on this holiday was the pool at the Marina Club. Most of it is six foot deep, there is a very small five foot section, and then a paddling area. It should be the other way around. Anyone who is not a strong swimmer and anyone with kids are all congregated into one very small part of the pool, while the deep section is almost completely empty.

People who design pools for holiday apartments should remember that a large portion of those around the pool probably can't swim. I can swim, by the way - this was something I noticed as my wife is not a strong swimmer and does not like being out of her depth.

I would go back to the Marina Club and Lagos.

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Marina Club Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Alpharooms.conm - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : M, D, O & S - Lancashire (36,34,6,3)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Marina Club Hotel is classy, immaculately clean and spacious.  The Marina area is pleasant and sophisticated without any pretence, and is a short walk from the centre of town.

The Marina Club is ten minutes walk from the centre of Lagos town and fifteen minutes from Meia Praia Beach which must be one of the finest beaches in Europe.  We had a couple of days on the beach where the surf was ideal for surfers and nothing else, but on the other days the sea was as calm as a duckpond, and great for the kids as the gentle incline of the bay means you are quite a way out before the sea is even chest deep.

The pool area is clean and well presented and the larger pool and small childens pool are again immaculately clean.  There are always plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas to go round so there is no annoying early start to get your towels in the prime spots!  Don't forget to get your complimentary towels from the Health Club desk.  There is a pool bar and the Regatta Bar overlooking the pool serves a wide range of reasonably priced top quality food and drinks in a very well presented stylish bar area.

We didn't have a bad meal in our whole visit.  We found Portugal to be cheap in comparison to Home, Spain, Canaries, Greece or France.  Recommended restaurant - Os Arcos the orange and green chairs out front, also most of the restaurants on that street in the Centre of Lagos were good.  On the Marina, Do Cais Bistro was nice food but overpriced compared to everywhere else.  The owner/table booker was rather arrogant too! 

For days out the Zoomarina park was a full fun packed day, we also had a day going up the Monchique Mountains which was well worth the drive.

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Marina Club Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Sunworld - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Tia & Michael Horan (36,36)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Marina Club is an excellent property, well located right on the Marina in Lagos just a stones throw from the town centre.

The apartments are large and well furnished with modern decor. We enjoyed our large balcony with view to the pool and lovely evening sun.

The pool area is spacious with plenty of comfortable sunbeds and umbrellas. The pool was large but cold - good for the circulation!!!

The was a children's pool but I don't think the complex was very suitable for children due the proximity of the marina.
These apartments are best suited to adults.

Having been to Lagos before I was glad to see it hadn't changed - still buzzy and interesting.

There were a few new restaurants - Artista is lovely for a special meal and the Italian in the town centre is good value if you don't mind a bit of a queue.

Try the simple fish restaurants at the port - near the apartments. They look like garages but we sampled the most exquisite fish - bursting with freshness there for next to nothing!

We will be back!

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: Thomas Cook - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Amy ( 8 girls all aged 18)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

TAXI's - taxi's from the main centre of lagos to the Marina Park Apts were generally no more than 4 euros - sooooo worth it means the climbing of the hill is unnecessary!!! we also got a taxi's to Prai De Luz for the day BEWARE the taxi there is fairly cheap (10 euros tops) but trying to find taxi when you want to come home is difficult if you need more than one taxi (we convinced the one taxi we found to ring another driver so we could get home)  - taxi rank is in front of the huge yellow church in Prai De Luz. it was easy to get a taxi from the apartments as the reception will ring one for you by you simply asking they were extremely helpful throughout the holiday!!!!

Lagos - we found it was usually about 15 minute walk tops to get to the main town and this was 8 girls all gossiping on the way down!!!! food here we found is great - apart from Spagetti Bolognese - give it a miss in most places!!!!we found a little pizzeria opposite the green tiled building - usually a queue but worth it - great value for money and the pizza and pasta is the best!!!

Nightlife - not what you expect!!!! head up the cobbled streets and wait for people to give you flyers - this way they show you where the bars are - believe me its hard to find them at first!!!!! there are loads of little bars - i emphasise little they are small but crammed with people!!! there are usually deals on drinks in most!!!! we liked 'Red Eye' (an Aussi Bar), 'whytes' and we loved the Regae Bar ( right near Grand Cafe) the longer you spend in there the more you feel like family and the better deal you get on drinks!!!! was ok and you'll find the rest !!! as for dancing - not the best place for it but if you want to like we did - we always headed to 'Grand Cafe' - gets busy and good about 2am and there is usually decent music on here too!!!!!! another thing you'll notice is the huge amount of Australian people - actaully think there maybe more of them than there is portugese!!!! all travelling europe usually!!!

NOTE TO YOUNG GIRLS - just be careful in placeslike grand cafe - we found some guys to be lets say very forward - just make sure you give them a stern NO and they usually back away!!!!!

Have to say all in all we loved the holiday and are talking of maybe going back next year!!!!!!! the hill maybe little steep - but is fine for walking down and its cheap to get taxi's up it!!!!!! 

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: Self - Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Kevin - Doncaster (42,42,8)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having read the reports from this site we thought we couldn't go wrong, and generally that proved to be the case.

There are many apartments on the site and noise levels are reasonable. However one note of caution, due to the concrete/tiled floors you can clearly hear the noise and activity from neighbouring apartments and it can become frustrating. The complex is on a steep hill and a car is useful, although parking it in the town is another matter.

The pool area is very nice, clean and spacious with plenty of free sun beds. The pool side bar has reasonable prices and provides basic snacks that are fine. At the gates of the complex is a mini market that provides the essentials although a little costly.Best to walk to a large supermarket called Pino Doce - down the hill, right at the roundabout walk for a couple of hundred yards and you will see it towards your left - good prices, massive choice.

Eating out is great, loads of choice & best to try for yourself. We were recommended "O'Alberto's" by some Portuguese, this was excellent, fresh hot food that you can see being prepared in the kitchen - try the red housewine too!Location is a little off the busy area, you will find it further behind the bus station (rear of Hotel Tivoli). Definitely avoid "Portal do Infante" on the marina, poor food but with service that was even worse. Pizza Hut best avoided too - very busy with slow service-our order was lost!

Numerous trips out, dolphin trip well worth it (if you see them). We booked with Seafari on the marina, cheaper and friendlier than their neighbours (adults ?30 children ?20). Beach fantastic and sea generally safe for children although it can be choppy some days. Beach bars fine, Linda's do good sandwiches. A fun day can be had at slide n splash although the queues for rides can be long. You can get 15% off admission prices if you buy tickets in advance, there is an agent on the marina front who supplies them.

All in all a great resort with reasonable accommodation, hope this report helps.

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Robb Family - Stirling (47, 45, 18, 15)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had a great holiday. The beach is a good 15min walk from the apartments but it is worth the walk. The apartments are cleaned twice a week with clean linen and towels.The apartments blocks are set out well the only thing at the monent is the there is building work going on so if you are in blocks (6 to 10) it could be a bit noisy it did not bother us to much as we where out most of the day.
They now have a mini market on site which has the basic to get started open 8am to 8pm.
The restaurants we liked to eat at where Adhega de Marina good food and cheap. Italiano fab pizza and pastas to many to choose from.
On the walk back to apartments at night stop off at Lazy Jacks situated in the marina nice young people behind bar very friendly.
Dolphin and caves trips are a must.
We hired a car and went to Silves, Luz, Carvoeiro, Portimao and Alvor, all worth a visit. We hired the car on the internet before we left much cheaper.
Good time had by all will be back.    

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Caroline Nall - Kettering (45, 33)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

FANTASTIC!!
We couldn't fault anything if we tried. Even though we normally go for small (maximum of 20 apartments) accommodation we stayed at the Marina Park and we are SO glad that we did. Spacious apartments, full kitchen (with oven, washing machine, toaster etc), beautiful balcony overlooking the marina, landscaped  grounds, clean beyond believe and the quietest accommodation we have ever had anywhere in the world. For such a large place, all you could hear on your balcony was the birds singing. Just incase you need anything at all during your stay there is an exceedingly helpful reception  open from 8am till 8pm and a night porter/security guard from 8pm to 8am.

Resort was superb. Don't listebn to all the hype about the Portugese being bad drivers and the roads being dangerous, we did about 3oo miles and never encountered anything but polite road users. Unlike the Greek islands, it is cheaper to book your car this end rather than getting it when you get to the resort. Do take out the extra insurance policy when you hire a vehicle as the excess amounts can be huge. Worth checking.

Wouldn't recommend the Marina Park for anybody who doesn't intend to hire a car and doesn't like hill walking, as the hill to the apartments from the town is quite steep.

I wouldn't recommend the O'Charcoal Restaurant we didn't have a good meal there, but discovered the 'Infante' Restaurant next door and ate there every night for the rest of the holiday. Excellent local cuisine, friendly helpful staff, middle of the road prices. Try the Monkfish in mild curry sauce, absolutely amazing..

Couldn't recommend this accommodation or resort more if I tried. We loved it.

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC September 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Debbie & Duncan  (33,37) Bedford

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

These were the best apartments we've stayed in. Virtually brand new and no sign of wear'n'tear. Air-con in bedroom and living area, no extra charge, never had that before. Washing machine, 4 ring hob, oven, iron, TV with afew English speaking channels eg Sky24, MTV BBC. The beds were good and firm with no dip in the middle that you can't roll out of! Hot water seemed no problem. 

The pool area was alright, though I can image at peak times you could be fighting for sunbeds. The bar was clean, the food was limited but it did do toasties. sandwiches and burgers but remember the apartments are self-catering! The worst thing about the complex I would say was that it was on top of a hill, if you went anywhere you had to go down it, that means you had to come up it. So after a hard day at the beach, having detoured to the supermarket carrying 5ltr water it knackered you. We walked it at lest twice a day but I've got to admit its the first hol I've not put on wieght, so go for it! Though the people going in 2006 might have it easier, we noticed amoung the empty parade of shops outside the entrance one was being done up looking like it might a mini-mart.

The marina is nice, Do Cais resturant lovely meal, pricey but good. the bar at the other end was alright too. We used it as a rest stop coming home from the old town (the hill)! The beach was good, plenty of room, looked like miles of it, Linda's Beach bar was friendly and excellent food.

Over all not bad holiday, alot of walking or hire a car and take something to wrap up in, in the evening gets chilly because of the winds! 

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Mandy and Pete 43,55,16,13

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We arrived at Marina Park 8.45pm on Saturday evening.  Reception stayed open to book us in, There were no safety deposit boxes on site at all which meant us carrying passports, money etc around all the time. ~The appartments were excellent and very clean with lovely views from the balcony.  However, there was one pool to accommodate 27 blocks of appartments and one pool side bar with limited food availability.  There was no entertainment on the complex at all, no phone box and a ten minute walk into the Marina down a steep hill.  It was very hot so coming back up the hill proved a pain.  There was no drinking water available in the appartment and at that time of night the nearest supplier we found was a garage in the centre of the resort, approximately 15 mins walk away.  The beach was excellent and Lindas bar on the beach supplied lovely food, again though it was a good half hour walk from the appts.

The highlight of our week was a trip on the Tornado boat to see the Dolphins, that was fantastic.

Lagos is a lovely resort and the appts great, I would suggest car hire though for ease of carrying water etc back to the complex. Or a shop near to the top of the hill as it is obviously an up and coming area.

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Walker (familiy of six)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The holiday was lovely.  From beginning to end.  The apartment had everything for the us, it was like home from home.  We used reception staff to book excursions like Zoo Marine, etc.
We ate out locally, most of the time, and didn't hire a car as the beach was about a 20 minute walk from the apartment.  Just a word of advice.  The supermarket is 20 minute walk also. The worst part was the transportation from the airport to the apartment as Marina Park is the furthest therefore, last drop off and it took 2 hours.

Lagos is a lovely town, good mix of old and new. the marina is gorgeous, people are friendly, food is great.  Definately worth a visit.

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC-aug 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : D Dawkes-(39,39,10,7,4)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

These apartments are new and everything about them was brilliant.Huge bedrooms and nice equipment,even an ironing board and iron,tog with washing machine and dishwasher.
We had fresh linen and towels twice weekly and maid service cleaned the apartment every day apart from weekends!!!

It was a 10 minute walk downhill to the main resort of Lagos and the marina and all the restaurants.Wonderful resort ,very clean and pretty.
The nicest resort we've stayed in in years.

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Marina Park - Lagos

Operator and Date: marinaparklagos.com - May 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Pauline Walker - Coventry

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I booked this holiday direct through the apartment owners.  I organised cheap flights and picked up a car at the airport.  A much nicer way to travel than sitting on a coach for hours visiting all the other resorts along the way!  Arrived at the apartment and was met and shown the apartment.   The apartment was fairly new and furnished to a high standard.  Had all the equipment we needed including a hairdryer, iron, ironing board, microwave, dvd player and cd player, even jigsaw puzzles! 
First time I have visited Lagos, and will definately be returning next year. 

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Marina Rio - Lagos

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice- July 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Traci - Leeds (34,35)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Great location opposite the marina however it is also in front of the bus station. The hotel was very spacious and clean, friendly staff, roof terrace for sunbathing and a small pool at the other side on the roof! B&B continental style breakfast. Rooms good size with balcony either overlooking the marina or the bus station. We got the bus station so didn't sit out on the balcony as it was very busy and everyone could see you. 

My only complaint was the noise on a night from the reception and around the hotel in general, it has an open staircase which amplifies the slightest sound so we were woken every night by arrivals, departures and friends and family of the staff on reception. We stayed on the first floor right at the top of the stairs but I think if you had the second or third floor or you were a heavy sleeper you would be ok. A couple of times we were woken by dogs barking and bus alarms but we met two couples who had a marina view and said the road was noisy aswell. 

Only a short walk to the centre I won't waffle on about it as all the other reviews say the same things about Lagos. Lovley beaches our favourite was Donna Anna with lots of coves the others were very windy and you got covered in sand. Go on the dolphin seafari if you get chance we saw about 40 dolphins and you get to go on a very fast lifeboat for 1 & 1/2 hours for about £23. One good thing about staying next to the bus station is you can go to other resorts for the day, we went to Portimao, lots of shoe shops and a shopping mall but looks like a lot of tower blocks, not very nice!

Try some of the restaurants on the road behind the bus station O Artista served good food and the staff were friendly. These were cheaper and nicer than the centre. Don't expect many quiet relaxing bars all the ones in the centre are small dark disco bars a lot like spain, suprising really when the average age of visitors to Lagos seemed to be 40-65, We liked stevie Rays Bar, expensive but good coctails and nice and relaxing.

Overall a nice resort with good beaches and plenty of good restaurants, just not for you if you want a cheap peaceful holiday.  

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Marina Sao Roque - Lagos

Operator and Date: Travel Counsellors - May 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Kerry Fenton - Rotherham (34, 36)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back from Lagos - Again !! This is the first time we've booked these aptms but we will def be back the same time next year !  Fantastic location, food and staff.  The only down side was the room we had did'nt have a balcony, although in May its not warm enough to sit out late at night but in the summer it would be a bind, no where to dry swimwear and towels. The place is spotless.  Linen and towels changed regularly.  Pool area clean and quiet, and the breakfast room beautiful.  5 minute walk to the marina and not much further to the beach. 

Would highly recommend this accom to anyone !!

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Marina Sao Roque - Lagos

Operator and Date: jet2.com - 2004 / 5

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : karenwaller45 paul batson 47 -grimsby

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

very friendly hotel 33 rooms in all own pool so no sharing only ones in pool so great, breakfast excellent lots of choice cereal, continental coffoe tea lots of choice to set you up for the day in the algarve. rooms comfortable overlooking pool would recommend to friends

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Monte D'oiro Refugio Design Hotel

Operator and Date: No Tour Operator - Oct 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Sue Brazier - 41, 45

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Good points:

We found the Hotel interior stunning, spotlessly clean at all times & of high quality, and the rooms are large and minimalist.Impressively modern!. We just loved the quietness of the area, definately a hide-away place for couples! Not a child in sight...and no banging hotel doors to wake you up, it seems that residents just know not to make a load of noise at night...so you'll get a good nights sleep! And the beds are comfortable.

Good location, but you will definately need a car/moped to get around as you are about 30mins walk into Lagos, 80min walk to Dona Ana beach (best beach in Lagos, gorgeous!).It will take just minutes in a car so the location of the hotel is not a problem, it's a benefit being away from the tourist areas. Failing getting a car, taxi into Lagos was only 4 euros, Dona Ana beach 7 euros.

Not so good points:

The Hotel was advertised on the website as having 24hr Room service..that did not happen! If you want something, you are told to come & get it! No hardship but false advertising...hmm. We did dispute this but were met with a definate NO !

Breakfast was lovely, but the fruit was not fresh/changed in the week that we were there,so best to leave that alone.

Although there are electricity cables above the pool area, we did not use the pool so it wasn't an issue for us, but I can understand it causing some concern.

There is a jacuzzi but we didn't use it as it was not heated.

All in all, a great holiday in a beautiful hotel. Would definatley go back.

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Monter DÓiro - Nr lagos

Operator and Date: Privater booking - 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Neil Hamilton ( 45  / 47  )

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked the Apartments Monte DÓiro direct with the Portuguse Owners.  What we did not know was that it was a 25 minute walk to town, the pool is under high ternsion electric cabvles that crackled all day and night especially if there is some static in the air.

How on earth they got a licnese to build a Hotel under High tension Power lines I will never know, that is assuming they got a licese to build..

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Porta Da Villa Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Style - July 2007

Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Chris Dobson - Sheffield (51,49,18,15)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The apartment was very spacious and generally comfortable and security was good as we were given our own key to the outside door, which was locked at all times. The swimming pool was a reasonable size and very clean with plenty of spare sunbeds at all times.

On the negative side though, our shower tray was an old enamel one which was badly stained and had rusty patches that had been unsucessfully touched up with paint - not very pleasant to stand in! On our arrival, there were hairs in the soap dish and shampoo bottle tops on the window ledge from the previous occupants. The towels were rarely changed - I think we had three sets in 14 days.
The apartments are convenient for shops and restaurants but would not be suitable for people with walking difficulties as the area is very hilly and the nearby coves are accessed down very steep steps.

This was our first trip to the Algarve and we would highly recommend it. We'd expected meals to be quite pricey but they were much cheaper than Britain and the food was consistently freshly prepared. Lagos has the best of both worlds as it has a number of tiny rocky coves but also a long sandy beach. The end of Lagos nearest the apartments is quite quaint and unspoilt with narrow cobbled streets but the far end of Lagos has a large marina and modern buildings giving it a more affluent feel. Boat trips to the grottos are inexpensive and worth doing. You can take boat trips to see the dolphins which are good but a little pricey(don't pay the first price quoted as we managed to get them to come down by 30 euros just by hesitating)

We'll definately be returning to the Algarve and would recommend Lagos.

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Porta Da Villa Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Style Holidays - September 2006

Opinion submitted in Aug 2006 by : 

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from Porta da Vila - apartments quite dirty, room was not ready on arrival had to wait over 2 hours then it still wasnt very clean!  Pool was also dirty - but we soon realised why.  Major building works in three separate buildings next to the apartments - dust, dirt and debris was coming from these building sites.  Our balcony and roof top terrace were totally out of bounds for the whole week because of the noise and dirt.  Pnematic drills and other heavy tools being used from 7.30am to 6.30pm every day.  One of the building sites is directly next to the apartments and the noise is unbearable.  Heavy lorries take away debris every 15 minutes from the building sites so no chance of any peace.

Lagos itself is a lovely resort and would definitely vist again but not the Porta da Vila.  Our first and last holiday with Style - rep was no help whatsoever - told us to take matters us with our travel agent on return home if we were not happy.

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Porta Da Villa Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Skytours, August 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Jenni Long, Lesley and Marc Poulaud, 2 kids age 10 ,2 kids age 6, 1 year old

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The picture in the Skytours brochure looked fantastic and as the holiday cost £4000 for the 2 families we were expecting top notch accommodation. We were disappointed. The apartments are right at the top of a steep hill which was murder with a pushchair and young children. The apartments were in need of updating - peeling paint and quite grubby (pubic hairs left in bidet!)inside. The views were spectacular but there were no balconies!! My airconditioning didn't work properly. The pool was very small and impossible to get a sunbed which remained in the sun all day.

The resort was o.k, the beach was nice but required a little boat to get to it. Once there there was only one retaurant nearby. The resort was very busy at night so it was difficult to get a table for such a big group. 

Overall I didn't rate the resort as highly as Alvor or Luz and wouldn't go back.

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Porta Da Villa Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: STYLE - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : CHRIS AND NICOLA   32,33

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was a second visit, and just as good as the first.  The rooms vary in layout, and we were lucky enough to have a room with a roof terrace, and could look out over the sea, and could see how far the Meia Praia beach streched (2.5kms)approx.  Accomodation cleaned every day but fresh towels no so frequent.  Staff very helpful and friendly.  Lovely snacks at poolside cafe.  Streets are steep and cobbled, and the Porta da Vila is situated within the historic town walls and is set amoung the locals houses.  

Lagos town is about a 10 minute stroll away, not at all built up and still very traditional looking, not spoilt by tourism.  Loads of cafes and restaurants to choose from both night and day, completely spoilt for choice.  Trains are very comfortable, clean and easy to use, we went to Portimao a few times, nice to get back to Lagos though.  There are 2 good supermarkets in town also little convenience style shops very close to Porta da Vila.  

The main beach is Meia Praia, you get a little boat over for 50 cents each.  Very long and not too busy.  Other small beaches odd ones are a bit tricky to get to though.  Hired a car from a company in town as this was cheaper than booking with the rep.  Roads don't seem over busy when you get out of town so it wasn't too nailbiting.

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thompson Fly October 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Ralph 54 & Bev 45

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

we arrived at Faro airport 12noon by 12.45 we had collect our luggage and sorted out our hire car, and hey presto at 2pm sat by the wonderful pool bar drinking beers.  Solar de Mos is a wondeful relaxing Hotel we were made very welcome by Lina & Carlos.  The baguettes are fantastic. 

Our room was fantastic over looking the pool at the end wow.  The rooms are a little on the small side, just manageable for 2 for a week possibly longer! Could do with more drawer space and coat hangers! but othewrwise extremely comfortable. Towels changed every day.  Beach towel service available,  Carlos cooks to order with Fresh fish and ingredients each night as required by the guests,the choclotae fondue and fruit is to die for.  We stuck mainly to our guide books and ate at Mullins twice, an English owned, Portugese bar/eatery the Beef Mozambique is fab, the guy that owned the bar, this was his own receipe, and is recommended to eat here and try this dish.  The place you must eat is at No Patio, Martin the owner is british trained in the swallow Hotel Group.  The meals (which we also ate twice there) was second to none, one must not go to Lagos and not try this fantastic restaurant, beautifully presented and service cannot fault, evereything was impeccable and the food was to die for. We also ate at the piri piri, although we didnt have, the Cataplana (fish stew)it looked fantastic  The town is a little quiet in the evenings, possibly as it was October and seem to wind down 10.30/11pm although there are english bars/nite clubs which remain open till late

we visted a few of the many beachs, Porto de Moss, Castelajo.  Didn't like the town beach prai dona, it may be renowned for it pictue postcard, but its far too crowded even in october!  give it a miss.  We loved Solar de Moss and Lagos so much that as we left we booked to go back in May 07.  

Would definatly recommend 

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independent - September 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Keith Sawdon - Lincolnshire ( 55,50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Please believe everything you have read about the Solar de Mos.  It is a little gem!!  

Carlos & his sister Lena prefer to think of their guests as friends, as so many people return year after year.  The hotel is very inviting and homely, being decorated in authentic Portuguese style.  The 15 spacious bedrooms all have balconies or terraces (2 bedrooms on ground floor) and are kept spotlessly clean every day.  The hotel is marketed as a B&B, but Lena provides excellent lunchtime snacks and Carlos, being a proficient chef, provides excellent dinners, which you must pre-book before midday.  There is a large sun terrace with free sun beds & parasols, and a very clean swimming pool.  A very comfortable lounge with TV, and a small library created from the books left by previous guests.

The friendliness and efficiency of the staff cannot be overstated.  Everyone is made to feel like one of the family.  The bar is open midday to midnight, and Carlos really enjoys being barman once he has finished cooking the dinners.
A ten minute walk will take you to a small collection of restaurants ( 1 chinese) and a further 15 minutes takes you to the "Old Town".  This is the centre for shopping and for bars & restaurants.  Our favourite was the "Jotta 13" restaurant on the main street (Rua de Abril).  Many people rave about "Sebastians" at the other end of the main street, but to be honest, we didn't think much to its small portions.  Also it seemed too busy for small number of staff.  The other customers appeared to be mainly affluent older men, trying to impress their ladies!!

Overall, a good enjoyable holiday. On the day we left for home, we had to leave the hotel at 7am (before breakfast), so Carlos arranged sandwiches & fruit for our journey, a very nice touch.   There are two disappointing things,  firstly, the uphill walk back to the hotel (known as the cardiac walk!!), and secondly, the large number of stray dogs in Lagos producing the inevitable "fouling" of the footpaths ... be careful !!

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independent travellers - August 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : H&H families, 46,46,45,44,17,16,14,14,11,10

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having been helped in our choice of holiday by reading other reviews of this hotel we wondered if it really could live up to all the praise. We need not have worried. The hotel is a real find. Our rooms were spacious and spotlessly clean. The food was very good - plenty of choice for breakfast, and excellent bar snack and dinner menu.  Best of all was 'barbeque'night. I didn't think I'd ever need to eat again! All the staff were so friendly and helpful -nothing was too much trouble (even for our party of 10!).The kids loved the pool area which we almost always had to ourselves. Absolutely no trouble getting a lounger in a good spot!

Lagos is a very pleasant town with fantastic beaches,(make sure you go on a trip in a small boat to visit the grottoes - well worth it), plenty of shops and a huge choice of decent restaurants.

One tip for the independent traveller - we found it much cheaper to fly to Lisbon than to Faro. Lisbon to Lagos is an easy drive, about 3 hours. We returned to Lisbon by train, reliable, cheap and a good way to see something of the country.

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: December 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : M.Palm

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

There are no words to describe how wonderful and relaxing this small hotel is. From the minute you walk in the door you are treated as one of the family.
The hotel is run by Carlos and his sister Lina and family and the food they cook is wonderful, although this is a B & B they cook to order in the evenings and the personal touch as to be seen. The bedrooms are spacious and are immaculately cleaned every day.
The small pool area is very relaxing and often you have it all to yourselves as the nearest beach is only a short stroll away.
In the evening you can relax in the bar and lounge and mingle with the other guests.
Lagos is a beautiful town and must be one of the best places on the Algarve with a lovely marina,great beaches and some fabulous walks.
I'm sure you won't be dissapointed with Lagos or the Solar De Mos

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independantly Booked - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Ana Eisenhut (52)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

I was very pleased to spent my holiday in a such romantic and friendly place called Solar de Mos and get to know such friendly and attentive people like Carlos and his sister Lina wich are runing this hotel with a lot of love and pasion. 

This hotel is very, very clean and Carlos cookes absolutely fantastic. What ever you'll want, included also very fresh fish, he will cook for you and will serve it to you personaly at the table. They have very good wines and specialitys from the conuntry to drink. The hotel is not big, it has about 16 rooms and each one is very beautiful and special.  It doesn't take long to walk to all the beaches arround and Lagos its self is very nice and clean, having much romantic places with a lot of boutiques, bars and nice places to sit outside and just watch arround and relax. You can find there a theatre having performances also in english and two cinemas, galerys of Arts and also hand made things. Each friday night you can dance outside on the Piazza with life music and a lot of fun. 

I just hope, that very soon, I can go again to spend my holiday in Solar de Mos the nice Villa of Carlos and Lina.

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independantly Booked - June 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by :  Peter Hafner 53

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

It sounds may be strange, but in Switzerland we do not have a real fashion of spending holidays in Portugal and actualy nobody speaks about Lagos. I just found it by luck and since I was there I can not take this beautiful impression out of my head. And becouse of that, I spent allready 2 times my holiday there and for shure the next.

Also in the winter time you can go there becouse the place is open allmost all winter and the climate is excelent. In Solar-de-Mos I found the place wich I always was looking for. Beautiful, very clean, friendly, quite, very nice rooms, swimming-pool, palms, birds and a very good kitchen wich is managed from Carlos the main man of the place. His sister Lina and actualy the whole family is around and spoils you with super good portugies food but also other different kind of very good meals and fresh fish catched by Jose, Lina's husband. If you ask him he will take you for a boat drive wich is fascinating and cost not much. You can admire all those beautiful beaches form outside and have a unique possibility to take unforgetable pictures. 

Know back to the food. You just have to order it at the lunch time and in the evening you'll have the best food on the table and a very good wine in your glass. The place is small, there are only about 16 rooms but that is exactly what makes the place very precious. I never enjoyed the big hotels where nobody lookes at you and nobody remembers you anymore. That is not the case of Solar-de-Mos. To the next beach takes you just 10' to walk and there are also other beaches arround, wich are not realy far from the hotel. 

Lagos its self is a very nice and clean place and it has a lot of good bars, restaurants and all kind of amusements, small shops with special things to buy, theatre, cinemas and is built in a lovely way. And if you get drunk and cann't walk back there are a lot of taxis wich cost only 4 euro to take you back. 

So, know is enough: go there and have a look by yourself. Have a nice time.

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independantly Booked -  June 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Anita Nemes (53)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

I found this hotel just by luck; and I was so pleased to be in Solar-de-Mos spending my holiday in a very nice ambiance created by Carlos, his sister Lina and Mama Luiza wich are very charming persones. They are runing this hotel with love and knowledge, the place is very clean and quite. It is a real plesure to be there. They have a very good kitchen, Carlos is cooking very good and knows much about good portugies wines. 

The hotel is not far away from the  Atlantic Ocean wich shows one the most beautiful beaches I ever saw. Lagos offers much possibilityes for shoping, bars, dance, arts etc. and is not far away from Solar-de-Mos. I think, that I found the place where I will return with a lot of plesure next year. And I think, that every person wich once was there, will have the same statement.

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Solar De Mos Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independantly Booked - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in Feb 2004 by : Yvonne & Neil Halifax  ( 57-58 )

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I'm not sure I should be telling everyone how great this small family run hotel is as we may find booking again difficult if others realise how superb this hotel is. We have been holidaying in Lagos for nine years but found this hotel by chance after self catering for most of that time. 

The hotel is a bed and breakfast but meals can also be ordered for the evening.It is run by Carlos and is sister Lena who we feel have become friends rather than proprietors. Everything is spotless and nothing is too much trouble for them. The hotel is approx 2kilometers from the centre of Lagos and a five minute stroll from the triangular resteraunt.  Carlos is an excellent cook and most of our evening meals have been eaten at the hotel where because it is only small (14 rooms)   everyone gets to know each other.

Lagos itself is a beautiful town and so full of culture, how can you not enjoy the friday night dances held in the centre where all the locals turn out to dance the night away.
Lagos to me is a little bit of heaven here on earth.

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Sol e Praia Hotel - Lagos

Operator and Date: aug 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : rachael, cheshire

Resort Rating: Below Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were not pleased with the Sol e Praia hotel.

The staff made us feel most unwelcome and did not apologise when they revealed our 'sea view' room which we had paid extra for had been double booked for our 1st night so we had to go into a different room. This room was dingy, the balcony overlooked some sort of dripping metal appliance hanging on the VERY CLOSE facing wall (room 323). Not impressed.

Hotel advertised as situated by the Praia don Ana beach. We wrongly assumed this would be the resorts main beach, but we found it to be a small sandy cove, with no sunbeds, watersports etc. The main beach is actually a 50 minite walk away, which can be reduced to 30 minutes with a 5minute ferry ride across the river!

Hotel advertised as having pool table, table tennis and air hockey facilities. Pool table and air hockey 'out of order' for duration of holiday. When I asked to use the table tennis, the receptionist replied with 'we only have one bat'. Very useful.

NO ATMOSPHERE at all in bar area. Bar man played unnecessarily loud music presumably to make up for the lack of people. Most nights he was on his own.

Did not use pool as is not inviting. Sunbeds are not next to pool and area very cramped. No holiday atmosphere again.

Next to the hotel, is a huge 500 bedroom hotel which has been left empty and was being demolished. Not a pretty sight or sound.

Only positive things were adequate breakfast with good service, and excellent service. Sheets and towels changed everyday.

RESORT

We were not happy with Lagos, We expected somewhere clean, tidy with well kept historic attractions. Instead we found a run down tired old town, full of graffiti, with most buildings needing a good paint. Lots of unkept areas. Town comes to life a lot more in the evening. Beach a long way away yet is beautiful when you get there. We would advise booking car hire with LUZ car hire (behind petrol station on main street). We got a brand new Mazda 2 for 12 days at a reasonable price and little hassle.

CAR HIRE STRONGLY ADVISED to see other resorts, attraction etc.

Hope we have helped

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Sollagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : 28,25

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

If you want an excellent location with a short walk to Lagos centre, then this is the place to stay.
The accommodation was very clean and we had everything we needed, if we chose to cook in the apartment, not that we did as there is no end of choice for restaurants in the area.
The beach is approx 800 metres from the apartments.
What did it for us though was Marcelo the owner. Nothing was too much trouble for him. We saw him every day and every day we were asked if everything was ok.
We also witnessed Marcelo offering to drive a couple to the nearest pharmacy in his own car so they could get some eye drops for hay fever.

What topped it for us though was the excellent customer service he gave us and we were really touched when he gave my wife a rose and a bottle of wine for her birthday.

You may read some reviews about the building work going on, but I can assure you that most of this appeared to be completed when we visited in May and as such we found the resort very quiet and relaxing, so much so we spent most of the time relaxing poolside with a good book.

To sum it all up, worth a visit and you will not be disappointed with the service you receive.

Only one bad point and that would be Thompson Admin! They didn't actually tell Marcelo we were arriving and as such he did not have a room ready. That said this was not Marcelo's fault and within 20 minutes or so, the room was ready. He actually called the maids back in to assist.
Marcelo is a fountain of knowledge for Lagos and the surrounding area so if you want any information ask him and if you need anything else speak to him rather than Thompson as you'll pay local prices rather than British prices.

From Courtneay & Harriett

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Sollagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson Jul 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : John & Carol - Essex

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed in the Sollagos studios last year so we thought we knew what to expect when we went back this year. Last year the studios were peaceful and we had a relaxing holiday.

About a month before we were due to leave, Thomsons wrote to us explaining that there was some building work going on at the adjacent hotel. This involved the construction of another floor and some renovation work. There would be dumper trucks, etc operating in the road nearby (which will be closed to traffic). I phoned Thomsons a week before going to chack if things had changed as was told they had not.

When we arrived we discovered that not only was the road closed, the car park adjacent to Sollagos was now a storage compound and the renovation work was in fact a complete rebuild. Two 'tower' cranes were on site and a drilling machine was boring  foundations. Our terrace overlooked the building work and was affected by dust and fumes from drilling compressors.

The building work went on for 6 days, usually starting around 7.30am and finishing any time between 9.30 and 11pm.
We spoke to other holiday makers there and they said that if you wanted to move another studio there would be a charge. Another couple were told if they wanted to move to alternative accomodation they would have to cancel this holiday and pay again. The rep did not even acknowledge the building work at the welcome meeting and when someone suggested they give us a discount on a trip - this was ignored.

On our return I wrote to Thomsons and suggested they provide more accurate information about the building works so that future holiday makers could make an informed decision before going, but I received a 'bog standard' reply directing me to their 'A to Z' conditions regarding building works (basically tough).

While this spoilt our holiday we hired a car and kept away from the complex during the day - there are some lovely beaches nearby and a bit further a field but within easy reach via the motorway.

Lagos itself is a nice town and well worth exploring. Near to the Sollagos there's the Triangle restaraunt that does an interesting steak that's bought out to you on a hot stone and you decide if it's rare, medium or well-done (they give you a bib to wear so you don't get splashed when you cook your meat).

In a nut shell, we were disappointed with the holiday as we went to the Sollagos studios expecting peace and quite because of our previous experience. We were disappointed with Thomson as I cannot believe they were unaware of the extent of the building works - even the rep acknowledging them at the welocme meeting would have been something (perhaps a free bottle of win on arrival would have been good customer services).

Lagos itself is a nice resort, the people are friendly, lots of nice beaches nearby and many places to eat. The Sollagos studios will hopefully be a restful place to stay, once the adjacent building works are finished.

If you are travelling to Sollagos and you get a letter from Thomson telling you about building work, take your ear plus and a dust mask. Don't bother complaining as they will tell you it's out of their control!

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Sollagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson October 05

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Lynda Ride (56,54)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We chose a bad week for weather for our holiday. It had been gorgeous before we arrived but we had some sunny/cloudy days and some with torrential rain. Never mind, we still had a great time.

The apartment was clean and comfortable and we were very happy with it. The pool area is nice but we never had the weather to make the most of it. Marcelo, the manager, is charming and helpful. The apartments are not as new as they look in the brochures, they were built in the 80s. It was very quiet at night except that we were kept awake at times by a chirping cricket which went on all night.

We had some great meals in Lagos. The best was on our last night at The Navigador. You can eat on the top floor overlooking the river. Food tends to be a little old fashioned such as Sreak Diane but delicious non-the-less. We also had some great tapas in one of the beach bars, sorry can't remember the name.

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Sollagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Emma & Andrew - N. Wales  (36,34,10,1)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

Just returned from our first visit to Portugal and had a brilliant time. We have done the big family hotel thing before and wanted somewhere quiet and relaxing so booked the Sollagos apartments having read the reviews on this site - we were not disappointed. We were warmly welcomed when we arrived by owner Marcelo and from that moment we knew we had made the right choice! The place is just so friendly, apartments simple but clean and practical the pool area quiet (except when my daughter and new friend were in there having a great time!)plenty of sunbeds just perfect. Because there are only 18 apartments its a lovely atmosphere, everyone gets to know each other and we made some great friends.

Lagos town is charming with narrow cobbled streets, a variety of small shops with plenty of restaurants to choose from, We ate at Millenium Jardim, Jotta 13 both lovely meals but our favourite was O Charco yummy food and cheaper than most others. We also loved the Palacio de China close to Sollagos next to the mini supermarket, the best chinese we've had and again cheap! The other worth mentioning was the Pizzolino also close by you get a big create your own pizza for 6 euros either eat in or take away. I have to say we were disappointed with O Pirata and Dom Luis average food compared with other places.

The only trip we did was to Zoomarine as we had promised our daughter her dream to swim with dolphins. We tried to book in advance on our second day as recommended because places are limited but couldn't get in even after Marcelo ringing round all his 'contacts' in the end he said to just go on the day and give in her name at the desk in case of cancellations which we did and got in!  What an fantastic experience it brought a lump to the throat. If you want to do the interaction try to book either the first day or even before you go via their website (if you can do this) to avoid disappointment. Zoomarine is like a small Seaworld - fabulous dolphin, sealion and bird shows and rides for the kids (log flume, mini rollercoaster etc.)

All in all an excellent holiday and we would love to go back one day.

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Sollagos Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - April 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : Nick and Helen - Manchester (37,31)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Sol Lagos Apartments were very clean.
Towels and bedding changed twice during the week. Marcello (the owner) was very helpful. Sorted us out with car hire within half an hour (3 days was e70).

Lagos is a great resort as it is lively enough without having the 18-30 feel when out late.

Piri Piri, Kohi Noor (Indian), Terraco da China (Chinese), El Pirato, and Giovanni (Italian) were all resturants we ate at. All good food and very reasonable prices.

Bars generally all open mid-April which was a bonus. The best were Fools and Horses, Three Monkeys (George and Kendall were good to us), Bon Vivant and Stevie Ray's Jazz Bar (?5 to get in on Fri/Sat as band on - well worth it). Typical price for a round (say 2 x vodka and coke) was ?7. Say Hi to Marilyn at The Old Tavern.

Days out - Zoomarine (in Guia) a full day for a family - Dolphins, Seals, Birds, plus fairground rides. Slide and Splash (in Lagoa) was good fun, though it was a bit on the cool side the day we went. You can go to Cliff Richard's Winery in Guia, but only in an organised trip through the reps. A must for wine lovers!

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Sol Lagos Studios - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Portland - May 2004)

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : (Vicky & Andy - Lincoln (28, 32))

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Apartments were lovely and clean and very quiet. There was a nice pool and sunbathing terrace. The accomodation was only ten minutes walk from the centre of Lagos and from the stunning beach coves.

The centre of Lagos has plenty of bars and restaurants, food was excellent and lots of offers on drinks! Our Favourite bar was Stevie Rays which was a jazz/blues bar in the centre which also played live bands on a Saturday night - well worth a visit!!

We would recommend a trip to the grottos and also a visit to the Monchique mountains which have spectacular views (and where you can also purchase the local firewater)we booked this through the Thompson rep and had a great guide to take us up in a 4x4.

Overall a fantastic holiday, definitely recommend a visit.

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Hotel Tivola - Lagos

Operator and Date: Calder October 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : 50

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Was shown to a small room at the back of the hotel but after complaining that I had e-mailed them regarding a pool view room we were moved.

The staff were friendly and despite the poor weather in October we had a wonderful holiday

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independant June 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : 50,40

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We really enjoyed our stay here and would agree with most of the comments made by others previously.

Some people had written that the rooms were small and others have said they were excellent.  We paid a bit more for a superior room and emailed requesting room 1412 as someone had previously written that it was a good room and when we arrived that was the room we had been allocated.

We didn't spend much time in the bar area as we found it more like a corporate hotel bar than a holiday hotel bar (business people are using the hotel as well as holiday makers) but there are plenty of other fun bars nearby to viit.

We booked direct with the hotel (tivolihotels com have the phone number and lots of other info on the hotel) and only had to pay one nights deposit and the balance on departure which is better than paying a tour operator in full ten weeks before departure.

A boat trip to the caves was very good (take your camera) and also the jeep safari was a lot of fun as well.

We'd happily return to this hotel and resort.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Cosmos - June 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Lyn - Suffolk  68, 67, 40,14, 12

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just arrived back from Lagos.  Very nice, pleasant resort.
Hotel very good if a little dated in places. Needs a new carpet and a paint up would help. My parents stayed here 20 years ago and it hadn't changed an awful lot.
Staff very friendly and helpful.  Pool area quite small but nice.
Very quiet hotel, for mid half term. Hardly any children to speak of.  Lovely not to hear childrens clubs and young children running about for a change.

The Duna Beach Club that you can visit is part of the hotel. The beach is really nice and the pool area not too bad. Food quite expensive compared to the hotel, but very good.
Breakfasts in the hotel are not very good.  The food isn't displayed particularly well.  Silver bread bins contain the scrambled egg, fried eggs,bacon etc.  Coffee is wonderful.
The fruit always looks a bit bruised and just not very appetising.  I have seen better.  Lagos town itself is very quaint. Lovely harbour across from the hotel and plenty of good restaurants. Portimao is a nice place to visit too.

All in all a nice holiday but the hotel seems to cater mostly for adults aged 50+.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: We booked independantly (4 days in February 2007)

Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Edmund & Patricia (mid forties)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Great hotel in a very handy location. We hired a car so we could go further afield and it was very reasonable from Hertz. Lovely hotel, we were there in February so there were no kids around but lots of groups of adults, aswell as couples. Pool was very cold but sun was really warm so you could sunbathe. Lots of places to eat around about. Loved the beach club. Took the courtesy bus there for the afternoons. Really beautiful beaches. Very well organised hotel and we would most definately go back there. 

Next time we will stay longer!

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: booking com - Feb 2007

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Therese Collett - Doncaster 45,44,44,43,16,15,14,12

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Hotel was excellent.The facilities at the hotel were very good the indoor pool, spa and gym were all well run, clean and modern. As we were there in February the hotel was not too busy and there were a large number of very comfortable lounges around the hotel to choose from. One in particular was lovely as it had a log fire burning every night. We were on B&B basis and the breakfasts were always very good a wide selection of well prepared fresh fruit, lots of pastries,cereals, waffles, breads, cheese, ham and cooked breakfast!

The hotel is an easy walk into the town of Lagos with loads of shops and restuarants, we tried a different one every lunch and dinner and all were excellent quality and value. I had fish all week and highly recommend it -lots of varieties and very fresh. The Marina is nearby with some bars and shops. A good place to sit with a drink! We took a bus to Capo St Vincente the most westerly point of Europe from the bus station very nearby the hotel excellent value for 8 euros return. Transfer fom Faro was by Taxi prebooked with a2btransfers I highly recommend them, thye were waiting at the airport when we arrived and took us back without any problems. Very friendly driver. I would definitley go back to the hotel and portugal. The people were all exceptionally friendly with a great sense of humour. The weather was warm although not very sunny, still lots better than february in the UK!

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Last Minutecom - Dec 2006 / Jan 2007

Opinion submitted in January 2007 by : 

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Stayed at the Tivoli Hotel, Lagos from 26 December to 2 January inclusive.

Hotel very nice and well situated.   Literally 10 minute walk into town but has shops literally on the doorstep: fashion boutiques, bars, internet cafe and antique shop, to name but a few.   During Christmas period they were open most of the time excluding New Year's Day.

Found the hotel very comfortable and informal but only niggle is that its showing its age.   Though immaculately maintained, the carpets and furnishings could do with an update - bit of staining here and there.   Room comfortable overlooking the sunken garden (room 1219) so was quiet.   Public areas pleasant but white lounge area near main reception is cold in the winter and have left suggestion with staff to light fire during the day, not just the evening.

Food was excellent - plenty of it at breakfast (buffet style) and you can return in the evening for buffet style dinner at 22.50 Euros a head.   If you get bored they have Italian and Portugese restaurants but we preferred to dine some evenings in town and visited lovely restaurant called "Restaurante dos Artistas, Rua Candido dos Reis, 68 (Tel: 00 351 282 760 659).  Food is exquisite and lovely setting.    Waiting staff were excellent and made a real fuss of one Oldie who celebrated their 68th birthday there.

If you get bored, you can take a taxi to Silves for about 40 Euros if you don't want to drive.

One word of warning.   If you plan to visit during Festival time, ie. Christmas holidays it is worth going half board.   We went on B&B basis and to book New Year's Dinner would have cost us 111 Euros EACH!   On top of that, they were booked out since November.   We didn't worry too much - instead trotted down to local supermarket Pingu Doce and had picnic on balcony instead.    Lovely firework display in the evening by the marina made up for missing meal.   In fact, most local restaurants were charging an awful lot of money (understandably) but if not fussed about posh do, you can get by.

The beach is worth a day in itself.   Lovely quiet setting with gorgeous sandy beach you can walk for miles on.   Imagine sitting in the sun on New Year's Day - we did it.

Would definitely return again - second year running we have been to Algarve and in fact prefer it to the resort of Vilamoura we stayed at last year (too quiet) though the hotel there (Tivoli again) was fab.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independent - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Ian and Amanda - Northants (36, 30)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went to this hotel with another couple and this was their third visit to the hotel so obviously well recommended.  One recommendation I would make is to ensure you ask for a pool facing view otherwise views are pretty limited.  The only other complaint I had about the hotel was the damp smell in the room on arrival which was resolved by switching the air-conditioning on. Maid service was every day. We stayed bed and breakfast, the breakfast was brilliant a fanastic variety of food including fresh fruit, cereals, toast, breads and pastries, cheese and ham, salads, the list can go on.

The hotel is located about 10 minute walk from the centre of Lagos with plenty of places to chose to eat for a variety of budgets. Seafood lovers will be in heaven but also plenty of other types of food available such as Piri-piri chicken and steaks. 

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Chris Webster -- West Midlands ( 60, 57 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked this holiday after visiting the resort last year and comments from this site. 

The hotel was brilliant well worth the 4 stars. We paid extra , afer reading of the small rooms, and got a large room overlooking a garden and the roof of the indoor pool.The room had all the comforts we were looking for including tea and coffee making facilities at no extra charge. Breakfast was good with loads of choice and plenty of fresh fruit.A good size pool but the sunbeds could be an issue during high season.

One way of overcoming the lack of sunbeds would be to go to the hotels beach club called Duna Beach Club where there are about 50 beds around the pool or you rent one on the beach for 8 euros a day.The hotel runs free transport to and from the hotel on a regular basis or you can walk which takes around 20 mins.The beach, Meia Praia, is 4kms long of soft white sand, the sea was cold in May.Plenty of good restaurantes in Lagos, many are mentioned on this site. Our favorites were Dom Sebastiao,Dom Henrique, Duquesa. Our best tip however is CKL which is at the bottom of the hotel drive. 99% of the restaurantes have fish , fish and fish, CKL has different menue,try it.Our favorite sandwich place is Kikki,s which overlooks the marina,glorious food.If you like good walks there are long walks along the beach and a good walk to Porto Mos.You can go beyond Porto Mos to Praia Luz over the cliffs, but be wary of the last part the decent into Luz.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Independent - January 2006

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Ian & Sian Jones Cardiff, (46,45)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Excellent hotel, very good value off season, well equipped double room for £28/night, £34 for club room, b&b, TV now includes BBC 1 & 2. Hotel charges £15 extra for half board but when we were there the standard buffet dinner area was closed for the month and half board clients could choose what they wanted from a la carte,which looked very nice indeed. Plenty of restaurants open in town which is easy 5/10 minutes walk, Dom Sebastio in Rue 25 Abrill is very good, around about 30 euros head with wine, excellent food and service. Luis and O Artiste bars opposite the entrance to the hotel grounds are also worth a visit, friendly and reasonable price, sky sports in both and late night live music in O Artiste (though it wasn't great...)

Well worth a visit.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - November 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Probert - Sheffield (62, 60, 58, 55)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What a wonderful town Lagos is, oldie worldie. Beautiful sandy beach. Lots of different cusine to choose from and varied prices. To eat in the marina we found the most expensive. Nearly all the streets are cobbled so not good for walking, easy to trip, but we found it ok.

The hotel is a bit like 4 blocks joined together by a reception. Split levels. Stairs all over the place. You need to be fit. It has massive character because of this and you find a suprise almost round every corner. Loved it. Yes there is a steep incline to get to the hotel but its short. Breakfast was good. I had read previous reports that the staff are surly, but I would say they are professional and therefore smiling and getting friendly with the guests is forbidden. 

All in all a good place to stay.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson  Nov 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Chris & Mal

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Tivoli is a very good hotel it lives up to its 4**** rating.
The hotel is quite central to the town with its multitude of resturants about 200 of them so I am led to belive.
The rooms are very comfortable and very quiet at night.
The breakfast is brilliant it sets you up for the rest of the day.
The decor is very tasteful and there are plenty of alcoves to sit in if you want to be by yourself.
The evening entertainment is passable and the bar prices are reasonable .

I would definitely recommend the Tivoli Lagos hotel .

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Broads Travel Sutton Coldfield...August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Barry Small , Four Oaks     58

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Beatifull rambling hotel with no atmosphere at night.Crying out for some up todate entertainment....but that seems to be par for the course in all Portugal ..stuck in a 80's time warp re music and Kareoke nights available at other bars.
A good live group/band could clean up there as there seems to be little live pubic entertainment organised throughout the town. Considering the weather and the ideal captive audience it seems crazy to think that all the population wants to do of an evening is cruise the streets , eat and maybe a little kareoke.

Be warned there is a gym in the hotel which you are not allowed to use unless you join the club for a fee of £ 38 and even then it is only open for office hours....strangely enough the only people I saw using it were hotel staff.

Pool is big enough ..but only warmed by the sun. If you go to the beach club keep all reciepts that you pay for as some guests sign for their days on the sunbeds and the hotel will bill you if the other guest 'forget'their hotel number and invent a room number which just happens to be yours. It happenned to me and luckily I had reciepts which proved I had already paid.

EUROPCAR When hiring your car the staff ask you whether you want to pay for your petrol in the tank or return the car full. They take an imprint of your card and you think you have paid for the fuel and you will return the car enpty..you havn't..the imprint is to cover them should you damage the car and when you get back they charge you £60 to fill it again...a tiny Renault Modus!!!! . Very shortcoming on info and your agreement tells you nowt as to what yo have signed up for.  BE CAREFULL when any company takes an imprint of your card ...if you don't tell your card company that you are now going abroad ,with all the fraud checks going on , your card could be stopped 'cos they think some con artist is now having a good time with your card .When the car hire company imprinted my credit card it sent a request to home for £450 which was immediatelry denied and should not have been done by the car company. I 'lost' the use of my card for the duration of the break. It was very difficult to contact them and talk to a voice...so I gave up and withdrew all the cash I needed.

 *Adagar da Marina Restaurant*...on the front directly in line with the hotel.When you see a queue every night about 50m. long you know that the locals know something you don't. There are about 100 tables ...all full and the place reminded me of the old Spanish Barbe que nights. Simple plentifull, very cheap, foods ..espescially the tourist menu.
Beaches on the area are fabulous...bargains are leather goods from the looky looky men...get a car/go on a cheap train trip and explore the area ..its worth it.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Expedia - July 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Alex - London (32,33)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just got back from a fabulous holiday at the Tivoli Lagos, hotel was an excellent standard, lots of choice at the breakfast buffet, staff very friendly.

Duna Beach club was very nice although difficult to get seats by the pool but the beach was reasonably quiet.

We were B&B so ate in the town most nights, lots of choice, every restaurant we tried was of a high standard.  One night we went to the hotel's Patio restaurant which serves tradional char grilled Portuguese food - delicious

Lagos itself is a lovely old harbour town with a modern marina.  My only complaint is that it gets very busy and can be difficult to move around the town.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Expedia - July 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Carol & Stephen - Scotland (32, 36)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We chose Lagos deliberately because we prefer old towns with narrow quaint streets rather than modern resorts. For this priviledge be prepared to pay £85 for a return taxi transfer if travelling independently.

The hotel was in a great location near the old town and marina. The rooms were very clean and the breakfast was varied. We booked a club room which had a good view and was very quiet. Beware that some rooms are right on the roadside and will be noisy. The hotel desperately needs to update it's weary sunloungers, adding around 20 more to accomodate those unable to secure one before 10am. The poolside area was blissfully free of any loutish behaviour.

The old town itself is compact, with numerous squares, stalls and street performers - a real delight. Not too busy even in the height of the summer. The quality of the restaurants is fabulous. We didn't have one bad meal. Restaurants worth a mention include Antonio's, A Vaca, Restaurante Pinoquio and Kohi Noor. Get a free map available from most shops for their locations. We would recommend Stevie Ray's blues club for live music but go early if you want a table.

If you are thinking about visiting Zoo Marine, especially for swimming with the dolphins, book for a Tuesday or Thursday as these are the only days to get a direct bus from Lagos. We felt there was a lack of independent trips advertised for those not booked on package tours - a real gap in the market for any entrepreneurs out there! 

This resort and hotel combination are perfect for a good quality relaxing break.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Expedia - 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Mr & Mrs McFarlane - Scotland (25,28)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Fantastic hotel! 
We were on honeymoon and got upgraded to a suite, on arrival there were champagne, strawberries, chocolates & flowers in the room (we had requested this at an extra cost).
Having read previous reviews I have to agree that the staff can be a bit surly but to be honest it doesn't matter because they are extremely efficient.
The hotel was really clean and the food was brilliant.

The location was perfect.

Lagos is a beautiful town and we loved just wandering around it and trying out the many restaurants.  The Dom Sebastio is especially good, and although it is more expensive than others, it is still cheap compared to the UK.
Word of advice: if you want to book a trip do it through the hotel, we booked 2 via the Tourist Office and on 1 occasion the bus never turned up & on the other it drove straight past us!  We did get a full refund though.

We plan to go to Lagos again (and maybe do the trips this time!) and we will stay in the Tivoli Lagos, it is a great hotel with all the comfort you could want.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: cresta  September 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : patricia latham (62)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Asked for low floor pool view room and this is what we got - however I expected the lovely blue bedded rooms as per brochure and net information, but were in a small older block adjoining pool, so it was very basic in design and not at all luxurious. 

That said, it was very convenient for pool and recepton and all facilities. Stayed ten days which we found was ample. Breakfast buffet good but same every day. Beach club good. Pub ( next to Luis but owned by same person) opposite hotel we gave a miss because it did not look at all nice from outside, plus showing sports all the time, however on one tired evening and could not be bothered to walk into town we tried it. We should have gone earlier! Food and atmosphere MUCH nicer than looks from outside. Lagos is an old town, with many cobbled streets. 

After doing a few coach trips, found out that Lagos was SO much nicer than anywhere else on Algarve, so delighted we chose it.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: Expedia - August 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Treacy - Essex (21,25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

As a young couple, we were absolutely thrilled with Lagos!! It had everything. Lovely Resturants, Lovely Beach, Beautiful Quaint town, and excellent nightlife.  We went for 10 days, and managed to eat somewhere different every lunch and dinner time, and do not have 1 complaint about the quality of service or food in any of the places we ate! The restaurants all do very similar foods, but with there own styles, but do try the Piri Piri chicken as it is a Portuguese speciality. Opposite the hotel is 2 bars, O Artista and Luis which are great fun. O Artista also does magnificent food! There are many bars and clubs that come alive after midnight for those who wish to party. They are all mainly located in town, "the Lounge" and "three Monkeys" are very good! The beach bars also are good!

Lots of boat trips and sights to see, churches and forts.  If you go on a boat trip, do try the BBQ cruise by "Bom Dia" it is the best company, may be a little more expensive, but well worth it!

The hotel was nice, very clean, although we found the staff to be very arrogant and un helpfull! We were Bed and Breakfast, and it was very nice, and catered for all food needs. Our room was very Pokey, and had a tiny balcony, which we did not much like, but as it was peak season, the hotel was pretty much full. The problem we had with the hotel was that there was no atmosphere here.  The entertainment is poor in the bar at night, and be warned, the prices are very different in the hotel than in the town.  The hotel, i feel, is very overpriced and overated. You pay for everything!! Even to use the table tennis, which comes under facilities of hotel that are free!! The tea and coffee are not complimentary!

Overall, we loved Lagos itself, the people, the sights, the food, the reasonable prices, we would definately go back, but would stay in a different hotel.

I hope that you all enjoy Lagos as much as we did, it was a really truelly wonderful experience.

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Hotel Tivoli Lagos - Lagos

Operator and Date: British Airways - June 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Stephen & Janice (58, 59)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We took advantage of recommendation of Room 3204 at the Tivoli on reading one of your reviews and were happy with the room.  Good pool area within hotel but we were happier at the Beach Club where we could enjoy both pool and beach and transport provided regularly by hotel.  

This is our second visit to Lagos and we will definitely go again as we love it.  We are avid golfers and recommend Palmares and Boa Vista.  Won't add too many restaurant recommendations except do try "A Floresta" next door to hotel if you are tired and cannot be bothered walking into town.  Good local food and lovely people.  Dynasty Chinese was too noisy on a Friday night but we found Mei Yuan an excellent alternative and full air-con. 

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Via Don Ana Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Sue Sadler - Cheam, Surrey (49,45)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

All I can say about our stay at these apartments is - It was the worst holiday of my life. 

It was 24 - 7 DOGS BARKING (left alone all day by locals) then even when they were home the barking did NOT stop. Then we had the pleasure of their children making noise until at least 2.00am in the morning shouting etc.There is a garage/car rental/bike rental attached to the apartments and even the man who worked there spent all his time TRAINING a dog to fetch a ball, and he had something attached to a long stick which really seemed to make his dog, yes you have quessed it BARK. When this was reported to the reception I was told there was NOTHING they could do as when they approach the locals about the noise they get very abusive. 

Also we could not have timed the holiday at a worst time as the block next door where the dogs BARKED was being painted. They had scaffolding up the side with a bevy load of workmen who you would have thought had never seen a women before - constant staring.
Lagos itself was very average and all in all this was a holiday from HELL so be warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson June 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : K Eaton (28, 29)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We decided to come to Vilabranca after reading the good reports on this site. When we go on holiday we usually hire a car and get around a bit, but this was booked just 2 weeks before travelling as a get-away holiday in which we were planning on lazing by the pool and doing little else. And it suited those needs perfectly! The pool area was lovely and peaceful and there were always plently of beds and parasols.

Our one bed apartment was one of the largest we've ever stayed in, with a fantastically equiped kitchen, bathroom as good as at home and a huge balcony/terrace that spanned the whole width of the apartment. We had air con in both the living room and bedroom and it was very clean and felt secure.

Staff were all very friendly and polite and, if there was a problem, they would do all they could to help fix it. Our air conditioning unit would sometimes switch itself off without warning, and we couldn't put it back on for an hour or two, which puzzled both us and the hotel staff. They contacted the manufacturer the same day and an engineer sorted the problem the following day.

Vilabranca have a mini bus service a few times a day to a lovely long sandy beach (that wasn't jam-packed!) and into town. The last one back from town was at about 7pm though, so if you go out in the evening you would have to walk back or catch a taxi (about 4 euros). The walk wasn't half as bad as some people on this site make out though; it's a gentle uphill stroll of about 20mins, with one bit that's quite steep. We tended to walk back along the road that curves round past the beach, which takes a bit longer but is a more scenic route! And after a good face full of stuffing it was quite nice to stroll home! It does get quite breezy and nippy in the evenings though, so don't forget to take a couple of jumpers and some trousers/jeans!

We didn't eat at the hotel restaurant, although we heard the food was tasty. It seemed quite expensive and there wasn't a lot of choice and there are so many nice places to eat in Lagos we didn't see the point. In fact we could have stayed a lot longer, just to try more restaurants! For a good pizza that's very reasonably priced try Pingiun(?) across the road from the Vilabranca. Not the smartest of places, but really good food. We were the only English people in there, mainly full of Portuguese, which is a good sign. We also tried the Chinese, O Pirata and Triangulo on the roundabout into town; of these we would only really recommend the Pirate restaurant - very good quality food and a lovely atmosphere. The Chinese was pretty good - the usual chinese restaurant you'd get at home, but we found Triangulo a bit boring food-wise and rather bland.

In town we tried Millenium Garden - great for a very reasonable lunch. It always seems busy which is a good sign! And the Italian in the old square was really good, again a queue for seats, but fantasic food. We weren't impressed, however, by Navigador; they tutted when we turned up without a booking (even though there were hardly any other customers there!) and we felt really rushed. They said we couldn't sit by the window as the tables were reserved (again, no-one turned up while we were there!) and the food was over priced. No Patio, on the other hand was the best we went to. We had to sit inside as the outdoor tables on the terrace were all booked (which was fine by me as I get cold!) but the service and food were impeccable, like a good quality meal you'd get in the UK, and not expensive if you take into account the quality.

Overall, we had a great holiday and would definitely return to the Vilabranca apartments if we fancy another holiday in Lagos.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: wintersunshineholidays - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Sue Sargent - Birmingham ( 38,36,9,4 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our second visit to Portugal and the Vilabranca apartments, having stayed there in 2005 too. One of the main reasons for our return visit was that the apartments are fantastic. We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, and they are huge! The kitchen is very well equipped, with full size fridge/freezer and cooker. Big, roomy lounge with dining table and also a tv, with english channels! It was nice to have so much space that you don't feel like you are living on top of one another for the fortnight!

There are two pools to choose from, plenty of sunloungers and no worries about having to reserve them, as they were never really busy when we went. This maybe because it can be quite breezy and the poolwater a bit cold so there wasn't many in the pool!

All the staff are so friendly and helpful. In fact, we had requested the same room as we had last year as it was perfect for us, and they did!
We had a car for the duration of our holiday as then you can get to see a lot more of the surrounding places ( and get into Lagos more easily).

We went to Alvor quite a lot, both day and night, its about 1/2 hour drive. The beach there is great, lots of coves to walk around, great for kids. The restaraunts are first class, and there's always plenty of fresh fish on the menu. The town is very good too, plenty of places to eat, lots of grills cooking the fish or steaks. One of our favourite places to eat there was GOODVILLES, which was a bit further up from the front but had a terrace out the back or a rooftop terrace which was great for watching the sunsets. Some good bars there too, and nice shops, not tacky! We also liked Luz beach, that had a nice promenade and good if the kids like rock pools, finding crabs etc! But Lagos is a very good base to start from as there is a much wider choice of restaurants and bars, although these do tend to be 'inside' so can be a bit awquard with pushchairs, but the staff are always very accomodating. JOTTA 13 which is on eat street is very well priced and is very good for sardines. But the best meal we had in Lagos was at a place called O CANTINHO which is just round the corner from Jotta 13. It is very small, but the food is superb.The marina is also worth a visit as there are some good bars and restaraunts there too. The beach at Meia Praia is also very nice, lovely white sand.

We also had a day out at AQUALAND, which is fantastic, great for kids( there is a large play area for the under 5's) as well as some intermediate rides as well as some real scary slides,like the one where you sit on a tea-tray and skid across the water at the bottom at like, 100 miles an hour (or so!)

We will definately be returning to Portugal, and more than likely to the Vilabranca and we would certainly recommend this to anyone who is considering going there too.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thompson - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : John - Sidmouth ( 58,58 )

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a week's holiday at Vilabranca and had to add to all the "excellent"'s already written about this place. The weather was a bit iffy but that was the only down side on a brilliant holiday. We just loved this place and will be back for sure. The apartment is spacious, well equipped and maintained and the location is perfect in a quiet suburb. The staff were so helpful and friendly. We also had snacks at poolside and in the restaurant and these were fine. 

Just a 15 - 20 minute walk down to the lovely Lagos, or about the same time to the nearest beach Praia Porto de Mos which I loved. A long sandy beach with the surf rolling in when we were there. This beach also has a super restaurant Antonio on the beachside, lovely to sit eating your meal in the evening with the sound of the surf roaring in the background. We hired a car from the Apartments reception and this also turned out to be very good. Highlight of our holiday was a visit to the remote west coast beach, Praia Bordeira, between Cape St Vincent and Aljezur. 5 miles of sand with the biggest surf I have ever seen rolling in. That day, in brilliant sunshine, there were only about a dozen people on the entire expanse -just wonderful.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Private booking direct with Apartments - July 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Ross, Dawn, Jake, Charlotte (38, 33, 8, 6)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from our third trip to the Vilabranca Apartments and we will most probably go again.  This is the only place we have ever returned to.  The apartments are superb, very large, very clean with everything you could possibly want and for next year they are adding air conditioning although it wasnt necessary when we were there.  Nothing is too much trouble for the family who own these apartments and all the staff are very knowledgable and friendly.  The apartments are a 15-20 minute walk into town, we generally walked in and got a taxi home.  It was nice to be out of town where it was quieter. 

The beaches around Lagos are superb.  You can have the small beaches with the cliffs behind (Camillo or Don Ana) or you can go to Meia Praia which has miles of sand and which never gets too busy even at the weekends.

We would recommend you hire a car when in Lagos simply because there is so much to see in the surrounding area.  We went to Monchique for dinner which was really lovely with a beautiful view right along the coast.  We also went to Krazy World which was a sort of zoo but with two crazy golf courses which the kids really enjoyed (so did we!) there was also a petting zoo, an elephant, horses etc.  Good day out.  Another good half day out is the trip down to Sagres (not very nice in itself) but the fort was good and although a bit touristy you have got to go to Cape St Vincent to see the lighthouse.  There are still plenty of things to do which we have not yet managed.

Restaurants in Lagos are very good with a good range to suit all tastes and budgets.  We found a couple we hadnt been to before - Dom Sebastiao - in the main eat street - the chicken in a pot was really good and very cheap - but you have got to see the port cellar and the loos!  Also Adega Velha - second restaurant up a side street just before Bon Vivant, very good restaurant with really knowledgable and friendly staff, the steak with coffee sauce has to be experienced.

All in all Lagos is a fantastic place, lots of people but it never feels crowded.  We cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Suzanne Hunt -Clacton (38,39,10)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had a fantastic holiday.The accomodation was exceptional for self catering,cleaned every day.The staff were very friendly.The restaurant at the apartments was very good and snacks at lunch time too.It was a bit of a walk to the main town but it only took about 15mins and was quite nice of an evening.The main town restaurants were very varied from Portugeuse to Tapas,and we didn't have a bad meal for the whole two weeks we was there.The apartments have a bus which takes you to the local beach and town which we used occasionaly. 

All in all a very enjoyable holiday was had by all.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Barrhead Travel - May 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Graeme & Susan - Motherwell (31,29)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Vilabranca apartments in Lagos for a week in May, and it was fantastic. 

The apartments are located in a residential area, which means it is fairly quiet.  The walk downhill into town is about 15mins, and no trouble at all, although the apartments run a mini-bus to the town at 11.00am, 1.00pm, and 6.45pm.  Buses return from town to the apartments, however we generally got a taxi, which was only 4 euros.
 
The apartments are ideal - very clean, comfortable, and spacious.  We were in a one-bedroom apartment, and had a great balcony that overlooked one of the two pools. Staff are very good - very helpful and pleasant.

Lagos is a lovely town, with many narrow cobbled streets in the town centre, yet a modern marina (which has a lovely restaurant overlooking the marina called "Do Cais").  The town has many restaurants, mostly located on rua 25 de Abril (otherwise referred to as the Eat Street) - our favourite was Veneza (French Onion soup is brilliant), although we never had a bad meal at all, and prices generally are good.  We found a really smart bar called Shaker' located on rua 25 de Abril, and also Bon Vivant bar (just along from Shaker) has a fantastic roof terrace which looks along the Eat Street - beautiful in the early evening.

There are many beaches around Lagos, and we tried Praia de Mos (Vilabranca runs a minibus service to this beach several times a day, although it is walkable), and Praia de Ana, which is about 10 mins walk from the apartments.  Praia de Ana is set amongst cliffs, and is very picturesque (beach bar is very good) - Praia de Mos is lovely and open, and also has a beach bar.

Trip wise, we went to Portimao by local bus, but Portimao is a working town - not very pretty as far as we saw.  We took the Bom Dia sailing boat to the Grotto trip, and this was very good - it takes you round the headland towards Vilabranca location and Praia de Mos.  We transferred into a smaller boat, and where taken into the caves, which are quite spectacular.  Praia de Ana is located near these caves, as are other small picturesque beaches.

Vilabranca is fantastic - we will certainly be back.  The website is vila-branca  com

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Nick  & Julie  - Lincolnshire

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

If you are checking here for information on the Vilabranca Apartments then all I can say is GO! and have a great time........you won't be disappointed. We booked on recommendation of previous comments and the brouchures were accurate, we also visited the Vilabranca website.

You have to bear in mind that Lagos is quite a way from Faro Airport hence a long transfer journey however, it did give us the opportunity to see some of the countryside those closer to the airport missed! The journey takes roughly one and a half to two hours depending on drop-off's to be made but it was nice to see where everyone else was staying too.

Vilabranca apartments are lovely, spacious, clean and equiped with everything you would need to self-cater comfortably, worth their 4T rating, ( 2 Electric rings/Fridge/Oven come microwave/Kettle and filter coffee machine/pots & pans/crockery. We were allocated 201 and the pool was just beyond our balcony, although I hasten to add we should of waited another couple of weeks for the weather to warm up as the pool was not warm enough to swim in. End of May would of been warmer. Remember your beach towel although you can hire pool towels for 5.00EU per week.

The complex is situated a little out of Lagos town, about a 20 min stroll and between the old and the new.... To the right of the complex the villas/apartments are older but charming, some residential apartments. To the left of the complex are some of the most fabulously expensive and fantastic villas I have ever seen. Porto Mos beach is 20 mins walk away but down hill so those of you with little one's or not so agile would struggle to come back up. Goodness, this area is where the money in Lagos is!

Local maps were provided by Vilabranca to help us find our way around, if you visit Restaurante Pirate they have a brochure on the bar with activities, places to see etc which we didn't see anywhere else.

AliSuper, supermarket is just across the road and a little way up and stock everything you need. There is also a snack bar there too.

We ate at the restaurant the first night and have to say both food and service were excellent, Joao (Jayow) the barman was most helpful with the language and the area. A little down the road you will find restaurants at the roundabout:

Dom Luis - Excellent
Restaurante Pirata - Brilliant food & service
Restaurante Triangulo - Excellent

All offered a warm welcome and good variation on food. Try the Firewater! Just as it sounds! We took some provisions with us and bought fresh salad/fruit for lunches etc.

Lagos has a lovely prommenade and Marina and an abundance of small streets with quaint shops selling pottery, shoes, clothes etc, etc. Nice to wander round. The cafe in the square near the church was plesant and often had street entertainers.

We wandered down to Lagos a few times and enjoyed the walk and the atmosphere, soaking up the wonderful views.

All in all we had a very enjoyable week, came back a few pounds heavier but thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Western Algarve which I have no doubt will not be our last.

We hope this helps you decide......have a great time!

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: august 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : claire stuart- shrewsbury (23,21,17,17)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

we spent a fantastic week at the villabranca apartments in lagos, we cannot recommend it highly enough.its 4 star rating does not do it justice. it is apparently the only four star self catering apartments in the algarve!!.the apartments are very peaceful and quiet being in a residential setting. brilliant to wind down in, they are very clean, modern and spacious. the staff are freindly and the facilties are excellent.

there is a well stocked supermarket just 2 minutes from the complex.the apartments are located just a short 20 minute walk from lagos, down a slight hill. although there a several good resturants just a 10 minute walk away. the maharaja indian, opposite the fire station is excellent the hotel restaurant is also good, if a little quiet.

lagos itself is wonderful it manages to retain its charm and history even with the new marina and building work outside the town(this is not near the complex at all). the nightlife in lagos is fairly quiet mainly centred around its bustling shops, excellent for unusual jewlery, bags and paintings. there are hundreds of fantastic resturants, d-henrique located on lagos's main eat street is absolutly exquisite. bon vivant(gaudi inspired bar also on 'the eat street') is a fantastic bar which serves a wide range of affordable cocktails on the roof terrace overlooking the bustling street below. needless to say many a night was spent drinking and people watching there.

lagos town beach is small but charming with many coves and even a seculed beach only accesable by swimming through a cove in the afternoon, in the morning you can walk through. meia prai beach the 7km beach is nice if a little souless, the best way there is by water taxi from the avenue it takes about 30 seconds and costs 50 cent.

we had a wonderful day out at slide and splash in lagoa about 1 and a half hr's away great for kids and adults, it only cost 20 euros for transport and an all day ticket, you do not have to queue with the ticket, thank god! well worth the money, even for our favourite ride only 'the black hole' a huge windy slide which is pitch black, exhillirating.

we also went on the thomson 4x4 experience,which took you into the monchique by coverd jeep to visit the undiscoverd 'real' side to the algarve you visit a farm which makes honey and the famous portugese fire water a mere 40-50 percent proof!!you have lunch in a picturesque restuarant, then you make the decent back down and stop at a beautiful reservoir to swim in the still waters. this was the highlight of our holiday, the guide was knowledgable, scenery was breathtaking,food was great, absolutley worth the 45 euros.

overall a fanatastic holiday in a amzing complex we would all return to villibranca apartments, lagos and the algarve

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Payne Staffordshire- (51,49,26,25,20)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What can i say about our holiday at the vilabranca except it was excellant !!

The self catering appartments were fantastic, very clean, spaceous, with a great view of the pool.

All the Vilabranca staff were very helpful even showing you personally to your room on arrival (how often do you get that service in appartments).

On our first night we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner, well that really set the stardard for the rest of the holiday, the food was fantastic we can highly recommend the prawns vilabranca style.

Lagos town was lovely even though a 20 minute walk away, but we soon found a short cut and caught a taxi back up the hill at only 5 euro's.

All the restarants we tried in Lagos were great!!
If you want a special meal the
Don sebastiano was superb !!

We can highly recommend the vilabranca and will definatly return soon!!.

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Liz White and family (44, 43, 12)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Vilabranca Apartments are very spacious and clean.  However I was disappointed to see how far it was from the town centre. It's a good 30 minute walk and downhill all the way. In the heat of July, I think it would be difficult if you had small children. We had to get back by taxi every night and although it was only 5 euros per trip, it mounts up over 2 weeks. There is a bus service operated by Vilabranca but it only runs 4 times a day and the last one into town is at 6.45pm. I think it could be better. We didn't like being so far from the beach (I think 10 minutes to the local beach as per the brochure is looking on the bright side!).

We found the prices at Vilabranca really expensive.  An ice cream was double the price of one bought in town.  And the drinks were pricey.  We were not inclined to eat in the restaurant.  The entertainment was a little "hi-de-hi" with bingo and a beer drinking competition amongst the attractions!!

The town centre is great - very lively with lots of street entertainers and loads of people milling about. There are lots of restaurants to choose from.  Lots of fish and seafood. We did find that the service was incredibly slow in most places although a glass of wine helped.  Tip - don't ask for a bottle of the house white as it was really horrible!! Our favourite restaurant was Adega de Marina which is favoured by the locals (it's on the main road).  It has a simple menu but is very cheap(especially the wine). The food is freshly cooked and delicious. Go early because they queue to get in!! Other good places to eat include Piri Piri and Miramar.  The Chinese restaurant near the apartments is popular and the food is good.

The big beach is called Meia Praia and is really beautiful.  It's tricky to get to although a ferry was operating for 50cents per person which was handy.  If the ferry isn't there, it's a very long walk to the bridge and up to the beach.  The marina is great and there are some very good places to get coffee and a cake at very reasonable prices.

I was suprised at how many graffiti ridden derelict buildings there are in Lagos.  It is a stark contrast with the posh villas and expensive yachts in the marina.

I don't think we'll be back but on the whole, an enjoyable holiday.  

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Falcon - July 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Culhane Family - SW Ireland (40's, 14)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our first visit to the Algarve and it is one not to be forgotten. When we arrived it was 8.10PM and it was 33 degrees celcius, mind you don't be put off but that as there was a cool constant breeze. We went by coach to the Vilabrance Apartments, roughly over 2 hours on a coach. The apartments were unbelievable, amazing, undiscribable! The apartments were 2 years old so were very modern, and behind the desk in reception were 5 awards from Thompson Travel agents made out to the Vilabranca Apartments.

If you want to go for a peaceful holiday, go in mid June because we went on the 2st of July and it was grand and peaceful until 10 days later, when all the apartments were fully booked and there was lots of children screaming, but that wasnt for long mind!

Lagos (pronounced LAH-GOSH) is a fantastic town! Restuarants of recommendation - Dynasty Chinese by the Marina, A Lagosteira (absolute must, best restuarant we have been to) and Don Sebastiano (for those with expensive taste - but amazing food).

We then hired a car off Worldgarve, very very friendly and competitive rates, booked 3 days and got another day free which was great. Went to Cape St.Vincent, fantastic scenery, but brind a jumper, very windy!

We also went on a jeep safari with Portitours which was good and cost ?96 for 2 people.

Altogether, it was a fantastic holiday and we have only arrived home and we are noking the same apartments for next time!

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson  - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Ken & Helen -  Norfolk (51 & 50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our holiday at the Vilabranca (our first visit to Portugal) was the best vacation we have had. The staff were extremely polite and helpful (even when Portugal beat England on penalties!). We were in room 213, which was bright, clean and well furnished.

Being located in the residential area meant that it was a decent walk into town, but at the first round a bout was the Pirata bar/restaurant which served exceptional fish. We never had a poor meal in any of the restaurants we used in the old town. The food at the Vilabranca was exceptional, so if you do not fancy the walk (or a 5 euro taxi ride) then I fully recommend eating onsite (Prawns Vilabranca style were superb).

The only small downside being in a residential area was that the local dogs do seem to bark a lot at night.
It also made a nice change not to have to fight for sun beds, one morning we arrived at the poolside at 10.30 and we were the first!

As for tours I would fully recommend the 4x4 experience trip into the hills. Our guide was very knowledgeable and polite.
We also went on the Best of the Algarve Bus tour. We feel that too much time was spent on the bus. Would have been better to hire a car to see the sights.

The half day boat cruise to the caves was disappointing, the trips on the small boat into the caves was fine, but due to 5 trippers feeling ill (sea was a mill-pond!) they cut short the trip and we finished up eating the meal moored in the harbour, with various unsavoury items floating by.
Thomson arranged all the above tours.
We would fully recommend this resort.
Well done

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Vilabranca Apartments - Lagos

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Richard Brown (48,45) - May / June 2004

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our second visit to Lagos produced our first visit to the Vilabranca Apartments which are one of the best quality apartments we have stayed in.

The apartments are situated in a residential area of Lagos about 10 - 15 minutes walk from the town centre. Apartments are modern and spacious and the complex has 2 seperate pool areas both serving good quality snacks throughout the day. On site there is an a la carte restaurant which for some reaon we did not try. All the staff are friendly and helpful - the maids were excellent !

The complex runs a bus down the town and Praia Mos beach during the day
There is a small local supermarket 50 m away from the complex and a large 'tesco ' type supermarket 3 minutes away by car approximately 5 minutes walk on the tulip rounabout there is a group of good quality restaurants especially O'Piratas.

Lagos itself is superb - not too much commercial tourism but good quality restaurants.
This was one of the best holidays we have been on - this coming from a person who has lived and breathed Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife for the past 20 years - 3x a year  

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Villa Adelia - Lagos

Operator and Date: Private booking - Easter2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : 

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked for 10 days around easter 2005, generally good weather, the villa was 1/2 mile up hill from the local shops&restaurants. Try to go to Triangulos restaurant, we went twice, there is also a great chinese just across from triangulos. 1 mile from town down some very steep hills.

Best supermarket is PINGO DOCE (near marina, Very nice trips on the BOM DIA,and the Dolphin trip.  Need to take/book a car to get around.Although taxis are very cheap

The Villa: plenty of space,clean on arrival,altough no maid service while we were there, nice hosts who kept us informed.A Little concerned initially about bars on the windows and doors, but all villas in the area had them so no long term worries.
Generally a good holiday.

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Vilas Dinis Apartments - Lagos

Operator and Date: Thomson - July 2007

Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Joy Bennett - London (44,43,10)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having spent most of our holidays in Spain and the Greek Islands, we thought we'd give The Algarve a try. Flight from Gatwick was okay, 2.5 hours but with a two hour coach  and short car drive to our chosen destination Lagos. Arrived at night so couldn't see what resort was actually like. The tour rep who escorted us to the resort gave us our own mini tour guide of the best bits of Lagos as we were the the only ones on the coach! First the accommodation. The Vilas Dinis is a small quiet complex consisting of 15 apartments strategically located within extreme close proximity to neighbouring apartments set around two swimming pools. 

We were allocated apt 13, not in my estimation a nice apartment, it's on the ground floor, with small space at front, no view except if you like looking at your fellow holiday-makers! 

The nicest apartment in my estimation would be apt 12,nicely situated on its own near the swimming pool on the lower level. For those that like lounging all day there are free sun-beds. The nearest beach was about a 10-15 minute walk from the apts, down some steep steps, I found this beach rather small and crowded at times. There are couple of restaurants and snack-bars, and two small supermarkets nearby ,but to save money better buy essentials from the supermarket by the tulip roundabout.There are lots of good eateries/restaurants nearby.  

The best way to get around Lagos and the other areas is to hire a car,unless your content with the 25 minute walk into Lagos Town and back, which we did several times a day, believe me this walk is not for the faint-hearted! Oh and parking can be tricky in the old town, limited parking zones!If you don't hire a car or pay expensive prices to the tour reps, you'll miss out on places such as The Monchique Spa Town, and lets not forget their own interpretation of moonshine something called Medronho made from the fruit of the Arbuthus or strawberry trees,definately packs a punch! Theres also the locally produced Brandymel basically Brandy & Honey and an almond liquer whose name I can't remember! 

Cabo St Vincent is also another interesting spot, apparently its the most south-westerly point in europe, comes with spectacular views, but remember to bring a jacket as it can get extremely windy up there perched high on the cliffs,definately not a place for vertigo suffers!! Barragem de Bravura is a dam that again comes with fantastic views,do not make the mistake of taking the path by the house situated closeby the dam, otherwise you will incur the wrath of the unfriendly dogs on guard!!The area is quiet and peaceful, there's also a little walk trail along the path of the river that you can follow.

One of the most beautiful and secluded beaches can be found at the Odeceixe, absolutely beautiful, golden sands and some wonderful grotto caves to explore. There is lots of pretty manuline architecture to look at particulary in the Old Town of Lagos and around The Algrave itself, also the neighbouring resorts on the Western side are all within easy reach by car that is! One thing that did disappoint me was that considering the Portuguese were the insigators of the european slave trade, it was disappointing that there were no historical facts at the site of the first european slave market!  

The resort is okay if not a bit expensive compared to other places we have visited in the past. It was an okay holiday nothing brilliant. One last point the western algarve is known for its windy conditions but I just have to say the first three days we had what was known locally as the mistral, extreme wind conditons making it seem a lot colder than it actually was, you definately needed a jacket and perhaps a light scarf in the evenings something I've not experienced before on holiday particulary at the end of July!!

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