FAQ

The resort is located close to the shoreline of the Ocean (300m) and the nearest beaches are either "Praia do Burgau" to the West or "Praia da Luz" to the East. Both can be reached either by bus or by car - or are just a nice hiking trip away (hiking trail at the shoreline)

This is a non-smoking apartment. Thus, no smoking inside. You may smoke on the terrace outside, if you don't want to refrain from smoking. Please tidy up after yourself and e.g. dispose cigarette butts properly. Thank you.

By default, the apartment shall be rented out for guests without pets only. If, however, you consider bringing your pet, please contact us prior making a booking and we can look for a solution (e.g. extra cleaning compensation - simply as other future guests may have allergies and will deserve an extra deep cleaning)

The Mar da Luz Resort is located in a quiet environment, close to Burgau to the West and Luz to the East. We suggest renting out a car to be flexible not only with commuting to and from the appartment but also for being able to see the beauties of the Algarve properly.

Yes. Catch one of the local "Onda" buses that run from the main bus station in Lagos (Terminal Rodoviário de Lagos). Please check www.aonda.pt/onda/ and look for the yellow line (onda amarela). Going in the direction of Lagos, the bus stop  ("Porto D. Maria") is located next to the entrance gate to the complex right on the street EM537. Coming from Lagos, however, the stop is a little more easterly ("Montinhos da Luz") which means a 5 min. walk (400 m distance).

In Burgau, 3km to the West, there is a small but good equipped supermarket to find ("Mais Perto"). 3km to the East in Luz you'll find a "Spar" supermarket ant the well equipped "Baptista" supermarket. The latter offers more international supplies and is a bit on the pricy side. In Lagos, you'll find a huge variety of supermarkets: While the "Continente" and the "Pingo Doce" supermarkets tend to focus a bit more on the shopping preferences of the Portuguese people - some products you may expect you'll eventually not find but in return, they offer e.g. a huge variety of fresh fish and meat at rather moderate pricing - some Central European brands such as ALDI or LIDL can be found in Lagos as well . Very well equipped is the "Intermarché" in Lagos as probably the best spot to find all that you may look for.

On Saturdays, I recommend visiting the farmers market, right next to the main bus stop in Lagos (Terminal Rodoviário de Lagos). You'll be able to mingle with the local people and buy fresh produce at good prices.

Check also the "Mercado Municipal de Lagos" which offers a huge variety of fresh fish and other produce.

The Western Algarve offers plenty of beautiful places worthwhile to visit. Below a fiew recommendations:

Beaches (South Coast to the West)

- Praia do Burgau: Burgau is a small little town located at a beautiful small bay with a fantastic landscape. The town with its small streets is worth seeing. A couple of nice restaurants.

- Praia das Cabanas Velhas: Beautiful bay, a little remote and therefore not too many people. Very good (international) restaurant / beach bar.

- Praia das Furnas: Lovely beach for piece and quiteness off the beaten tracks. No shops, no bars, no toilets, no lifeguard. But just beautiful.

- Praia do Zavial: Again a very nice bay. With a good restaurant / beach bar. This is the first beach on the South Coast (in the westerly direction) which may allow you surfing with north-westerly winds (usually, this is the case in the summer).

Beaches (West Coast)

- Praia do Tonel: The long shoreline allows proper surfing. You'll find surf schools and a nice beach bar. Right above the beach you can park your car in the street. 5 min. away is a large public parking, should you not be able to find a place for the car.

- Praia do Beliche: Well hidden, as you need to access the beach via a steep staircase. The beach is spectacular due to its cliffs and caves. Being a bit remote you'll not find that much infrastructure there, but there is a small beach bar next to the stairs. Magic place worth seeing.

- Praia do Amado: Probably "the place to be" when you're into surfing. Very beautiful, also when you're not a surfer. Couple of restaurants / bars, surf schools and places to rent material.

- Praia da Bordeira: A large beautiful beach close to the village of Carrapateira. With a small beach bar sitting in the sandy dunes. Tip: Use the street southerly to the beach ("Estrada da Praia") for a beautiful hiking round trip with beautiful views over the wavy ocean (start at parking southerly to the beach > follow street to Pontal da Carrapatiera > head towards Praia do Amado > to village of Carrapateira > back to beach / parking). For slightly lazy or handicapped people : You may simply use your car for this little round trip.

- Praia da Arrifana: A popular surfer beach, beautifully located. A bit difficult to find a place to park the car (you'll have to park the car on top of the cliff on a rather small car park and walk down to beach). Therefore not ideal for handicapped people.

- Praia de Monte Clérigo: Fantastic beach and a magic wild place. Can be a bit tricky to find a place to park the car. Clearly worth a visit. Tip: I can recommend the "O Sargo" restaurant.

Beaches (South Coast to the East)

- Praia da Luz: Despite for me personally not being one of the most beautiful beaches (compared to the others), the beach in Luz can still be highly recommended as it is good accessible, offers toilets, showers, bars and restaurants etc. Tip: From Luz head eastwards and take the hiking trail to Porto Mós and take a bus or taxi back. This rather short trail offers the most beautiful views on the ocean.

- Praia de Porto Mós: Beautiful place with plenty of parking space next to the beach. Good restaurants, which however can be pretty crowded in peak season. Good accessibility also for handicapped.

- Praia do Camilo: Close to Lagos, accessible through a staircase from the top of the cliffs. Very beautiful and special. Note, that depending on the tide, the beach can be small. Also note that because of the cliffs and the geographic orientation of the beach to the East, the beach will get shady in the afternoon. Toilets only in the restaurant on top of the stairs. Good (but rather expensive) restaurant with great views. Limited parking.

- Meia Praia: A very long white sandy bay. Good for walks and of course for relaxing at the beach. Plenty of beach access points with bars and restaurants. Tip: Access the beach on the quiter easterly part (close to Meia Praia train station) and enjoy in the "Bar Quim" restaurant the Shrimps ("camarões da casa").

Of course do have some recommendations. Apart from being famous for its sandy beaches that invite for sunbathing and taking a swim, the Western Algarve close to the aparment offers many other opportunities, e.g.

Surfing: The Algarve is well known as a surfer's paradise. Please check the recommendations for suitable surf beaches (further above) to find good spots.

Golf: The Algarve is famous for its Golf courses. As I am personally not into Golfing, I cannot give you any personal recommendations. However, closeby is the Espiche Golf not too far northerly to Luz or the Palmares Golf court, northerly to the Meia Praia in Lagos.

Hiking: There are long distance hiking trails along the entire South and West Coast. You may want to walk some parts of it and enjoy the beautiful views and return by bus (see "public transport connections" further above), specifically as one of the trail passes in close proximity to the Resort. Tip: Take a walk on top of the cliffs between Porto Mós and Luz. It is spectacular.

Water Parks: The closest (and to my point of view the best) is the "Slide & Splash" water park. Note, that with online bookings you'll get a discount. See www.slidesplash.com/en/

Mountain Biking: Close to the village of Barão de São João (northerly to the Resort) you'll find the "Centro de BTT de Lagos". You may want to head for this place to commence one of the trails in the area. As there are no serious mountains in the area, the trails are Cross-Country style. You may want to check www.cyclinportugal.pt/en for further details. Bikes can be rented out in Lagos. Please note that also the west coast offers some nice biking trails along the coast.

Excursions on the water: In Lagos' marina you'll find a couple of offers for water excursions. You may want to consider a speedboat ride and go Whale Watching, e.g. https://sealife.pt/en/home/ or you could book a half day package trip with lunch on a traditional sailing ship www.bomdiaboattrips.com wieh an included cave tour at the "Ponta de Piedade" in proximity to Lagos. The caves are in any case worth a visit, regardless of the method or operator you choose from - you could also take one of the smaller boats close to the "Forte da Panta da Bandeira" at the westerly harbour entrance in Lagos or directly at the Ponta da Piedade (follow the M536 road, park at the light house "Farol da Ponta da Piedade de Lagos" and take the stairs town to the Ponta da Piedade grotto). Alternatively you may want to look for other options such as Stand Up Paddling e.g. https://algarve-sup-tours.com/en/ or Kayaking, e.g. https://paddle-fun.com/.

Sailing: Situated at the Meia Praia, you may want to rent out Hoby Cat catamarans or take sailing classes in the sailing school. Check www.sailcompany.com for details.

Kite Surfing: The flat water of the Alvor river, right behind the break water on the eastern of of the Meia Praia is a "heavenly place" to learn and/or to enjoy kite surfing. There are a couple of operators that offer courses or rent out material. Check e.g. www.algarvesurfschool.com.

Climbing: Check out the high rope climbing garden "Parque Aventura" in Lagos, close to the Meia Praia. This is really a nice spot to have a great time with the family (different skill levels, two different safety gears - one type specifically suitable for smaller kids). The treetops give some shade, thus even in August it won't be super hot and exhausting. Check www.parqueaventura.net for further info.

Wake Boarding: There is a small wake boarding park with two separate cable systems close to Lagos. Check their website at  https://wakeparklagos.com/ for further details.

Skydiving: At the small airport of Alvor, close to the Meia Praia, you'll find a couple of operators that offer (tandem) skydives. In case you want to bring your adrenaline to the max, check e.g. www.skydivealgarve.com for further infomation.

Neither do I get any commissions from the companies I listed here exemplarily, nor are those the only providers for said activities or services. Please check the internet for other options and offers..