27 May Where We Stayed in Algarve – Lagos, Albufeira and Faro Accommodation Experience
What would a series about Algarve be without also talking about accommodation?
In today’s article, we are going to take a closer look at the three places where we stayed during our Algarve Road trip, the reasons why we chose them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each location.
Our Algarve Road trip lasted 11 days in total.
Initially, we split the trip into two major bases: 6 days in Lagos and 5 days in Albufeira.
The idea behind this decision was actually very simple. From the very beginning, we tried to organize the trip in a way that would optimize driving distances and reduce the amount of time spent in traffic.
Around Lagos, we planned to visit many of the places located in the western side of the Algarve: the famous beaches near the city, Burgau, Aljezur, Cabo de São Vicente and several other locations that were simply easier to access from there.
We then chose Albufeira because it placed us closer to places such as Benagil Cave, Praia da Falésia and other central Algarve locations.
So, in many ways, the entire accommodation strategy was built around logistics and efficiency rather than luxury, trying to maximize exploration time and minimize unnecessary driving throughout the trip.
If you look at the map, the Algarve might seem relatively small, and most people visiting the region for the first time usually focus on one or two bases, most commonly Albufeira or Lagos.
When we first left home, the initial plan was to split the trip between two bases: Lagos and Tavira. Along the way we changed our minds, and that is how we ended up having our first accommodation in Lagos and the second one in Albufeira.
The reason why we chose Lagos first is extremely simple. Lagos is very close to many of the main points of interest in the western part of the Algarve itinerary. What does that mean exactly? From Lagos you are close to all those incredible beaches that we already detailed in the first major article about the city, and you can even walk between places like Praia dos Estudantes, Ponta da Piedade and several other locations nearby.
So, logically, it made perfect sense for our first stop to be in Lagos.
Family house – Lagos
We searched on Booking.com and eventually found accommodation called Family House. The drive from the airport took us around one hour to one hour and ten minutes.
As for the accommodation itself, I can honestly say that it was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed in.
Initially, when we arrived there, we were slightly worried because it is located around 1.5–2 kilometers away from the center of Lagos. During our stay we covered that distance both on foot and by car multiple times, and I can honestly say that it felt relatively easy regardless of how we chose to move around.
The house is very well positioned in a quiet area, with free parking available either directly in front of the property or on the nearby streets, which is an extremely important detail in a place like this.
And maybe we were lucky because we visited in May, or maybe traffic is usually manageable there, but it only took us around four to five minutes by car to reach the city parking area near the center, while the drive to Ponta da Piedade lighthouse was roughly seven minutes.
These were more than acceptable distances, and they allowed us to move around extremely quickly throughout our stay there.
When it comes to the accommodation itself, we are talking about a house with multiple rooms available for rent. The entire process was extremely simple. Everything was done through a code sent to us beforehand, we picked up the key, entered the property, and that was it.
I think one of the biggest advantages of this room was the fact that we specifically chose one with a terrace.
Years ago, this was not something that mattered that much to me because I spent most of my travels alone. But once I started traveling together with my fiancée, I felt the need for a small upgrade, and now we very often look for rooms with terraces or balconies.
Because honestly, nothing compares to waking up in the morning, sitting outside with a coffee, enjoying the sun for a little while, and only afterward starting your day of running around, exploring, discovering, and searching for new places.
The room itself was large, the terrace was also spacious, while the bathroom was medium-sized but perfectly fine. Everything was extremely, extremely clean — honestly one of the cleanest accommodations we have ever stayed in.
This location is, without question, one that I would recommend to any calm traveler looking to explore Lagos.
Communication with Sofia, the host, was impeccable throughout the entire stay. Everything was handled through WhatsApp, and they constantly informed us in advance whenever towels or bed sheets needed to be changed, allowing us to organize our schedule better and avoid being interrupted during the day.
All the rooms also had access to a shared kitchen where you could store various things if you wanted to prepare breakfast or keep food for later. There was a large refrigerator, a coffee machine, and a common living area with a large TV.
The internet connection was very good throughout the entire stay and we never had any problems with it.
And honestly, the bed matters. The bed was large, comfortable, and genuinely good, which is something that becomes increasingly important after long days spent walking, driving, exploring beaches, cliffs, and small towns across the Algarve.
Overall, this was easily one of the nicest and most comfortable accommodations we have stayed in.
I know the terrace does not overlook the ocean or offer some dramatic panoramic view, but the simple possibility of sitting quietly outside in the morning with a coffee, or coming back exhausted in the evening, grabbing a piri-piri chicken and eating it peacefully on the terrace without waiting in crowded restaurants, is priceless.
Without question, if we ever return to Lagos, this is the first accommodation I will search for again, hoping that it will still be available.
Bellavista Avenida by BeGuest — Albufeira
I think we ended up in Albufeira almost by mistake.
Initially, we really wanted either Faro or Tavira as our second base in the Algarve. But after compromising a little and finding what seemed to be a good deal, we said, “Alright, let’s try this.”
We genuinely cannot complain about the communication with the hotel or about the staff members. Everything was handled professionally and politely from beginning to end.
However, out of the five nights we had originally booked, we changed rooms after the first night and then changed the accommodation entirely after the second one.
Without going too deep into unnecessary details, the accommodation simply did not live up to our expectations or to the way it was presented in the photos on Booking.com.
Because of this, we were eventually able to receive a refund for the remaining nights, as well as the security deposit we had paid in case of damages or issues.
In the end, it was simply an experience. There will absolutely be people who will enjoy staying there, and others who will not feel comfortable at all.
The hotel itself is built more like an apartment-style complex surrounding a swimming pool on two sides. Guests have access to the pool, the internet worked fine, and parking in Albufeira is generally free in many areas.
We personally managed to leave the car directly across from the hotel near a Pingo Doce supermarket parking area.
Naturally, there were both positives and negatives. We truly cannot blame the staff for anything, but the place simply was not our vibe, and we felt there was a much bigger difference than expected between what we saw online and what we found in reality.
Still, if you decide to stay there, the old town and the cliffside promenade begin roughly 700–800 meters away, and from there you can comfortably walk around the area or continue descending toward the beach.
There honestly is not much more to say here. We parted ways amicably, politely, and without any drama.
It simply was not meant to be.
Al Barbinha – Faro
Small note – When we arrived here, we were so relieved and in such a hurry that we didn’t take the before pictures. I only managed to snap two as we left the room.
On the second morning, we left the hotel in Albufeira in a hurry and were still extremely undecided about whether to spend our final three days in Faro or Tavira.
We had already visited Tavira and loved it, while Faro worried us slightly because we thought it might feel too crowded or chaotic.
Our great stroke of luck was finding an excellent offer at a guesthouse with a massive number of reviews and an incredibly high rating.
We made the booking, I started speaking with the host through the Booking.com chat, and we headed toward the guesthouse.
Right from the beginning, I want to say something very clearly:
Al Barbinha is probably one of the cleanest places we have ever stayed in.
The rooms are very good. Slightly smaller than the ones we had in Lagos, but just like there, the level of cleanliness was exceptional, and the internet connection was fast and stable throughout the stay.
Parking was available directly in front of the guesthouse free of charge, which again became an enormous advantage during a road trip through the Algarve.
Pedro, the host, was one of the nicest people we interacted with during the trip. We spoke a lot through the booking chat, and he constantly gave us useful advice about parking, how to enter and leave the city more easily, where to leave the car, and all the instructions regarding the access codes needed to enter the guesthouse and pick up the key.
Honestly, I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this place.
And the bed…The best bed from our entire trip.
Large, tall, solid, extremely comfortable.
It genuinely became a pleasure to wait for the evening just so you could finally lie down and sleep in a bed that — and I have to admit this almost shamefully — was better than the bed I currently have at home.
I honestly cannot do anything other than recommend this guesthouse to absolutely anyone planning to visit Faro.
There is also one extremely important thing worth mentioning, and this applies to both guesthouses from Lagos and Faro.
Maybe we were lucky. Maybe this is simply how things usually are there.
But both places were incredibly quiet.
Very quiet.
Guests were respectful, nobody made noise, and I genuinely do not remember hearing or having any issues with anyone during our stay.
As for the hotel in Albufeira, it is completely normal that, being a much larger hotel complex with dozens of apartments, the overall level of noise was significantly higher.
And maybe this became a lesson for us moving forward.
A few words in the end
At a certain point, when you are planning a vacation where you walk twenty kilometers per day, constantly explore, drive around, wake up early, and spend most of your time outside, maybe it no longer makes sense to chase accommodation deals at all costs.
Maybe it is simply better to choose places like Albarbinia or the guesthouse in Lagos — places with more than one thousand reviews and ratings consistently above 9.
We are genuinely extremely happy with the accommodation we had in both Faro and Lagos, and we can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.
And if I were to return once again to the Algarve, I would also try to spend two or three nights in Tavira in order to have easier access to several locations that I would love to photograph in that area.
As a conclusion, I think we can say that the beginning and the end of this trip were wonderful.
Yes, we had a small problem in the middle of the journey, but thanks to the people from the hotel and especially thanks to Booking.com, where I opened the request and explained the situation, everything was solved quickly and without unnecessary stress.
This is one of the reasons why I can genuinely recommend using Booking. They supported us from the moment the complaint was raised and, together with the hotel — after we had already spoken calmly and politely with the staff beforehand — we managed to receive the refund in a more than reasonable amount of time.
I think the entire process took around 48 hours, which meant that we were not left financially exposed for the rest of the trip.
So even though the accommodation itself ended up being a negative experience for us, the reaction, understanding, and solutions we found together absolutely deserve credit.
And maybe this entire experience also taught me something important.
As I keep traveling increasingly together with my fiancée, I realized that I slowly started looking for quieter and slightly more isolated places.
When I was younger, I always wanted to stay directly in the center, next to all the attractions, in the middle of everything. Noise never bothered me. Chaos never bothered me. I simply wanted to see as much as possible, as fast as possible.
Now things are different.
Now I simply want to wake up, step outside on a terrace, drink a coffee peacefully in the morning sun, and stop leaving every single day before sunrise just to run from one place to another.
Maybe it is age.
Maybe it is simply the fact that I have already seen many places and no longer feel that same restless hunger I had at the beginning.
But accommodation is one of those things that can either ruin or completely elevate the experience of a trip.
And because of that, I think we all need to be a little more careful and sometimes invest slightly more to feel comfortable, safe, rested, and at peace during our travels.
In the end, if you want to read more about our whole trip through the Algarve, you can do it here
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