This is easily one of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in Europe and the best I saw in…read morePortugal. Underneath the cliffs, you can walk down a lengthy set of stairs to the beach. The shots from the cliffs themselves are the most ready for Instagram, but I'd suggest taking the stairs down and spend some time on the beach. It's a beautiful serene spot that is worth the climb up/down the stairs. As many have suggested, this is better for the young and limber given the amount of stairs necessary to make it down to the beach.

Beautiful beach and can get crowded especially with the rising tides decreasing the amount of space…read moreavailable for beach goers around the afternoon. Sand was clean. Views are incredible. Water was clear and blue but very cold at the time that I went. We came in the beginning of May, and our skin would turn red if we stayed in the water too long. There's a long staircase down to the beach. Probably not a good idea for very old and fragile, tired people. Otherwise, quite doable.

Huge beach! It's about 3 miles/6 km long. The west end is the family beach but the east end past…read morethe boardwalk is a clothing optional beach if that's your thing. The west end is also is good for finding seashells. There are multiple restaurants and umbrella rental services along the beach. The waves tend to be higher here that Pria Porto de Mos because it's more exposed (as are some of the patrons!).

Not as nice a beach as Praia Dona Ann but closer and pretty nice. Several different sections of the…read morebeach between different rock formations and rock outings. Went here a couple of different days and one day it was covered in seaweed and pretty smelly on the biggest part but the smaller sections were not. Always clean and I am so impressed that the Portuguese respect their beaches and natural beauty and no one has defaced any of the rock faces, yes the concrete walls around the stairs but not once on any rock formation that we saw. Some locals liked to play music a little too loud, but otherwise peaceful but we were off season.

Though this is just the "city beach," it's not as bad as that might suggest. "Potato Beach" is easy…read moreto get too, small but not too small, and sheltered a bit from the wind. It's also generally quite clean (though be careful, as we saw at least one jerk let his dog poop on the sand, and when we called him out on not picking up after the dog, he sort of shrugged and kicked some sand over it... WHA???). Inconsiderate beach-goers aside, it's still litter-free and a nice spot to hang out. I hear it gets crowded in the high season, but in April there were only maybe half a dozen groups hanging out, leaving plenty of room for everyone.

great food and staff! Suraj made me feel like family! Obrigato! Very very good and very very cheap.read more

Great little restaurant on the corner, service was stellar! Waiter was awesome. Four of us walked…read morein without a reservation, all ordered different items--all delicious...from the shrimp curry to the cod fillet to the fried fish burger!

Great beach with nice sand and supposedly not as busy as other beaches during July and August. It's…read moreabout 2km/ 1 1/4 miles long and sits in a bay. At low tide it's even longer since you can get around cliffs to the east. There are also cliffs that you can walk up to the east and wet to get great views. To the east you can walk to Ponte de Piedade in about 35 minutes with only the initial climb up the cliffs being strenuous. To the west you can walk the cliffs to Luz although the climb down is a little treacherous. There are also two restaurants at the beach O Antonio and Campimar which are reasonably priced even when you don't consider the premiere location. There's even bus service from Old Town if that's where you're staying.

This is definitely the best beach in Lagos. Not only is it quiet and stunning, but it's easily…read moreaccessible with plenty of free parking. Many beaches here are difficult to get to by foot, but this is a breeze. The cliffs are beautiful.

The largest beach in the area. It's 4.5 km (2.5+ miles) long and also quite wide. It stretched from…read moreLagos harbor all the way to Alvor harbor. There are concessions and bars on the western half of the beach and a clothing optional part on the eastern side, east of the last boardwalk. The beach has nice sand and often has a lot of shells on the eastern part.

Great beach that is easy to get to from our hotel. The beach was not overcrowded and the lifeguards…read morewere friendly and walked the beach to make sure all was safe. Excellent day spent at the beach. Definitely a must see.

Wow! Capitan Rui is a total professional... very clean and neat boat and equipment…read more He maneuvered the boat into grottos and caves that seemed smaller than the boat! The photo opportunities and his ability to hold position while waves crashed in and out was pure perfection. His English was great and his commentary and history of the area very appreciated.

Definitely one of the best experiences we had in Portugal! We were treated to about an hour and a…read morehalf boat ride on a boat that held about 10-12 people. Captain was great and took us to many caves and grottos and beaches. We had a lot of fun. Definitely worth the reasonable price and the small time investment. Go!

We only had mixed drinks, which were just ok. The view from the bar to the beach is sort of…read moreobstructed. Overall a decent place to catch a quick drink by the beach.

From the owner: From a Beach Shack to one of the best Beach Bars in the Western Algarveread more

Canico restaurant and Prainha beach, Alvor, Algarve, Portugal. Review by Suzie Killen…read more With its unbelievable rock formations, beautiful soft sands, amazingly yummy restaurant which includes a bar and café, and not forgetting the absolutely breathtaking sea views, this really is a location you have to see to believe. Having travelled all over the world in my 20s I can honestly say that this area is my all-time favourite. Throughout my childhood my family and I have had many unforgettable holidays here, so much so that my sister has chosen this place to celebrate the biggest day of her life in May 2011. Canico restaurant has very cleverly been built within the cliffs looking over Lagos Bay. To get to the bay below you can take an elevator down through the rocks, something I seem to want to do again and again and never tire of! The restaurant serves choices of Mediterranean cuisine as well as many traditional Portuguese dishes. There's a calming atmosphere during the day and a fantastic magical feel at night with the back-lit cliffs and local DJs or live music performing on the sands making you want to dance under the stars throughout the night! The beach itself is small but perfect, with crystal clear turquoise waters for bathing. Try taking a stroll and explore the many interconnecting quirky bays nearby. This really is such a memorable place that im somewhat reluctant to share it with others, but somehow I just can't keep it to myself either! I can guarantee you certainly won't be disappointed!