We stayed in an apartment in Marina Park for 11 days in December (including Christmas day) and had a great time.

We hired a car in Faro airport (Travelrent approx 120 euro for 12 days) and took the A22, exiting at the Lagos Este exit. Lagos is encircled by roundabouts, so don't worry about getting lost as you can always go back. In the end we probably didn't need the car as we used it so seldom.

We had a two bedroom apartment, en suite & main bathroom. The apartment is really spacious with lots of room to hang out. Decor a bit drab & facilities are somewhat limited - we had to buy egg cups, mugs, washing up liquid, soap, shampoo, shower gel, pot scubbers etc. There is a dishwasher but we never used it since there were limited dishes. As others have mentioned, there's no kettle, so we had to boil the breakfast eggs first, then boil the water for the tea. There are lifts to all floors. Since there are 27 blocks the view will depend on where the block is and what's blocking it's view (other blocks in our case); we visited one apartment which had a nice view of the swimming pool and the far off hills. The reception staff were very helpful when needed (although we didn't have any problems).

The location is great - 10 brisk minutes down to the Marina or Meia Praia beach, 15 minutes to the town of Lagos across the footbridge. The taxi fare from the main town is 3.90euro if you can't face the hill after several drinks, but it's no big deal if you're fit.

The onsite mini market is closed during the off season, but the big supermarket, Pingo Doce is at the bottom of the hill to the right & stocks everything. There are also lots of smaller supermarkets in the town which open quite late. Buy cheeses, serrano ham, pates, tomatoes & have a great healthy brunch each day.

Favourite eating places - Adega Marina (huge, noisy, very cheap & very good); Piri Piri (cheap - great cataplana); Dos Artistas (fantastically expensive, but worth the treat); Mullens (cheap to medium prices, combine good food with music & possibly dancing later in the evening); Linda's Beach Bar for middle priced & excellent breakfast, lunch or dinner on the beach; Dos Cais (on the Marina - middle price, excellent food); Dos Armous... I could go on. Would recommend Mullens for its cast of interesting characters, both staff & customers, laid back atmosphere & great canecas of beer. There is a small taverna at the bottom of the hill (to the right) which has a pool table, & lots of locals; espresso 80cents, beer 1.50euro; and lots of atmosphere. All locals dreading 1st January when no more indoor smoking allowed.

Xmas dinner was cooked in the apartment since it was difficult to find out which restaurants were to open. Delicious prawns & garlic, with steak, spuds, salad, trifle made a perfectly acceptable xmas meal.

Lots of nice walks around - down to Meia Praia, around the fishing harbour, up to Dona Ana beach. There is a cliff walk to Praia de Luz (about 7km from Marina park) but we drove and watched a most magnificent sunset.

Other trips to Sagres - higgledy piggledy town straggling down to a beautiful harbour, with Cap St Vincent and the fortalezza. Well worth a visit.

We also drove over to Vilamoura to see a more upmarket version of the Lagos Marina - beautiful beach there as well but higher prices - 18euros for a monkfish kebab?

We went dolphin watching with Bom Dia (25 euro per person). Be prepared for a thrilling ride in a very small boat; wear a sweater to keep warm out on the open sea. The dolphins put on a great show for us - one of the many highlights of the trip.

We loved Lagos town and spent many hours just wandering around the quaint streets (none of which were suitable for wheelchairs!). The Owl Story bookshop is tucked away in a back street but is good for buying second hand books very cheaply - and you can return these for more books if you're there long enough.

As the return flight was early in the morning we booked Hotel Monaco, 2kms from Faro airport to spend the last night (47.50euros). This allowed us to pack, clean up the apartment & dump the car at the airport before heading into Faro for a wander, while also giving us a few extra hours in bed the next morning. This proved a good idea since we managed to find ourselves in a very poorly signposted long term car park at the airport instead of the non signposted return area for the smaller rental companies. The minimum fee for this car park was for seven days for 53euro - reasonable if you wanted to spend seven days there, but not for when you've made a mistake & want to get out fast. We had to find the parking office (silver building in front of the airport) & ask to be released. It seems this happens fairly frequently, so for the price of 1euro to get a new ticket we were able to free ourselves & eventually get to the right section. We were glad this wasn't at 6 in the morning while rushing to catch a flight.

We'd love to go back to Marina Park - and the time was just perfect with small crowds & the weather mainly fine & sunny.

We were a family of 5, with a 16, 9 and 5 year old. Just stayed in a two bed apartment and it was great. The apartment itself was new, fresh looking, modern, loads of space and clean. There is a large main and a small kids pool, which are okay, but freezing as is the case in Portugal in October !. The pool was 100m away and the food in the poolside cafe was okay. There is no entertainment at the site, which meant it was quiet. The downsides are the apartment should have had a kettle, there were 5 of us and the hot water didn't stretch to 5 showers. The supermarket beside the site just shut for the season, so have a 1k walk to the main one. the location is not great as although its a 2k walk to the beack and the centre, which is okay, there is a steep hill, so if you have mobility problems, this may be an issue.
Would recommend jeep safari, dolphin seafari for excursions, and slide and splash for the kids (big and small !). Best food is at Giovata Branca Veach bar and No Patio, where you will need to book.

I recently stayed for one week in the Marina Park with my husband.

Location: Located 10 minute walk uphill from the Marina. Car hire is recommended by the travel company I think due to the location but we really didn't feel it was necessary, it was a pleasant walk downhill and not too bad at night uphill or alternatively a 4 euro taxi ride from the town.

Accommodation: We stayed in a 2 bed apt. It had all the mod cons as mentioned previously and no more explanation needed only that it was spotless, brand new, and I had no complaints. Every need was catered for. Apartment was cleaned every second day and towels changed also.

Reception: Reception closed at 8pm at night, possibly the only downfall as we arrived particularly late from the airport and the security guard was no where to be found, however it was resolved quickly and we were shown to our room. Reception staff were very friendly and willing to help, call taxis etc.

Pool/Restaurant: There was a restaurant on site which was convenient for lunch although snacks and drinks were twice the price of anywhere
in the town. The pool area was very pleasantly landscaped and spotlessly clean with plenty of sun beds

Lagos town itself was fantastic. We have been to Alvor 2 years ago but would return more quickly to Lagos as there was more variety although it still retained the authenticity of Alvor.

Recommendations:
Do Cais: Nice for an afternoon drink(s!) in the marina, happy hour from 4-7
Restaurants recommendations:
D. Henrique(Rua de Abril) fantastic seafood & flambe desserts
Arribale(Rua de Barroca) Seafood
Navegador(Rua de Barroca) Seafood
Don Toro Angus Steakhouse- Excellent steaks

As always - Portugal has never failed. Weather great, golf great and this time stayed at the Marina Park Apartments for the first time .... loads of space, great views of Lagos, cleaned twice a week, mega balcony and 5 mins walk to the Marina. Apartment had full kitchen (but no kettle), washing mc, fridge freezer. You could live in this for months (and have your own bathroom if theres only 2 travelling. Definitely go back there next year.

Spend a night at Stevie Rays Jazz bar behind Dom Henrique restaurant (excellent food as well), buzzing night!

The Wig