a lesser known paradise.

back in 1992 i convinced my parents to send me on the high school spanish trip to spain and portugal.

it was my first and only trip to europe before moving overseas.

spain was cool,

but i hated portugal.

probably the naivete of an american teenager.

so it was time to return to portugal after so many years.

when school let out in june, caitlin and i headed to the southern region of portugal known as the algarve.

and it was amazing.

i feel confident in saying that tourists who want to come to some of europe's most amazing beaches should skip those of france, italy and greece and head straight to portugal instead.

it's incredibly beautiful and so much less expensive than the typical tourist destinations.

we started the week in armacao de pera. there are some beautiful beaches along this section of the algarve, but they are quite spread out. this was something we realized after google took us on a several mile journey through dirt paths and brush. in flip flops.

#notthebestmoment

however, most of the beaches in portugal are nestled between cliffs and have quite the picturesque backdrops.

despite the cloudy skills, still beautiful

#photoshoot

cave beaches

sometimes trusting google is a questionable decision...

amazing rock formations

same rocks, but from the sea

this coastline is incredible.

wow wow wow.

after a few days with a verrrrrrrry interesting airbnb host, we moved onto lagos.

there we stayed in a delightful airbnb and the nearby beaches were quite walkable and each unique in their own way.

each day we headed off to a different beach, some quiet, some busy, but all stunning.

beauty for days

right on the beach

i've never seen such large shells on the beach

and such clear water

the biggest problem this area has is the water temperature.

even in late june.

it was freezing.

but, i digress...

the southernmost point in europe

cabo de sao vicente (cape saint vincent)

this beach was huge, and nearly empty

the beach for our last day in portugal

just incredible.

#lifemotto

travel tips for the algarve:

- this was a solid airbnb option; this was not
- in lagos we did okay without a rental car, but i'd probably recommend it if you want to go to other areas
- here's a nice post from migrating miss that you might find useful in trip planning and the brit & the blonde shared their top 5 beaches here

have you ever been to the algarve? fave beach?