Travel Diary: A workation in Praia da Luz, Portugal

I'm already scoping out plans to return next year!

I’ve loved hearing other writers read their stories, so this week, I’m trying out the voiceover feature. I uploaded the first (and only) recording I created, so there are a few little bumps, but I’ll get better… Also, this post might be too long for your inbox, so if you’re not already reading it in-app or on the web, open it here. Enjoy!

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Last May, my boyfriend and I spent a week in Lagos, Portugal. We’re both into playing padel, and when we realized there were two courts in town, we contacted them about taking lessons during our holiday. I’m so glad the court in the city center was fully booked because it forced us to discover a small beach town called Praia da Luz. It’s part of the municipality of Lagos, but it has more of a local, small-town vibe. Luz is roughly 10 minutes by car from Lagos through the beautiful countryside of the Algarve region with its rolling green hills and bright yellow flowers.

I <3 Praia da Luz, as you can see.

After discovering the area last May, we immediately booked an Airbnb for February, a not-so-beautiful time of year in Amsterdam. Many people here plan a winter holiday somewhere warm to escape the short, grey, cold days, and a cute villa with a view of Praia da Luz is hard to resist!

Our flight from Amsterdam Schiphol to Faro Airport was around three and a half hours. The drive from Faro to Luz should be one hour, but we screwed up with the maps and made it in one hour and forty minutes. Lesson learned. Next time, we’ll take the main highway, not the smaller roads.

When we arrived at our home for the next two weeks, it was dark and I admit a little spooky because the town is so quiet at night. It was also freezing inside the house. We couldn’t figure out how to close the sun shades on the outside of the windows in the main bedroom, so the first night, we pushed together the two single beds in the second bedroom, piled on the blankets, plugged in the electric heater, and shivered until we fell asleep. Between you and me, I kinda liked having separate blankets that night, and I’m now considering it at home.

Anyway, I was thinking, Oh fuck, I convinced K. to book this trip on an impulse because it will be warmer and sunnier than Amsterdam, and now this???

But the next morning, I wandered up the stairs to the living room and found this beautiful view!

What a view!

We opened all the doors and windows to let in the warm air and sunshine, and slowly the house warmed up. Problem solved. At night, we used the fireplace to warm the living room. Watching the sunset with a cozy fire flickering in the background warms your body and soul. Plus, we both learned how to start a fire. So it was a win-win.

K. and I both like slow travel. We don’t like to race around from one landmark to another. We’d rather get a feel for what it’s like to actually live in the place we’re visiting. I’m glad we agree on this, even if we don’t agree on many other things!

The beach, padel, and Lagos.

Our days in Praia da Luz consisted of walks on the beach, trying new restaurants, hiking on the cliff above the beach, sipping beers while listening to live music with surfers catching waves in the distance, going to the spa (where K. somehow managed to burn himself on almost every hot surface and I tried to zone out even while he was talking to me…oops), and venturing into Lagos to explore and eat at Michelin-star restaurants for very affordable prices (all things considered). We mixed all this with freelance work (for me) and side project work (for K.).

Beers by the beach and two shots from Lagos city center.

Generally, even at home in Amsterdam, I work Monday through Thursday for my freelance writing clients, but sometimes I let things spill over into Friday and before I know it, I’ve dropped my boundaries and I’m letting my business run me instead of the other way around. Traveling is a great way to reset these bad habits, at least for me. I love how traveling, even if it's a workation, encourages you to zoom out on your life and see it from a different perspective. Life is good, I often think, once I have a moment to observe mine from a distance.

So, I think that’s enough of storytime. I’ve created a short, curated list of Praia da Luz recommendations from me to you. I thought twice about writing this because I don’t want the place to get overcrowded, but considering my low follower and subscriber count, I think it will just be fine.

My Praia da Luz recs

Food

Portuguese Steak, inside Fortaleza, and Cataplana

1. Don Sebastião is a Michelin restaurant where you can eat delicious meat and fish dishes paired with nice wine for affordable prices. The Portuguese Steak is a must for meat lovers!

2. Café Bombordo is a great lunchtime spot near the beach with its range of tasty and unique sandwiches. Pro tip: Stick to the sandwiches! K. tried a burger once, and it wasn’t great.

3. Fortaleza da Luz is a Portuguese restaurant inside a fortress built in 1670 that overlooks the water. It was constructed to protect the church and the villagers from marauding pirates and Moors. It’s quite cozy inside with brick walls and large chandeliers. I enjoyed the Cataplana (a traditional slow-cooked seafood stew from the Algarve) and K. had a steak—both delicious.

Wellbeing and sports

Not many pics from the spa because I didn't bring my phone in there—another reason why I loved it so much! Here are two of my favorite views from our hike.

1. SAL Spa was my second home in Luz. I went four times. They offer a one-hour spa circuit (more about that here) and affordable massages. Plus, if you book a massage, you can enjoy the spa circuit for one hour before your massage for only €10 more.

2. Ocean Club Padel is what attracted us to Luz in the first place. If you like padel and want to take lessons, I’d be happy to recommend our teacher (just let me know in the comments!). The club also organizes Americano tournaments four days a week, so there’s always a chance to practice and meet new people. I loved combining travel with sports, especially because I usually eat and drink more when I travel, so it made me feel like less of a cow.

3. Hiking is another great activity to enjoy in Luz. We found a trail starting here, climbed to the top, and walked along the cliff edge overlooking the water. Unfortunately, we had to cut it short because of a spa appointment I had already booked. It was also our last day, so we didn’t have time to return, but next time I’d like to explore more hiking trails.

Essentials

Ice cream is essential, of course.

1. There are two markets in Luz (Spar and Baptist), but they’re expensive compared to some of the larger ones like Aldi, Lidl, and Contente that you can find in Lagos. When we had to stock up, we drove to Lagos to save money.

2. Ice Cream Factory (self-explanatory).

3. If you visit Praia da Luz in the winter, you’ll likely need firewood to heat your living area. We found it at Baptist in Luz or Contente in Lagos.

🫠 Phew! This took more time to write than I expected—big respect to all the travel bloggers/writers out there. ✌️

See you soon,

Alexis

P.S. If you liked what you just read and want to support me, please tap the heart and leave a comment below to help more people find it (and so I know what’s resonating). ❤️

Comments

1. Do you like slow travel too?

2. Have you been to Praia da Luz?

3. What’s your favorite workation spot?

4. How’s it going?

I’ll leave you with this fun video of me taking a cold dip after a padel lesson. Lol.