Because breathtaking; the Algarve certainly is! I discovered that when I was there with Alieke to work remote for 10 days. This most southern region of Portugal is incredibly diverse, from mountains to beaches and from touristy to deliciously local: the Algarve really has something to offer everyone. We visited Lagos, Carvoeiro, Portimão and Monchique, read about our experiences in these unique towns here!
Atmospheric nomad hotspot Lagos
It can be done: finding an atmospheric, authentic destination that is also hip and progressive. Because the streets in Lagos are narrow, winding and really Portuguese but there are plenty of hip places where digital nomads are also increasingly settling. You can also find more and more coworkspace, where you can subscribe by the day, by the week or by the month. We stayed at WOT Lagos Montemar, a hotel with nice rooms and a coworking space to work in. In the evening, we ate at the Portuguese restaurant Don Sebastião where the service consists of some older staff and the decor is wonderfully cozy, we love it!
Do you prefer timelessly delicious food? Then we can recommend Tivoli. The chef prepares both meat and fish dishes on a large grill. And if you want veg, let the chef surprise you, they love to do that here! Of course we were also just active during the day, for example, after work we went kayaking along the beautiful rocky coast, a great experience! We wrote a separate blog about the activities we did in Lagos and the rest of the Algarve: read all about what you can do in the south of Portugal here.
Peace and luxury in Carvoeiro
We could have enjoyed ourselves much longer in Lagos but after a few days it was time for the next destination: Carvoeiro! And wow, the accommodation that awaited us there is truly one out of a fairy tale. For remote workers looking for peace and luxury during their remote work trip, the accommodations at Seven Collection are really a must. We could write a lot about this, but check out the photos below this piece, need we say more?
Carvoeiro: from hip to delightfully authentic
Of course we worked a lot in our beautiful apartment but we also went into Carvoeiro itself. If you are in this town and looking for a hip hot spot where you can work AND eat, then Encci is your go to! The menu features eye- and mouth-watering brunch dishes and the restaurant is equally beautiful. Is the evening drawing in and getting hungry again? Then walk towards the beach where there are several restaurants. We settled at O Patio, where you can eat classic Portuguese food.
We also like to give a special mention to Restaurante Veneza, which is a half-hour drive from Carvoeiro. Do not let the travel time stop you, it is totally worth it! At Veneza you dine as if in a liquor store where you are surrounded by truly hundreds of types of wines. Of course you will be served one with each course: espumante (Portuguese sparkling wine), red, white, rosé and port. An amazing experience!
What to do in Carvoeiro
Carvoeiro lends itself to so much more than just eating and drinking, so we went on Jeep Safari and visited one of the amazing beaches nearby. You can read where we went in the blog we wrote about our activities in the Algarve.
Algarve destination number 3: Portimão
After a few days our time here was over and it was time for Portimão, our next destination in the Algarve. We stayed at the NH Hotel and we actually expected to find a classic hotel but nothing could be further from the truth. The NH Hotel in Portimão is more like a cozy resort of attractive red and yellow houses, located on the city’s marina. The first night we ate at the T-Bone Tender Steakhouse where, as a vegetarian, I could also eat surprisingly well. Want a simple meal for once and don’t feel like choosing? Then we recommend AP Oriental’s buffet restaurant. The view is good too, as this restaurant overlooks the beach!
What to do in Portimão
During the day, of course, we spent plenty of time on Portimão’s amazing beach, where every type of beach lover is catered for. The sporty ones can enjoy themselves at the beach volleyball, the luxury bathers settle down on a sun bed under an umbrella and the beach walkers enjoy the beautiful cliffs during a hike. Portimão is otherwise fairly touristy, but it is also attracting more and more digital nomads. We visited a digital nomad meet-up here that Alieke wrote about in a separate blog.
Monchique: pearl in the Algarve interior
For the final days of our trip, we headed inland and stayed at Vila Foia just outside Monchique, another accommodation with a wow factor! The villa has a beautiful pool, a jacuzzi from which you overlook the valley and the location is perfect for making hikes in the mountains. Lovely if you want to be active after a working day. Tip: want to eat well in Monique? Then go for lunch at Cafe da Vila and dinner at Cafe Vintage Tapas & Wine. Both fantastic places!
Finally, what struck us about the Portuguese and the Algarve
Unfortunately, after Monchique our remote working trip was already over. We could have stayed here much longer and that means only one thing: we will definitely go back! Besides having slept, eaten and worked wonderfully, we noticed the following that we really want to share with you:
- The Portuguese are incredibly friendly, they try very hard to please you.
- Portuguese are fluent in English, quite handy anyway because our Portuguese is um, not very good.
- All the places we visited are about 30 minutes away from each other. So you can easily plan activities in different towns if you work here remotely.
Algarve as a temporary workplace for businesses
We really enjoyed our time in the Algarve and for anyone considering another week (or longer) remote trip: definitely go to this beautiful Portuguese region! This is also a great destination for companies who want to spend a week abroad with their team or the whole company to work. If you want help organizing a workation for your company or team, be sure to let us know. We have a large network of suitable accommodations that we are happy to put to work for you. Até yes/until soon!
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