The Marina, Lagos. December 2007.

Cheap Holiday Deals

We were lucky to find a real bargain flying with EasyJet and staying in the Magnolia Mar Beach Club out at Praia de Mos. We had an eight day break, self catering, for around £250 for the two of us including flights.

We found this deal online at the EasyJet holiday website. This isn't an advert for EasyJet; there were many other equally good deals to be had, so shop around. We've flown with "no frills" airlines before e.g. Jet2 to Hungary and have found them to be good value and reasonably efficient.

Weather

Overcast skies, Praia de Mos.

Overall the weather was mild. We had some heavy rain for two days during which there was a spectacular thunderstorm. Some English ex-pats who'd been there 20 years were saying this was very unusual. As a rule you can expect the temperature to be cooler in the early morning and from about 4pm onwards you'll need a jacket or sweater. In the middle of the day it was warm enough to sit and eat outside on the balcony in a sleeveless top and there was plenty of sunshine. When it was raining there was a wind coming in off the Atlantic which made for some pretty awesome waves, but otherwise just a gentle breeze.

Getting About

Railway station at Silves.

Our accommodation was about 2 miles from the town centre, although only a five minute walk from the nearest beach (Praia de Mos). It was possible to walk into the town but it was mostly up some pretty steep hills. We never did figure out if there was a bus service nearby but the hotel provided a once a day free bus service into Lagos leaving at 10am and returning at 6.30pm. If we missed this we used a taxi which cost around 5 Euros each way (about £3).

There's a good local train service from Lagos and we used this one day for a trip to the nearby town of Silves. It cost only 4 Euros each return.

Eating (and Drinking) Out

Typical pavement café.

Most places were open during the off season. There are plenty of small cafes where you can get a coffee, beer or a snack. The restaurants all offer much the same choice of menu, with plenty of fish. Prices vary of course. The best place we found was a tiny restaurant down near the police station called Jaou's. It was owned by a husband and wife in their fifties and was clean and welcoming without being ostentatious. The food was cooked as we watched and was superb. Try the "green" soup. Out of this world!

Jimmy at The Three Monkeys.

Lagos has a number of bars and pubs quite a few of which are run by expats. If you like football the Fools and Horses has a big screen. For fans of 60's and 70's rock music then The Three Monkeys is a must. They play none stop (loud) music and will play requests if you ask nicely! The staff are really friendly and we had some very interesting conversations - despite the volume of the music.

Beaches

Praia de Mos. December 2007.

There are a number of beaches around Lagos. We stayed within five minutes walking distance from Praia de Mos, which was breathtakingly beautiful - and practically deserted in December. Not a time of year for sunbathing. Even though there was wall to wall sunshine it was pretty chilly down on the beach. Not everyone was put off though.As we relaxed with a coffee at Antonio's beach restaurant, we did spot the very brave soul pictured below!

December surfer……brrrr!

The Old Town

The Old Town Wall, Lagos.

The Old Town was once surrounded by a wall of which only fragments seem to remain. The streets are narrow and paved with unusual mosaic cobbles. It's a bit of a maze at first and easy to get lost but after a while you somehow manage to instinctively find your way a round. It was particularly attractive when we saw it because of Christmas. Decorations and lights were up and there was a carol service held in the Old Town square. If you like your Christmas uncommercialised you'll love the atmosphere.

Christmas lights in Lagos.

A typical street.

Shopping in Lagos.

Old Town Square.