Where to stay in the Algarve on short notice?

Most of our bookings for the three stays in Portugal over the last year have been made via www.booking.com

Tthe beach at Tavira - Ilha de Tavira - is a short boat ride away from town. Plenty of good places to eat in Tavira as we've found on our two visits (last one was in March this year).

Cabanas is a good day trip from Tavira. Beach is again a short ferry ride from centre and there's quite a few restaurants and cafes on the main strip near the boardwalk. We got there by bus as we hadn't a car for our week in March.

We have also stayed in Lagos, but that was for one night only in the HI hostel in the centre back in 2013.

Didn't see that much of Lagos thanks to the heavy rain that arrived soon after we did - other TT posters may be able to fill in some details here!

Hope this helps..

August in the Algarve is not really laid back it is busy and lots of nightlife. #1 suggestion is very good Tavira is a bit off the typical package destinations and the beach at Ilha de Tavira is superb. As above check www.booking,.com but i fear you are too late for any reasonable accommodation. Both Spain and the Algarve are pretty full this year.

You might want to look around northern Portugal there some nice beaches around there and it is less touristy although that is where a lot of Portuguese head for their holidays.

What dates in August?

Aug 12-21

Thanks. Is there a town in the north that you recommend?

Vianha do Castelo is very nice town a bit of a walk to a wonderful long beach. With the whole west coast you should know that the sea can be quite rough even in August so not great for children. Whatever you do you need to book something as soon as possible you are straddling the big bank holiday of August 15th. So you will be vying with foreign and Portuguese tourists for accommodation.

Second this one - self and GF had a couple of relaxing days there last year.

Good place to wander around, have pizza and beer on street side cafes or head into the main street's supermarket fish section to see conger eel on ice. One of the cafes also does great coffee and cake too.

LP guide behind covers at moment as we're decorating, but there's also a good pizza place in one of the side streets to the left of the main street as you're facing the river - Pizzaria Dolce Vianna in Rua do Poco (reciept was in a file that hadn't been covered up!).

Funicular railway takes you up to a great viewpoint above the town and you can go higher by heading up the nearby tower. Great sculpture in one of the squares near the promenade too.

We stayed at Pensao O Laranjeira - booked via www.booking.com

Hope this helps!

Few teaser pics taken over the last year in various parts of Portugal are in among this lot from one of my blog posts earlier in the year. Other ramblings about Portugal on there too - just click on Portugal from the list on the right of the screen to bring up postings (latest first, oldest last...)

https://wisepacking.me/2016/05/26/one-year-the-answers/

Will you be hiring a car, as this will make life easier. Look on booking.com and Owners Direct etc. Portugal is packed to the rafters this year, so you will just have to take what little there is available at such short notice. I suggest you look at somewhere such as Val De Telha near Aljezur or the inland towns. Tavira or Cabanas to the east are also options. Alvor is family friendly, if you can find something there.

Good luck.

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