Lagos Avenida

Great location with lots of potential. Unfortunately has a hotel wide ant problem. Tldr had to move rooms throughout, where both had ant infestations. Hotel staff did try to mitigate the issue, however having your stay disrupted with staff coming in and out to spray/apply solution, and having to move our things was not something anyone wants to do during a vacation. Was told the solution applied takes 30 minutes for ants to die; woke up with dead ants everywhere all over the floor and bed. Spoke to reception and was advised by the manager they are aware of the issue and have been trying to combat it for quite some time but that this is common in Portugal. We stayed in 3 other hotels across Lisbon, Lagos and Carvoeiro, no issues anywhere else.

Would've also been nice if the rooftop pool bar/patio didn't close at 8. Waste of an evening spot (and likely lost revenue to the hotel) for folks who want to stay in after spending the day out.

Needless to say it was an unfortunate experience.

The Avenida hotel was our first stop of a 10-day trip in Portugal and our favourite hotel of the 4 we stayed at. The location is great, you can walk to the old town where all the bars and restaurants are, and it's right across from the marina which is both pretty to look at and convenient if you're doing a boat tour (which we did). There's a bridge directly across from the hotel that you can walk across to go to the marina where boat tours leave from and there are some restaurants and shops, and it was nice to even watch the bridge open and close to let the boats go by. The hotel itself is small and modern. The restaurant is award winning, but we didn't have dinner there. Breakfast is included with the stay and it was incredible - the freshest fruit, amazing pastries and croissants, delicious coffee and then there's also a menu you can order off of that's also included with breakfast, and we had delicious poached eggs on sour dough toast and waffles. We still talk about the breakfasts. Another highlight of the hotel is the rooftop pool/bar. We would go there every afternoon after a day of exploring and relax by the pool, get a drink and take in the views. The pool isn't deep, so you can do laps or just stand there with a drink taking in the views which are beautiful. Even the music they played up there was great - I loved all the playlists - great vibe. And since it's a small hotel it was never crowded. The rooms are small but clean and comfortable, and you're really not in them for long anyway. The only thing that's a bit of a pain is parking. The hotel has 3 spots behind the hotel but they're almost always full, so you have to pay to park in an underground garage that's a few minutes away and a bit annoying to get in and out of - but still it wasn't the biggest deal. The staff were very helpful and friendly, and on our last day we had to leave at 7am to catch a train to Lisbon and since we missed breakfast they packed us a lunch to go. I wouldn't recommend this hotel for families with kids, but for an adult getaway it was the absolute perfect spot to stay in Lagos. I would 100% go back. I'm still dreaming about the rooftop pool and delicious breakfasts.