Category: Review

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The Eiffel Tower Experience

The Eiffel Tower is open every single day of the year

  • from 9 a.m. to midnight from 17 June to 28 August,
  • from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the rest of the year,
  • At Easter weekend and during the Spring holidays : extended opening hours to midnight.

Obviously when one goes to Paris for the first time, a visit to the Eiffel Tower is a must-do activity.  You can’t not go and see it.  It’d be like going to New York City for the first time and not going to the Empire State Building.  Of course because it was holiday week when we were there, pretty much everyone in the world was thinking the same thing.  The base of the Eiffel Tower was packed with hundreds of people and the lines were long, like Disney World’s Space Mountain long.

Here’s a tip for any monument or museum visits in Paris (including the Eiffel Tower): Get tickets in advance online.  You’ll save yourself a ton of time and from a ton of hassle.   The first thing we had to figure out was which of the winding lines to stand in (and also try to find the end of each one).  It was like navigating through serpents of people.  Once we got into a line, we asked the people around us if we were in the right line.  If they spoke English – which was like a one in three chance – most of the time they shrugged and were clearly just as lost as we were.  At the same time other people were asking us the same question in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese – you name it.  And each time, we gave the same answer we were given – we just shrugged and said we didn’t know for sure.  It was kind of a hilarious scene – all these different races coming together in confusion despite the language barrier, and all sort of politely making the best of the scenario standing in mysterious lines that led to who knows where.

My sister was our recon soldier and when she came back to the line she let us know we had waited half an hour in the wrong one (figures right?).  Turns out there were four total lines – two go to the elevator that takes you to the 2nd floor (not the top) and two that let you walk to the 2nd floor.  So once we made our way over to the new line, we waited about an hour and a half.  If you’re going to visit the Eiffel Tower during the cold season – dress warmly.  It was very cold, and very windy.  Also, make sure to bring some reading material, Ipod, and a snack (croissant was my snack of choice) because you’ll probably want to do something to make the time standing out there go by a little faster.  

Once we got to the front, there was a sign that said, “Due to congestion we will not sell lift tickets to the top, only to the second floor.”  A few curses were tossed around by everyone in line, but at that point because we made it to the front we figured we may as well go up to at least the midsection of the Eiffel Tower.  The price for the lift ride to the 2nd floor is 8 Euros, the price for the ride to the top is 13 Euros (the price to walk to the 2nd floor is 4 Euros – you can’t walk all the way to the top).

The midsection of the Eiffel Tower is actually quite large and includes a cafe, bathrooms, gift shop, and the lift to the very shi-shi Le Jules Verne restaurant (we tried to get reservations, but the place gets booked months in advance).  We learned that we would be able to buy tickets to the top from the 2nd floor (for the additional 5 Euros) once the top cleared out a bit.  So we waited on the 2nd floor for another hour or so with some hot chocolate and snacks we bought at the cafe.  We waited in another line for about half an hour to get the tickets to the top and then an additional half hour for the elevator to the top.

Now if you’re queasy about heights, I should warn you.  The ride in the glass elevator to the top is a little unsettling.  I’m not that bothered by heights (see previous post about Skydiving), but even this ride is unnerving.  You can view some videos of the ride up and down on the Here and There Facebook page.  Once you get through the ride and to the top, the view is magnificent.   The 2nd floor view is good, but the extra height at the top really makes the birds-eye view of Paris spectacular.  There’s an outside patio that you can walk around on and a champagne bar for the romantic couples (or just tourists who are celebrating actually finally making it to the top).  But it is quite windy, and you should be prepared for the fact that if you’re unlucky, the visibility can be bad depending on weather conditions (we met some poor guy who had been up there the previous day and said he couldn’t see a thing).

Finally, if you’re able to get to the Eiffel Tower at night make sure to check it out at the top of the hour.  For six minutes the tower shimmers in magnificent fashion.  We didn’t know this until we took a night time bus tour that happened to go by the tower during this time (hence the not so great pictures of it from the bus below), so don’t miss a chance to see it.

So in summary, make sure to allot plenty of time in your day when you see the Eiffel Tower, especially if you don’t get tickets in advance (there really was like no line for people who had bought tickets in advance.  It’s amazing how many people around the world didn’t think to do that beforehand).  But it is worth the wait to say that you’ve been to the top of one of the most recognizable monuments in the world.

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Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport

On a recent trip to London/Paris, I was as excited not just to the see the sights, but to give Virgin Atlantic a try for the flight over.  I had heard a ton of great things about their airline and I was curious to see for myself.

I’ll say this right up front – I was underwhelmed.  I totally dug the throwback, 60’s Pam Am look.  Instead of the bright blue uniforms of that airline and era, replace them with the bright red ones of Virgin.  The service was very good; the flight attendants on the flight over and back were very friendly and accommodating.

Everything else about the flight was “eh” though.  On the flight to London, the most glaring issue was the size of the seat I was in.  The planes are split up into three sections – Upper class, Premium Economy, and Economy.  We were in Economy and what I didn’t realize that is even in Economy, if you don’t pay the extra $50 for a “purple seat”, you pretty much have no leg room.  I’m 5’9″, 155 lbs and literally, with the arms of the seat were practically pressed up against my thighs, my legs could spread apart at most 8 inches.  It was the most cramped I’ve ever felt on any airline.

The movie selection was actually very good on the flight over (on the flight back however…I’ll get to that later on), and it’s a good thing because you will NOT get a wink of sleep.  The mood lighting they advertise?  Only in first class.  And like any long flight, the babies were over the place.  Don’t get me wrong, I get that you can’t just leave your child behind while you travel and this is no fault of the airline, but there were toddlers all over the aisles and climbing on chairs.  It was ridiculous – the plane isn’t a playpen.

And one final thing to know – you can’t drink unlimited amounts on Virgin Atlantic.  They announce at the beginning of the flight that they will end drink service at the amount of consumption, not behavior.  As the flight attendant amusingly said “No point closing the barn door after the cows are out running lose”.  Now this isn’t a huge deal for me, I don’t need to get wasted on my flight over.  But it was just an observation I felt should be shared since I know several people who like the option of tossing back a few drinks on a long flight.

Now all of that was on the flight to Europe.  On the flight back, we luckily were upgraded to Premium Economy for free because the previous day’s flight was cancelled and they were trying to bump those folks onto our flight.  I was almost embarrassed sitting in Premium Economy looking up at the poor folks looking down on me as they walked back to Economy during boarding, but it was admittedly a nice feeling to see all the crying babies going past.  I told the woman next to me that we had been upgraded for free and she said, “Oh man, you’re lucky not to be back there.  This airline shoves people all together like cattle.  This is the only airline that I pay extra to make sure I’m not back there.”

Obviously, the comfort level increased exponentially with wide leather seats, a ton of leg room, champagne when you board, hot towels, and after dinner cognacs or Bailey’s as well as a mid-flight Haagen Dazs ice cream break.  And this was just Premium Economy.  I couldn’t even see what the Upper Class folks probably received. The shocking part of the flight back though was how bad the entertainment system was, possibly because we were on an older plane.  Unlike the flight over, this flight didn’t have an On-Demand style entertainment system.  Each movie was run at random times on different channels from a VHS, so you had to know exactly when the movie started, which there was no way of knowing.  On top of that, the colors were way off (everyone on my screen looked yellow) and the audio kept cutting off.  So I ended up watching and hearing only parts of Warrior and MoneyBall.

So all in all, the airline wasn’t horrible – it just didn’t live up to the hype.  They say on their website that they’ve won the Reader’s Choice award for Best International Airline four years in a row, but I can only imagine those casting the vote didn’t fly in Economy or fly on one of Virgin’s older planes.  I’d give my vote to Air France over Virgin any day.

And one quick tip when your flight lands at Heathrow Airport in London.  Chances are your flight will get in early in the morning.  Keep this in mind – if you have a layover in that airport, allow PLENTY of time.  Expect delays because pretty much ALL transatlantic flights coming from the east and west land at that time.  We had to wait on the runway for a gate to open up after landing, customs took a good 45 minutes to get through, and then the terminals are FAR apart.  You’re walking down hallway after hallway, through what is a essentially a huge shopping mall, and getting on the London Underground subway to get to adjacent terminals.  So the time from landing to getting to a new gate in a different terminal could take as long as an hour and a half to two hours.

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five fifty-five

555 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
tel: 207.761.0555

Dinner served from 5-close, seven days a week
Brunch every Sunday from 9:30-2:00

Portland, Maine is one of those cities in America that still holds the hidden gem status.  Most people don’t make it out to Portland due to its location and size, but for those who do make it up to Maine are usually pleasantly surprised at how much Portland does have to offer for a smaller city.

The downtown area has the vibrant energy of a seaport.  With seafood restaurants left and right offering some of the best lobster in America to local bars bustling with locals and Southern Maine University students offering many of the local brews, Portland combines that quaint hometown feel with an urban setting.  One restaurant in Portland that I tried recently skews on the higher end scale (higher end for Portland that is – there are no Tao Restaurant style places in Portland).

five fifty-five (yes, they spell the entire thing in lowercase) is considered by many to be one of the best restaurants in Portland.  I’ll say this up front: for Portland, the restaurant is one of the nicer places to have a fancy night out.  But don’t expect it to be anything ridiculously fancy.  The venue itself is very intimate with low lighting and a lot of wood making up the furniture and walls.  The wine list is quite extensive, almost surprisingly so. But if you’re a beer person looking for some local Maine brews you’ll want to head to another place since that list is far shorter.

The menu is pricey and although I’d like to say that the food is worth the price – I’m afraid I can’t.  That isn’t to say that the food isn’t excellent; it’s just a tad overpriced in my opinion.  I started out my meal with the “how do you like them apples” salad which was quite a nice starter of fresh greens, crisp apples, and perfectly toasted/salted walnuts. But for $11, I kind of expected a little more.

For the entree, I tried the lobster mac & cheese which was very tasty.  Again, it just wasn’t $31 tasty.  I will say that I was surprisingly filled by the portion.  It came out in a very small bowl and my first reaction was “This is it?”  But you know how Indian food comes out in a small bowl and you think you’re getting ripped off until you finish 2/3 of it and realize how full you actually are?  Same scenario.

Another item on the menu that I tasted is a nice Maine salmon wrapped in a leaf of some sort.  Its accompanied by several toppings (radishes, cashews, peppers) in small dishes for you to mix and match as you see fit and a portion of sauteed kale n the side.  The fish was a little dry, which I found surprising, but overall with the kale and toppings sides the dish wasn’t half bad.

So while I enjoyed what I ate, I’ll probably stick to Maine does best, the lobster shacks, for my meals.  five fifty-five doesn’t live up to the hype and is just little too overpriced in my opinion.  But that being said, its still a nice place to go if you want to have a classy night out in Portland.  The wine list is very good and the food is done well enough that you’ll be able to overlook the fact that you’re spending a few dollars extra than you should.  Grade: B-

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Fatty Crab

West Village location
643 Hudson Street
New York, NY
212-352-3592

Monday – Wednesday | Noon to Midnight
Thursday & Friday | Noon to 2AM
Saturday | 11AM to 2AM
Sunday | 11AM to Midnight

Upper West Side location
2170 Broadway
New York, NY
212-496-CRAB

Monday – Wednesday | Noon to 11PM
Thursday – Saturday, Noon to Midnight
Sundays | Noon to 10PM
Happy Hour | Monday – Friday, 4pm to 7PM

If Tao was the big, glitzy dinner, then the Fatty Crab was the opposite of that.  Located in the West Village (with a second location in the Upper West Side), the Fatty Crab is a small shack serving some of the most unique Malaysian-Thai hybrid food I’ve ever tried.  With seating for only about 30 (and about 6 at the bar) in the dark and intimate hut, you should expect to wait a little bit for a table if you’re a party bigger than 2.   Not to worry though, there are seats outside the restaurant and when we arrived there was a little crowd out there with their libations in hand (Note: Not totally sure if them drinking on the sidewalk outside the restaurant was legal, but they were going for it).

My buddy and I took a seat at the bar, which offers a full menu as well.  The menu is very small with only a handful of entrees and appetizers.  We got some recommendations from the bartender, who was more than happy to answer any questions we had about the food all night.  For starters, we gave the pork steamed buns a try.  Now these aren’t like the typical pork steamed buns you might get at Dim Sum in Chinatown; these required assembly.  The buns shaped like flattened donuts and we had to put the chunks of pork, along with what I think was plum sauce, and cabbage on top of it.  From there it was a little awkward trying to fold it up like a taco because it was so bulky, but it was damn tasty even as messy as it was.

For our entrees, we tried the Nasi Lemak and Beef Rendang.  Of those two, the Nasi Lemak was the far more bizarre one.  The dish consists of a platter of some of the craziest flavors put together.  There’s a large chicken leg, that tasted like it was slow cooked and it came off the bone with ease.  The chicken was on top of coconut rice that we were instructed to mix with the poached egg on the plate.  Also on the plate was a fish paste called “otak” which was on top of these spicy, sardine eggs (or something crunchy that was fishy).  I didn’t mind the fishiness of the paste, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the spicy sardine eggs.  I liked the spice, but the sardine part was just one step too salty, fishy for me.

The Beef Rendang was the more traditional looking dish, but just a tasty.  The dish was made up of short ribs that were braised in lemongrass chili and it came with an interesting sweet paste.  The short ribs were very good, a tad bit over cooked for my taste, but still tender, and very savory.

The restaurant is a good example of a place having a small menu, but doing each item very well.  All it all, it’s a great little place to try some exotic flavors, or to take a date who doesn’t mind a little adventure in their meal.  Grade: B+

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Tao Restaurant

Tao Restaurant
42 East 58th Street
New York, NY 10022-1910

Hours:

Sun 5pm–12am
Mon-Wed 11:30–12am
Thu-Fri 11:30–1am
Sat 5pm–1am

Recently, I took a little trip up to New York City to catch up with old friends and, quite honestly, just go for the hell of it because it had been a while.  The one thing that I had forgotten in the two and a half years since I was last in New York was the energy of the city that you don’t find in Washington, D.C. or most other metropolitan areas.  It practically hit me in the face the moment I walked out of Penn Station.

I spent the weekend doing mainly touristy things such as Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, checked out Ground Zero and the building of the Freedom Tower, and roamed around the East and West Villages.  But of course the highlight of any trip to NYC is the food – and there was plenty of it this weekend.

Since I hadn’t seen a bunch of New Yorker friends in a while, I organized a dinner for us all.  At the suggestion of my one college buddy, we made our way to Tao Restaurant in midtown Manhattan.  Tao, like New York City in general, is pretty much what you’d expect from a trendy NYC restaurant on a Friday night: noisy, busy, vibrant, pretentious, and super gaudy, but fun nonetheless.  As my one friend who has lived in NYC for the past five years put it – “This place is so New York” with a little tone of “I would probably never come here in general” thrown in, kind of like how I can’t remember the last time I was in a Smithsonian museum even though I’ve been in D.C. for years.

There are a few things you should know about places like Tao before I continue.  They’re expensive and regardless if you have a reservation, there will be a wait (especially on a Friday night).  And even more so at this place because of the popularity (sightings of Jay-Z, Madonna, etc and a feature in Sex and the City – a fact I found out AFTER I had left NYC, so don’t go thinking Sex and the City is any draw for me).  I should also note that I sadly was not able to get any good pictures because my new phone’s case was covering the flash so none of the pics would show up.  The website has plenty in its gallery however.

So yeah, we had a 9:15 reservation; we were seated around 9:45-10:00 with the maitre d’ telling me, “Just a couple more minutes” every time I asked how much longer.  And the bar waiting area is not nearly big enough to hold all of the people waiting to get a table along with the folks just trying to grab a drink.  So be prepared to do a little bumping.  Our buzzer went off just as we were contemplating going somewhere else.

The main dining area a Tao is pretty expansive, but still packed so that there was probably only a foot between chairs and tables for one to squeeze through.  And overlooking the entire place is a GIGANTIC (and I emphasis that word) Buddha, which I’ll have to admit was pretty impressive, despite being as Las Vegas showy as it was.

The Tao menu isn’t huge, but hits all the typical Asian food types from sushi to noodles. With a group our size we decided to do it sort of family style and order several things to share.  Our waitress was very helpful telling us her favorite recommendations, and her suggestions were excellent.  Considering the hysteria in the place, the service was remarkably quick with the food coming out within a few minutes of us ordering our first round of appetizers.

The food at Tao is excellent; no doubt about it.  I’m going to make your life easier and just list out what we ate and give a quick impression.

Peking Duck Spring Roll – I love Peking duck, so yes I loved this.  The order came with 3 large duck spring rolls and the duck was perfectly fatty and savory.  The one thing I wish was that the duck skin inside would have been a little crispier.  Same goes for the egg roll wrap itself – I suspect they were trying to make make the wrap like a Peking duck pancake, but it didn’t quite work.

Pork Potstickers – these also were excellent, and considered by most at the table the best appetizer of the bunch.  They were larger than your typical gyoza, stuffed with a generous portion of salty, tender pork inside.

Spicy Tuna Tartar on Crispy Rice – what makes this more than just what amounted to a tuna sushi roll was the rice.  It was toasted giving it a delicious flavor and crunch.

Shrimp Pad Thai noodles – Not too bad, but not anything that you couldn’t get anywhere else.

Crispy Orange Chicken – same with the Pad Thai.  If you order it, you won’t be disappointed, but it’s not anything that is stand out.

Satay of Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Asparagus – now THIS was standout – the fish was cooked to perfection, super-flavorful and melted in your mouth.  The side of asparagus that came with it was actually not needed, but I do like a little crunch with my dishes so it worked.

Wasabi-crusted Filet with Tempura Onion Rings – another standout.  The filet was very good, and in most cases I would have said it was excellent but nothing special.  What made it special?  That wasabi crust was awesome – totally different, and gave the meat a real kick.

So food wise, everything was pretty amazing.  The plates came out in very easily sharable portions; I’m not sure if that’s how they are normally served or if our waitress was savvy enough to have the kitchen make it that way knowing we were all sharing from the start.

The one thing I could have done without were the the guys walking around banging drums next to us while we ate.  Totally unnecessary, really annoying, and as my one friend put it “They’re not even beating the drum to the beat of the music!”.  Also, the bathroom was a little weird.  I’m putting this in writing because my other male friends disagree.  Personally I don’t like having to urinate into a trough that lights up when you walk up to it, with a waterfall raining in front of you into the trough, while a bathroom attendant stands two feet away from you ready to pounce for a tip.  Maybe my friends have been in NYC too long because one of them said “What about it?  It was just a urinal.”

All in all though, great place for an excellent meal, a fun vibe if you’re willing to deal with the noise and wait, and very good service amid the chaos in the venue.  Food: A- Overall: B+ (because of that drummer banging away)

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Bluemont Vineyard

18755 Foggy Bottom Road
Bluemont, VA 20134 

Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Mondays
11am – 6pm
Winter Hours (November – February): 11am – 5pm

Phone: 540-554-8439

Obviously the Washington, D.C. area is famous for its historical monuments, Smithsonian museums and is the center for political celebrity sightings.  What might not be as well known is that the areas outside of Washington, D.C. contain a vast array of wine vineyards.  For someone who has lived in D.C. for as long as I have, visiting relatives soon grew tired of going to the Air and Space Museum and looking at the Washington monument.   So if you’re looking for something different to do in the area, jump in your car and take a quick drive west or south to one of the hundreds of vineyards that Northern Virginia has to offer.

Because I was a little overwhelmed by how many choices the region had to offer, at the suggestion of my officemate, I decided to try out the Bluemont Vineyard in Bluemont, VA (about an hour west of Washington).  It’s an easy vineyard to get to, just a few miles past Dulles International Airport.  Be sure to have a car that can handle a little off-roading; getting to the main complex where the wine tasting and restaurant are requires you to drive down a pretty beat up driveway.

Once you get through the rocky road, the complex is located at the top of a hill and the view is spectacular.  When you walk into the quaint, Bed and Breakfast style building, you’ll immediately want to go upstairs to where the wine tastings take place.  For $5 you get to sample 8 different red and white wines, as well as get a little talk about the vineyard (a good portion of their wines are made with fruit from the farm across the road).  It’s a pretty good deal considering you get in total about a glass and half of different wines.

After our tasting, we chose to purchase a bottle of their 2008 Vidal Blanc named “The Cow”.  That along with a meat and cheese platter which we purchased off their food menu (their food menu consists of lots of appetizer style fare) we took our meal out to the deck and enjoyed the scenery.  I highly recommend the meat and cheese platter which  consists of 2 types of salami, and two types of cheese (one veggie cheese and one amazingly good spicy cheese) and a warm loaf of french bread.   There’s plenty of seating outside on the deck and on the tables set up on the lawn, but on the colder days, it might be a little tight inside (although the fireplace did seem really nice, and I’d bet it’d be great during those winter months).

So if you have a free afternoon in the D.C. area, and you’re looking for something a little different to do – give the Bluemont Vineyard a try.  It makes a great place to bring friends, a date, or if you have a bigger function, there’s enough room to have a wedding party and/or a family gathering.

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Norfolk, VA

Admittedly, I’ve never been to Norfolk,VA but after reading my friend’s blog post – I think I’m going to have to take a trip down.  Here’s more from Christopher O’Brien – Norfolk, VA enthusiast:

“How to Get Anyone to Fall in Love with Norfolk in 48 Hours or Less”

I’ve been living in the DC-area now for just over 11 years, and for the past year and a half or so, I’ve been plotting to move back to Norfolk.

My friends, bless them, have cheerfully indulged my escapism. Even as we survived elections, Snowpocalypses, one embarrassing Redskins season after another, and DC summers, they have endured me regularly filling their ears with stories about seven beautiful cities at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. I finally decided that it was time to stop telling them about this magical place and start showing them.

If there’s one good thing that I’ve gotten from being away for so long, it’s a sense for seeing what is truly extraordinary about Hampton Roads. In some ways, the best of the area is hidden in plain sight to the people lucky enough to experience it everyday. This happens all the time, no matter where you live– ask me when the last time I went to the Smithsonian was. But, when I finally got around to bringing one my closest friends down to Norfolk for a long weekend, I came up with a list of highlights I really wanted to showcase not just to him, but to you, AltDaily readers, to remind you of what a fantastic place your home is.

Feel free to crib when you bring your friends in from out-of-town; these are places that showcase the absolute best of Norfolk, both in its history, and in its new birth, happening all around you.

Read more here: http://www.altdaily.com/features/arts/how-to-get-anyone-to-fall-in-love-with-hampton-roads-in-48-hours-or-less.html

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Restaurante Olivier and Portugal conclusion

As our Portugal trek sadly came to a close, we decided to have one last blow out dinner.  We took the train from Lagos back to Lisbon (3 or so hours) and had one night left to celebrate the time we had spent in the beautiful country.  We chose Restaurante Olivier, and this place was arguably the best restaurant we went to on the entire trip (which is saying a lot considering No Patio and San Bento were also great).

Located just up that main road along the water, and south of the Bairro Alto, Olivier is a classy, French bistro meets Victorian lounge.  As we were seated in our large, cushy white booth we could hear an odd, yet amusing array of classic rock songs in the form of lounge music (you haven’t heard Nirvana until you hear it in the sound of a clarinet).  The service was excellent, with the owner of the establishment coming by our table to introduce herself.

Although expensive, you have to try the appetizer platter.  Only one of us ordered it and we all shared the plates, but it was some of the most amazing food.  The appetizer plate comes with THE BEST Foie Gras that I’ve ever tasted (and I don’t even like pate).  The duck liver melted in your mouth and was strong, but not overwhelming never leaving any nasty after taste like some others do.  The crab dip with guacamole was also a fantastic addition, making us all wonder how none of us had thought about trying to make it before.  The beef tartar w/ arugula was the right combination of meaty and light, while the sweet apple-cinnamon, walnut, goat cheese, filo dough pastry was an odd combination but worked and was my buddy’s favorite.  The fifth part of the appetizer was a salmon nigiri sushi which was just good – compared to the other four plates that is.

For the main course I had the tenderloin with Olivier sauce, which our waitress said was to die for.  The meat itself was excellent – not as good as San Bento’s steak – but most definitely up there in quality.  What made the dish really amazing however was the Olivier sauce that they drizzled onto it.  I have no idea what was in it and the waitress wouldn’t give up the recipe ingredients, but if you go there I would highly recommend it.    My one friend also got the tenderloin, but our third buddy ordered the scallops which, honest to god, melted in your mouth.

We opted out of the desert, but if you do want to do desert it’d be best to go with the three course meal option.  It’s a better deal as the place will cost you a pretty penny.  Grade: A-

Our week and a half long trip to Portugal was amazing.  Great food, friendly people, and we got to see a lot in that time.  Beaches, bars, museums, castles, port wine cellars – it was a busy trek.  I most likely won’t go back any time soon because as wonderful as Portugal is, it’s a one and done type of place to me – kinda like the Grand Canyon.  Once you’ve seen it and experienced the great things Portugal has to offer, you can check it off your list.  But I would highly recommend checking Portugal out and a week and a half is a pretty good amount of time to see the country, though two weeks is probably the best.

Recap

Where I ate:

Restaurante Olivier
Rua do Alecrim, 23
1200-014 Lisboa

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Lagos, Portugal – Bars and Beaches

Lagos is a fantastic place to unwind for a few days, especially after a week of hiking around Lisbon and Porto.  Although there are a few historic sights (such as the town museum and the first slave market), the beaches and bars are pretty much the main reason to go to Lagos.  No need to worry about language issues, everyone there speaks English because it’s such a huge U.K. tourist spot.  In fact, most of the owners of the bars and restaurants are English-born.  Here’s a summary of the places we went to:

– The types of beaches around Lagos range from expansive and sandy to rocky and secluded.  First thing I’ll note about the beaches is that they are free, and they are also topless, so if you have kids that you don’t want to get exposed to that – probably best not to even bother with Lagos.  That isn’t to say that they aren’t family friendly – there were several families at all the beaches in Lagos.

If you’re looking for the family friendly (less topless women), large beach head to Praia do Portode Mos.  It’s at the far end of town, so it’s a little bit of a hike, but once you get there the sand is the finest and whitest and the beach stretches for probably around a mile.  While there are a few restaurants along the beach for you to eat at, they’re not very good.  The service is slow because they’re always packed and understaffed and the food is the equivalent to cheap diner food.  This beach is also the windiest because there’s nothing blocking the breeze coming in from the Mediterranean.

For two more secluded beaches check out Praia Dona Ana and Praia do Camillo.  Dona Ana has practically no wind because its in it’s own little alcove.  The same goes for Praia do Camillo, however this beach’s sand is a little bit rockier.  Both are at the bottom of pretty steep cliffs, especially the Praia do Camillo as you’ll have to hike up 90 steps when you’re done for the day.  But in my opinion these are the two nicest beaches.  They’re smaller than Praia do Portode Mos, but they’re far more beautiful with the cliffs hugging the blue water.

– If you’re looking for a little adventure, head out to Ponte de Piedad which is just a half mile past Praia do Camillo.  There you get to go out on the farthest tip of Lagos and get a great panoramic view of the coast.  If you climb down the cliff, you can take a 30 minute Grotto Boat Ride which costs 10 Euros.  The wait is a little long as each boat only holds 4-5 people, but it’s a great way to cool off and see some pretty spectacular grottoes.

– The bar scene is hopping in Lagos, and on weekend nights the crowd can get pretty rowdy.  There’s a bar scene for everyone with cheap drinks and various forms of entertainment.  The Three Monkeys bar is what you’d expect on any college campus – lots of booze, loud music, 20-somethings doing funnels on the bar, and other things of that nature.  Stevie Ray’s Jazz Room has an older crowd, with live music, and a more refined group of drinkers.  The live band playing there that night played a good mix of crowd pleasers from Lynard Skynard to Bon Jovi.  Stones is your typical English pub, with darts in the back, beers in the front, and a lot of Sex Pistols playing.  Zanzibar falls under the category of your New York dive bar and next door Shaker Bar has a bit of that Jamaican-stoner edge (with some damn good tropical cocktails).   DC’s is where you’ll find your hipsters playing Foosball.  All these bars are within a couple of blocks of each other in the Old Town section of Lagos.

– There are several restaurants in Old Town Lagos, but the very best one we went to was Restaurante No Patio.  Now don’t take this literally in English like we did – there is a beautiful patio out back were you can eat (No Patio means “on the patio” in Portuguese.  Yes, I felt like a complete dumbass when I asked and the waitress gave me that answer that she’s probably given hundreds of times).  Not only was the atmosphere of the restaurant great, the food lived up to the hype we had heard.  A must try for the appetizer portion is the Salmon with mango and strawberry, on top of lettuce.  The other app that is good, but not as good as the salmon, is the Prawns with garlic.  The duck I had was perfectly cooked and covered in almonds and peaches.  My friends ordered the lamb roast and pork with potatoes and they both give their two thumbs way up for those dishes. Don’t bother with the desert though – they were just okay (we tried the chocolate cake and fried bananas) and by the time you get to them you’re already so full and won’t need to add the calories.  The price of the meal is a little expensive, so make it your special dinner when you’re out in Lagos.  And make reservations!  Grade: A-

Recap

What I saw:

Beaches: Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camillo, Praia do Portode Mos

Grotto boat ride from the Ponte de Piedad

The bars we went to in Old Town:
Three Monkey’s
Stevie Ray’s Jazz Room
Stone’s
DC’s
Shaker Bar
Zanzibar

Where I ate:

Restaurante No Patio
Rua Lancarote de Freitas 46
8600-605 Lagos

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Lagos, Portugal – Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village

After Porto, we proceeded down to the southern coast to the Algarve region of Portugal.  The Algarve is made up of several cities along the Mediterranean, and the town we chose to spend our last few days was called Lagos (considered by many to be the most beautiful of them all).

To get to Lagos we had to take a 5 hour train ride down to Tunes, and then transfer to a local train (which runs hourly) to get to the beach town.  The local train that takes you there actually is on the line that runs through all the towns in the Algarve region and takes about another hour to get from Tunes to Lagos.  There are more direct trains to Lagos from Lisbon, but not from Porto Porto.  When we got to Lagos, we realized quickly that there were not a slew of taxis waiting for passengers at the train station, so note: Have the hotel’s number that you’re staying at ready to go.  Give them a call and have them get a taxi over to the train station to pick you up.

Lagos is definitely a beach town and during the peak season (which is when we were there) the town is packed with European tourists.  Although all the guide books warned us of this, and although it was busy, at no time did the crowds ever feel claustrophobic or oppressive.  While the main part of the town was packed with bars, the outer part consisted of several beautiful beaches, all with their own unique properties.  I’ll go over the beaches in the next post, but for now I have to talk about the place we stayed at.

Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village is a great little resort with a good location.  It’s walking distance from both the beaches and the bar scene, but it’s far enough from the main center that you’ll be able to get a good night sleep and not have to listen to the partying crowds.  If you’re looking for that scene, don’t stay at Costa D’Oiro.  Find a hostel near the main square.  Costa D’Oiro is much more relaxed and more suited to the families rather than the backpacking college kid.

What made this hotel stand out from the rest of the places we stayed in Portugal was the size of our hotel room.  I wouldn’t even call it a room, it was more of a suite with a full kitchen, fully stocked with all the cooking supplies we could have needed, living room with satellite TV, spacious two bedroom with another satellite TV, porch and outside area with a table.   They also offered a full complimentary breakfast in the morning (with all you can drink mimosas), but don’t bother with their restaurant – the food there is so so.

The price was reasonable: 198 Euros ($277) a night for that huge room.

Recap

Where I stayed:

Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village
Rua Costa D’Oiro, Lote 38
8600 – 544 Lagos
+351 282 770 079

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