Dusk @ Dona Ana

Exploring the sea stacks and marveling in the tranquility of Praia de Dona Ana at golden hour; this was our first visit to the beach upon arrival from Lisbon. On the drive we stopped to grocery shop at Lidl, then unpacked and settled into our Airbnb. Finally, it was time to walk down to the beach. Camden immediately sprinted over to that rock, climbed it, and started making funny poses. His enthusiasm is contagious!  Ryder collected shells at the waters edge. And at last, Mom got that family selfie.

There's a feeling I love after being in a new city, of then arriving to a new beach. A change of environment, a change of pace: slowing down with my kids and being outside discovering.

Praia Dona Ana | L a g o s | Portugal

Our arrival to the town of Lagos on the Western Algarve Coast commenced the do as little as possible /  beach - pool - shower - dinner - repeat / official relaxation portion of our Portugal trip!!

Yes I have a 4.5 and a 1.5 year old so perhaps my definition of relaxation is on a sliding scale. These boys love discovering a new beach to play on and explore though!! 

The Algarve is a long stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline in Southern Portugal with many popular beach locations. We researched a bit about Faro, Alvor and Albufiera which all seemed lovely; there are stunning bronze shorelines that meet golden cliffs in abundance any which way you go about it. 

Deciding on Lagos came down to a feeling and finding an Airbnb @ IberLagos with excellent proximity to the splendid shores of Praia de Dona Ana. The pristine pools were a nice bonus! We opted for convenience over needing to see every beach in town / we avoided piling into the car and walked down to Dona Ana everyday. Restaurante Marisol tucked into the cliff side kept us all happy with to-go cocktails, popsicles and on one occasion a respite from the sandy shores with a fun family lunch!!

The boys were big fans of the kiddie pool and fountain at our Airbnb.

Praia de Dona Ana - sought out the most beautiful beach in Lagos, played there every day!

Positano | Amalfi Coast

Positano was our only day trip out of Praiano. We took the bus there! Getting to Positano on the bus was easy to navigate and despite being very crowded this felt like the safest way to get around with Camden. 

You can also take a water taxi from Marina di Praia to Positano. We learned only zodiac taxis and small boats are able dock at the Praiano port. The seas were choppy and this option did not feel right for us without a life jacket for Camden. 

If we wanted to go to Capri we would have had to go to Positano and then board a passenger ferry. That was quickly ruled out! 

Sometimes you have to take a step back and assess - wait, it's totally ok that I can't jump on a boat and see the coastline.....I am in Praiano with my baby and it's amazing. What more could I possibly need? 

We had such an amazing day at the Positano beach! We did not do much else except break for a light seafood lunch on the promenade and a late afternoon gelato.

The light over the black sand beach as we were leaving was magical. Camden was sleeping but we couldn't resist....

 and then he woke up!

Look at this happy kid - someone had the best beach day ever! Also, Positano is stunning. Though compared to Praiano it's like night and day. Positano is a mecca of shops and galleries and crowds and tourists. 

And while we liked it and definitely could have spent more time wandering + eating + drinking, I'm still feeling super happy we chose Praiano as home base.