PRAIA DA LUZ - THE BEACH
The beach at Luz is in a pretty cove with dramatic cliffs protecting it at the Eastern end. The cliffs end with the highly recognisable and unusual Rocha Negra (Black Rock)
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The majority of the beach is covered in golden sand, with rock pools at lower tide below the cliffs and large flattened rocks favoured by line fishing enthusiasts at the Western end
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There are 2 areas of sun-beds available to rent at a reasonable rate and a water sports hut where boat rides, pedalos, kayaks, banana boat rides etc can be organised in the summer months
The beach is large enough to walk beyond all of these to find a tranquil spot to lie your towel or beach mat if you prefer
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In the morning the beach is popular with walkers and joggers and often individuals doing a spot of yoga or meditation
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The beach is backed by a palm tree lined calcada promenade
There are several small beach shops and numerous beach bars, cafes and restaurants along the promenade
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The beach itself is gently sloping and there are usually only very small waves. This makes it very popular for families with small children and it is considered a safe beach. It is definitely a bucket and spade beach and sandcastles abound!
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Having said that in recent years a small surf school has started to use the quiet Eastern end of the beach for beginner surfing lessons, particularly in spring and autumn when there is a bit more of a swell
THE TOWN OF PRAIA DA LUZ
Praia da Luz is a small town and retains a village feel. It is very family friendly and all of the bars, restaurants and cafes welcome children. It has a reasonable sized resident population of 3.5k and of course this is increased hugely in the summer months by holiday makers who are always made very welcome
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Most of the streets and lanes are attractively calcada surfaced. This is similar to cobbles made of small flat stones, looking almost like mosaic tiles. Flowers, palm trees and bougainvillea are in abundance and it has a lovely, pretty, relaxing ambiance
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There are many many bars, restaurants and cafes which range from very casual relaxed beach bars for a snack and drink to excellent restaurants. Even in winter there are always several of each type of establishment open for visitors and the local proprietors carefully stagger their holidays so that they all share the winter market and keep a service available for guests
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In addition Luz has several small supermarkets including Baptista's which is slightly larger than the others and takes pains to stock produce that appeals to most holidaymakers' tastes including several 'foreign' brands. They also offer a very useful and free delivery service!
There is also a doctor where good English is spoken, a bank, post office, pharmacy, Anglican church and several boutique shops.
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Free wifi is available at many of the restaurant and cafes
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Nothing in the town of Luz is more than 10 minutes walk from Apartamento Azul and there are supermarkets within a 5 minute walk
WALKS FROM LUZ
There are many lovely walks to and from Praia da Luz. One of the many popular walks is to the monument on the cliffs overlooking the town. From here there are not only spectacular views over Luz, but once at the top there is a fairly comfortable and easy walk along on top of the cliffs to Praia de Porto de Mos, the most Westerly of the Lagos beaches.
Here there is an excellent beach bar and this can make a lovely spot for lunch before walking back to Luz
Alternatively one can continue to walk onwards to Lagos via the dramatic and stunning coastal pathway past the Ponta da Piedade, Praia do Camilo and Praia Dona Ana into Lagos itself
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In the opposite direction one can walk along the rocks and cliffs to the neighbouring scenic fishing village of Burgau which again has a lovely beach bar for lunch or a drink before returning
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