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After my stay in Albufeira, I headed to Lagos for a few days to check out the remote work scene. When picking my accommodation for the Nomad World Festival, I was told I had to consider Lagos and potentially commute in each day for the conference. And while I’m glad I didn’t do this, I can see why remote workers were interested in staying in Lagos.

About an hour’s drive away from Albufeira (I caught an early morning Flixbus), Lagos has a similar vibe to Albufeira, but a bit more emphasis on surf and coffee shops (I would say anyway). Where Albufeira, for me, feels more taken over by tourism, Lagos feels a little like it’s on the potential cusp. For one, most cafe workers were more comfortable speaking English than Portuguese and there were more queues for places that were Insta-worthy. There were also a lot more rules around laptops in cafes, which I’ve only ever experienced in big cities like London and Madrid. Indicating this is a popular place for digital nomads who are potentially passing through on shorter visits.

Where to work in Lagos

colagos

One of the handful of coworking spaces in town, I was able to work from here for the day when I first arrived in town (keeping my suitcases behind the reception). A day pass cost €10 a day and included a hot desk (although there were only a couple to choose from, so I recommend getting there early), good wifi and access to their kitchen. There was no free coffee or printing from what I can remember, but it’s fairly central to town so you have other choices around.

Twin Fin

I discovered Twin Fin when I was working from CoLagos, because they’re almost directly opposite, but a couple of us went back for a coworking session and it was great fun! We sat on a shared table, paid for breakfast and coffees and were able to work there for a couple of hours. The staff are great fun, the food is delicious and it was great for some content editing or writing.

Black and White Lagos

If you don’t reserve a table here, it’s relatively tough to get a seat during the warmer seasons (this includes October). Either the second or third time I went passed, I was able to jump in on one of the cowork seats - which are located along one of the windows. And to be fair, it was worth the wait. The coffee and wifi were both great and I was able to work for a couple of hours uninterrupted (except for refills).

Coffee Studio

Coffee Studio was started by two creatives who have now built a wonderful community around their business - and expanded to other parts of the Algarve and Madeira. The concept was to share really great coffee and a space for people to build and I enjoyed coming back here to work a couple of times and grab a (super yummy) coffee.

Coffee and Waves

After I visited, all I seemed to hear about was Coffee & Waves from people in my hostel. And I don’t disagree with the sentiment, however I will say that this is more the place I would start my day, with breakfast, journalling or even maybe a coffee meeting and then heading off to another place. The main tables, understandably, have ‘no laptops’ rocks on them and I don’t know if I could be comfortable sitting at the bar stools to work. Still worth putting on the list though!

London Tiger Coffee

I tried this place because it came up when I searched ‘coffee in Lagos’ and I would definitely recommend going for the coffee, food and vibes, but I don’t believe it would be the best for remote working. There is limited space and even when someone joined me to make room at another, table it didn’t feel right getting my laptop out.

Where to stay in Lagos

Overall, I would say that if it’s your first time visiting the Algarve and you have a bit of time to explore more, then I would 100% add Lagos to your list. While possibly a little more on the pricier side for things, it’s a bit more relaxed than some of its Algarve counterparts. And if you have a car, or could maybe get a couple of people together, you could maybe share Ubers to the Nomad World Festival each day.

It has a small surf town vibe to it and it’s well-connected to other parts of Portugal, like Sagres (another popular surf town).

Are you in to surf towns?

Han x