YouShouldGoHere

An edited view of traveling the world. Not everything, just the best I've found so far. Where to go, where to eat and where to find nice sheets. Find out more at my website, tons more: www.youshouldgohere.com #travel #luxurytravel #solotravel #adventuretravel #hotels #nicesheets

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Okay, I've shown you enough pictures of cool chairs and beds and breakfast at the wonderful jewel that is Casa Arte boutique hotel... but the main reason to stay here are the ten to twenty nearby beaches. In the quiet countryside outside Lagos, you're perfectly sitched to be away from The Crazy End of the Algarve, that of high rises and holiday makers. But the western end of the Algarve is where you want to be. Look at a map. You wanna go west and Up. Away from the crazy. So I'll pop off a few of those beaches you want to explore. Like this one.

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Yep, this looks good riiight here.

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I hate B&Bs. Always hearing someone peeing (or visa versa) and always some insistent old lady asking you what time you want breakfast tomorrow. “Oh, I don’t know… the MORNING? I’m on vacation for cryin’ out loud.” Even though Casa Arte has only five rooms, I’d never call it a B&B. Certainly, they have beds. And most definitely an amazing breakfast. But all other comparisons end there. This layout of this feisty little boutique hotel is ingenious, feels like everyone gets their own wing. Never heard a peep from anyone else. And everyone gets front row-center to watch the peachy Algarve sunset glow each night. All the white makes you think you’re wearing rose-colored glasses. Stupid B&Bs….

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Desk alternative.

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Good is In the details.

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Sleep. Tight.

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The problem with this desk is... you don't really want to put anything on it. Siiiigh.

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I mean... look how cool this room is. It's Christmas. I want one.

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Oh maan. Portuguese tile. Just going to your room is fun.

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This terrace says it all.   The extra cool Casa Arte hotel is a sparkling clean, modern masterpiece set in the rolling green hills outside of Lagos, Portugal.  The name speaks volumes: It’s an art house. Or is it a house of art? Or both? I just call it cool.  With only five rooms, each in itself a work of art, you feel like you’re staying in someone’s house. You are. The remarkably tasteful Sara curates this place like it is a Chelsea gallery. Every square corner of this place has some little surprise that makes you smile.  The five rooms all have their own names and personalities, each as quiet and private as can be. With art you want to steal, furniture you’ve seen at MoMA and beds you want to nap in. You should hookup to Sara’s sweet IG page, @casaartehotel Each day she posts some cute little snapshot of daily life in the Algarve, a small detail of the house, a glint of the warm sunshine, smiles from her pets and nice family.  Be careful, reading it will make you want to drop everything and go there, now.

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Yeah, I think you're gonna like this place...

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Soon the crumbling walls lining the scary-narrow road abruptly open up to a nice landscaped entrance, walls tightly tucked.  Okay, okay. You can calm down now.  The entrance road winds low around a hill, hooks sharp right and, like the Propylaea to the Acropolis, you soon realize that the road in was purposefully designed to surprise you when you make the turn; framing the view perfectly.  Ahhhh, right. This is why I'm here... 

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After landing in Lisbon all stinky from the flight, you jump in the rental and haul ass straight down the A2, crossing the rugged mountains that keep all the cold air from the North trapped on the rightside of the equation and makes the Algarve warm all year.  You book across the A22, toll after bitchy toll, slavingly following the GPS because your brain is fried. And then you get off near Lagos, and enter the Twilight Zone. A big grey area on the map. Your cell service goes dark. No backup... The GPS tells you to head around a spiraling road, around the bend, under the bridge, turn right, turn quick right, then left. And you end up HERE. On this quaint, one-lane road, wondering who will be whipping around the corner next. Surely, this can’t be it? You check the map. Nothing. Really? But you believe. And press on.

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Okay, let’s see if I can squeeze in another slo-roll of a cool place before I split for Brussels on Christmas Day. Everyone seems to be heading to Portugal right now, for good reason. The rest of Europe already knows all about Portugal, but it’s hard to find much in the U.S. press until of late. Portugal is like Italy + France + Spain in a single country, but has something special all its own. (Now one of my favorite countries.) So if you're thinking of going, #youshouldgohere  I stayed in an awesome, teeny little boutique hotel in the Algarve last spring that's been getting a lot of great press... for good reason. Holy cow. It’s like a perfectly-framed work of art, but you sleep in it. I made a few posts about this hotel back in April, back when I first signed up for Instagram… and before I realized that one needed a hashtag before anyone else could see it, or me. So bear with me as I spool out some new stories, one pic at a time, of this really amazing place. #ohboyohboyohboy

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Meep-meep! Good night and good morning to ya'all.  Okay that's all I got from this place. Thanks for hanging with me.  On to the next story...

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If you go to Gateway Canyons and can swing it, splurge on one of the casitas at the far end of the resort. It's worth it.  You're away from everyone (my fave), with the most perfect views of the Palisade and your own private outdoor space. Even your own festive fire pit, where you can sit in awe of the blanket of stars. And howl at the moon. To be honest, the rooms are the kinda generic, but lovely "mountain motif" you see everywhere else in Colorado -- nice sheets, woody things,  antler chandeliers and all that.  They're nice, but not all that special; a nice French or Argentine woman could really add some zaaaa to take it over the top... to match the views.  

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If you've seen my previous pics of The Palisade, you'll be surprised as me at this...  Took me two whole days doing other cool shit before I got a chance to hike around to the backside of this thing and realize it has a whole 'nother situation going on behind it.  Holy cow. So optically deceiving; sneaky devil rock.  Now it makes even more sense why "palisade" means "rock fence".   Rock fence for miles...