Five of our favourite restaurants in Lagos on a Self catering Holiday

Boats at anchor in Lagos

Portuguese dining is based on valuable good wholesome food.Various fish dishes are available together with an assortment of meats.Port is traditional and all rend to be cook in a slow succulent way. Similarly wines are highly prized and the house wines are hard to pass.

We have chosen the following restaurants as a flavour of what is available as a dining experience during your self catering holiday in Lagos.   We are passionate about the self-catering option, personally despite my love of a huge fry in the morning doesn't sound as good as it did 10 years ago.  I think habits and food desires change.  That's why the self-catering holiday rental suits my style.

O Antonio Praia Porto do Mos

This one that seeing is believing.   Great place to bring family and friends.  Location is over looking the magnificent beach (praia).  As with most Portuguese restaurants they don't get excited if your only calling for a coffee of bottle of water.  As long as you sit and relax and enjoy the surroundings.  The food is certainly worth ordering  I recently had Hake Portuguese style on chips. It was excellent.  One of my companions had a Monkfish kabad which she could finish.

No Patio

No Patio has to be one of our favorite restaurants in Lagos. It ticks all the boxes all at once. An excellent mix of Portuguese and English cuisine coupled with unique ambiance and friendly service. Highly recommended to have No Patio on your list of must try restaurants. If you’re here for a week long self catering holiday it would be wise to book a table beforehand 00351 912 582 636 or 00351 282 763 777. Its located Rua Lançarote de Freitas 46 very our listings at No 2 Mullens and No 3 Nah nah bah. Sunday lunch is worth a visit with traditional roast and seasonal vegetables.

Mullens

Mullens - Is situated at Rua Candido dos Reis 86. It is and does give the appearance of old style Portuguese Taverna. It happens to be one of the oldest in Lagos. An assortment of fish and meat dishes are on the menu. With an excellent wine list comprised of a selection of red and white Portuguese wines. But dinner has been served the restaurant revert once again to a music venue. Local musicians gigs here on regular nights.

Nah Nah Bah

NahNahBah is situated on Travessa do Forno 11 in an area where a few hostels are located. It produces one the best burger money can buy. Coupled with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, it seems to have got the mix and blend just right. On a self catering trip to Lagos Nah Nah Bah should definitely be on your list of restaurants to visit. When your walking up Travessa do Forno look for the red door. Or why not call 00351 966 207702 or 00351 912 962885 for a reservation

A Forja or Blue Door as its wide known is a great fish restaurant. It certainly serves meat dishes but its popular is gained on the strength of it wholesome fresh fish. It open early this year after being closed for an extended period for total refurbishment. On reopening it was business as usual with the familiar professional homely service men and women.Most English speakers know it as the Blue Door. Yes it is oblivious it has a Blue Door so easily to find.

It is located not far from Praca de Gil Eanes on Rua Ferreiros. In high season expect to queue for a table. If its your first time and you like fish try the Seabrass for less than €10 you wont be disappointed.  House wine is also excellent served in an earthenware carafe.

The website www.goholidaylets.com list some beautiful holiday rental accommodation in the Lagos area.

Self Catering holiday and attractions in Midleton Co Cork Ireland

The Paddocks Holiday Village or Fota Island Resort Lodges  in Midleton Co Cork area  are a great base for a self-catering holiday in East Cork. There are numerous places of natural beauty and attractions to be seen. 

The Jameson Experience is located in Midleton, Co. Cork situated in the Old Cork Distilleries Company distillery just of the Main Street in Midleton.  This distillery operated for 150 years, from 1825 until 1975, when the workers clocked off on a Friday in July, to start work in the new Midleton Distillery the following Monday.  A decision was later made to turn the original distillery into a heritage centre known today as the Jameson Expereince. 

A tour of the Jameson Experience is a journey through the story and making of Irish whiskey.  If for any reason you are in Midleton and have some time to spare this is well worth a visit.  If your having a self-catering holiday here for a few days it is a must see experience. Guided tours are available throughout the year a number of different languages are spoken  and all tours commence with  an audio-visual presentation, retracing the history of whiskey in Ireland.  The tour takes in all aspects of whiskey distilling ending up with the  cooperage make and repairing barrels and the warehouses where the important task of blending takes place. Of course at the end of each  tour volunteers get the chance to take part in a comparison whiskey tasting, learning the differences between Scotch, American and Irish whiskey. 

Once  completed, guests are rewarded with a much coveted Irish Whiskey Taster Certificate, as well as a complimentary glass of Jameson with a mixer of their choice.

The village of  Cloyne is another place of historical significance.  In has a huge connection with George Berkeley 12 March 1685, 14 January 1753, also known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" . This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are only ideas in the minds of perceivers, and as a result cannot exist without being perceived.Berkeley is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.

Cloyne is a lovely place you can still see the front of old commercial stone building and  stone houses on the side of the street , the  old round tower that was once part of a medieval monastic settlement, thought to have been established by St Colman in 560. The structure is one of only two such towers existing today in County Cork.

 

In recent centuries, the tower underwent renovations after lightening struck, destroying the original conical roof.

All there attractions are within easy reach  the Paddocks Holiday Village andFota Island where 2 and 3 bedroomed houses are available as self-catering accommodation.  See www.goholidaylets.com for further details.

Fota Wildlife Park is a joint project between the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College Cork (UCC), an idea originally conceived in the 1970s by former Director of Dublin Zoo, Dr. Terry Murphy.

The Park was officially opened in 1983 by the then President of Ireland, the late Dr. Patrick Hillery, and has gone from strength to strength since - welcoming record visitor numbers in the years after a significant redevelopment of facilities in 2010 and 2011.  

It has been listed as one of Ireland's Top Ten visitor attractions and is the most popular tourist destination in Cork.

Fota is a non-profit organisation, limited by guarantee, and is also a registered charity. It is completely self-financing, relying entirely on gate receipts and membership fees for its income, and any financial surpluses generated are reinvested in order improve infrastructure and promote the company's core objectives of conservation, education and research.

Fota house is next to Fota Golf Club where this years Irish Open was played and the golf club is part of Fota Resort the location for the self-catering accommodation that can be found on our website www.goholidaylets.com

 

Another place you should put on your itinerary  is Garryvoe Beach is located just off the road from Ladysbridge to Shanagarry in County Cork. It is a mixed pebble beach and a great destination for families. The beach has a public car park, toilet facilities and wheelchair access is provided. 

It is lifeguarded during the bathing season and more information can be found on the notice board located at the beach.

Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens has a wealth of things to see and do. The arboretum has a renowned collection of tender and exotic trees and shrubs from the southern hemisphere. These were discovered and brought back by the intrepid plant hunters of the 18th and 19th centuries. You can also visit the fragrant rose garden and pleasure grounds and the atmospheric Victorian fernery. The delightful and tranquil gardens at Fota were laid out by James Hugh Smith-Barry in the first half of the 19th century and are a must see when visiting this area. Entry to the arboretum is free. 

Guided tours of the house, arboretum and the beautifully restored Victorian walled kitchen garden are available by appointment for a small charge. Self-guided tree trails of the arboretum can be purchased from Fota House from April to September.