Have you ever been to a place where you have this immediate desire to stay indefinitely the minute you’ve laid eyes on it? For me Lagos is one such place. Maybe I’m biased. I’ve always loved places near the ocean. Even before we reached the bus station, I knew this place was going to be special. I’ve heard it was a party place. This is one of the places in Europe where kids go wild during the summer. And after my relatively laid back experience in Lisbon, I felt that it was time to let loose a bit. I did party a lot, I had a couple of wild nights, and man I drank waaaaaay too much on my last night that I actually missed my bus to Sevilla… but there’s more to this place than just drinking and partying.

So why do I love Lagos so much? Let me count the ways. First of all the place is beautiful. I stayed at the old part of town, which is incidentally where most hostels are located. This part of town is amazing. It’s laid back, especially during the day. Old structures are intact and you can appreciate the architecture. You can easily walk to the beach and what a beauty it is. Those rock formations peppered along the shore are such magnificent sights, i couldn’t help but take so many pictures. Basically, there are two main activities that are recommended for travelers in Lagos. The first one would be walking through the cliffs along the shoreline. It’s quite an easy walk. They say it’s about 8 kilometers, but it felt shorter than that. The view is amazing and I highly recommend this activity during the sunset. There’s a restaurant near the end called Antonio Restaurante. The view is spectacular from here, and so is the food. It’s not too expensive, and the Octopus rice which was highly recommended by people at the hostel was simply orgasmic.

The next recommended activity would be kayaking. You basically go through the same cliffs and rock formations but this time you’ll have a different perspective. Kinda pricey for a budget backpacker (25 Euros for about 2 hours), but to me it’s money well spent. You get to kayak through caves and see hidden beaches, certain spots that are inaccessible by land. And if i haven’t said this enough, the view of the ocean is breathtaking.

And that’s pretty much it. You could do both in a day actually. So why would i choose to stay indefinitely? Well for starters, I’m a beach person. How convenient would it be if the beach is right there? And it’s not just any beach, it’s a beautiful beach. I could practically spend the whole day just lying on the beach. it also doesn’t get too crowded to the point of suffocation. In spite of the crowds, it never loses its laid back vibe. Next would be the nightlife. It’s roaring with life every single day of the week (at least during summer). I got dead drunk on most nights, and how could i not get wasted when drinks are dirt cheap. A lot of bars offer free shots. In a lot of bars one shot of alcohol costs only 1 Euro. I never thought I could get so drunk by spending only about 15 Euros every time I went out. And I gained so many new friends along the way. Nothing like loads of alcohol to break the ice.

Another reason why it’s easy to stay in Lagos? Everything is way cheaper than prices elsewhere. Traveling in Portugal is cheaper compared to most countries in Europe, but Lagos is in another level. Yeah there are expensive restaurants especially in the touristy center, but there are so many cheap places. A full meal can cost as low as 3 Euros, you just have to know where to look.

The inherent characteristics of a place is a major factor for growing some form of attachment, but the company you’re with can make or break it. Good thing I stayed at JJ’s Yard. it’s a small hostel, it actually feels more like an apartment that you share with friends. Since it’s not too big, everyone ends up knowing each other. And I can’t praise the owners enough. The owners and the staff they employ treat everyone as good friends, if not family. It’s hard to leave a place when it feels very much like home.

And that’s exactly how everyone felt when it was time to leave. No wonder so many travelers remain in Lagos for a very long time. I’ve met so many backpackers who have remained in town for weeks, some even months. It’s easy to fall in love with a place like Lagos. One week is not enough. it’s like a fling from several summers ago, that one that you simply couldn’t forget. I rarely have the urge to revisit a place I’ve only been to recently. But Lagos— you surely are an exception.