Praia Dona Ana

Dona Ana is the classic Lagos beach - warm golden sandstone cliffs weathered into stacks and pillars, clear water, and a cove enclosed on both sides - and it is a short walk or bus ride from the town, which is why it is the busiest of the Ponta da Piedade beaches. It is also a good example of coastal management changing a place: in 2015 a major replenishment pumped sand onto the beach, roughly doubling its area and joining what had been two separate coves into one. The result is a far larger, safer beach with room for the crowds and lifeguards, and a loss of the enclosed intimacy that made the older photographs. Boats run from Lagos along this coast to the grottoes at Ponta da Piedade, and the clifftop path connects Dona Ana to Camilo and the point.

What you actually see

• The sandstone pillars - golden stacks framing the cove.
• The 2015 replenishment - the pumped sand that doubled the beach and merged two coves.
• The clifftop path - the route linking Dona Ana, Camilo and Ponta da Piedade.
• The boats - grotto trips running from Lagos along the cliffs.

When to go

May to October, with lifeguards in season. Half a day. Early or late for space; midday in August is shoulder to shoulder.

Honest expectations

Far busier and far larger than older photographs suggest, following the replenishment. Steps down from the car park are steep. Rockfall warnings apply at the cliff base. Parking is difficult in summer.

Nearby

Praia do Camilo and Ponta da Piedade are south; Lagos town is north.