Flat/Apartment Lagos

Lagos is one of the oldest cities in Europe and can trace its origins as far back over 8,000 years to the Tartessos era, which eventually gave way to the Tartessos on through many civilisations like the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, The Romans, the Visigoths, The Moors and on to its present day Christian times. all of whom have left something behind to remind us of the great changes that the city and region have gone through. In the 15th Century the Great Henry the Navigator based himself in the Lagos area and had his famous school of Navigation in Sagres, which was then thought to be the end of the earth. Lagos was the Starting point of many of Portugal´s great voyages into the new world including Vasco de Gama´s discovery of the trade routes to India via the Cape of Good Hope, this was the era when Portugal controlled a large part of the world, bringing back the spoils of exploration. Evidence of this time can be seen in the heart of Lagos where the worlds first slave market still stands today(although no longer trading) the old city walls, fortress and churches have recently been restored to their former glory. Legend has it that the lost city of Atlantis was located where Lagos now stands and evidence of old settlements can be found in the waters off the coast of Lagos. The City(pop. 18,000) is also home to some of the most luxurious Spa resorts in Europe, soon to be the area with the highest density of 5* hotels in Portugal the Meia Praia area has received special designation and EU investment for several 5* resorts to be completed by 2012. Lagos is continuing to grow despite the global economic downturn, with tourists returning to this little gem over and over again, thus sustaining the growth in tourism along with the value in property. The Local municipality has ensured that all properties built in the area in recent years, have exceeded the national standards which are among the best in the EU. They have strived to increase awareness of environmental sustainability with most of the towns energy coming from wind power, not to mention most developments coming with solar heating and high levels of insulation to keep costs to a minimum. 2009/10 has seen a major transformation of the towns parks and historic sites. The old city walls have been renovated and green areas have been added to the surroundings, while at the beaches, access and parking have been improved. All of this ties in with the recent completion of the A22 motorway making driving to the airport less than an hours journey.