Albufeira

Similarly to Lagos, Albufeira is known for its night time antics. Again, lying on the beach all day and spending the night club/bar hopping is the way to go. Everyone’s experiences are different. From my personal experience, I preferred clubbing in Albufeira to Lagos as there are more locals and it is not as rough and dangerous as the streets full of drunken Aussies in Lagos. Again, similar to Lagos there are no particular clubs to go to. The streets are literally filled with them and it is impossible to choose where to begin. The drinks are just as cheap as Lagos and for around 3 euro, you can get a ‘blue waterfall’ (see the bartender making them below).

There are heaps of water sports and beach activities to do in Albufeira as well. Dolphins Driven can help you here and can even take you swimming with dolphins.

Just like Lagos, the food here is great. There is a lot to suit the tourist’s pallet, but keep walking and you will find some local treats. Piri Piri is a chili based oil, which they use to flavor food, particularly chicken. With Piri Piri chicken sold almost everywhere, you can’t miss out. 

There are great hostel all through the city. If you’re having trouble choosing one and are on a tight budget, Orange Terrace Hostel is the pick of the bunch. Only around $20 a night, this hostel has great hospitality and with an orange orchard on the roof, you get as much free freshly squeezed juice as you want! The people are lovey here and so is the sangria. Many of the ‘locals’ are travelers who have stumbled across this paradise and never left. You will find that a lot of the bar and restaurant workers are also young travelers. If you are looking for some bar work for a little bit of extra cash, a few months in this paradise is the ultimate way to go.

Lagos

Lagos is an ideal place for young travelers looking for the beach and clubs. The beaches at Lagos are crystal clear and with your choice of drinks, as well as watermelon and other fruits, ice blocks and sweets all sold on the sand, you won’t need to move all day.

At night, the place comes to life with clubs and bars everywhere you turn and as the streets fill with life, there’s no need to recommend places to drink as they are all so much fun. Club and bar hopping in Lagos is what you will do every night you can. The bars and clubs are filled with other travelers just like you. Aussies in particular love this place and fill the clubs. During the day there are plenty of water sports and fun activities to do such as a booze cruise or water skiing.

If you stay at recommended hostels, such as the Rising Cock, they have planned booze cruises and activities already planned for their guests. The Rising Cock is very well known for its hospitality and fun drinking games. If you’re stuck for a place to stay then look no further. If you would like to plan your own activities and booze cruise (which is a much more expensive way to go) Bom Dia will have you covered. Lagos Surf Center, Blue Ocean and Southwest Charters are all companies which will help you with activities to do in the area.

The food in Portugal in general is amazing. The seafood, as you can imagine is divine. If you’re looking for somewhere tasty to eat A Forja has top quality traditional food. No Patio, O Pescador and Cervejaria Dios Irmaos are also great places to eat.

Drinks

The most common alcoholic and best drinks you will have in Spain are sometimes the cheapest, which is a bonus. Sangria is the most common alcoholic drink and for those who are not sure, it is a red wine based punch…kind of. It can be made with many different liquors, wines, soft drinks and fruits. Depending on where you go will depend on the style of sangria. Tinto de Verano is a similar drink, also based on red wine and mixed with lemonade. You can get liters of sangria and tinto de verano for just a few Euros in any grocery store, which is great to know before you go. Cerveza is the Spanish term for beer. You will use this a lot. Licor Cuarenta y Tres ( Licor 43) is often served as a shot after dinner. It is a yellow liqueur, made from citrus and fruit juices, with a vanilla flavour. Great way to end a meal. The best mojito’s I have ever discovered are in Granada. The fresh lime and perfect balance of flavours they use create the most delicious mojito you will ever have, trust me.

More Food

There is so much more food to be discovered aside from tapas. My personal favourite dish in Spain is paella. Paella is a tomato based risotto, mixed with delicious seafood, meat, and vegetables. If it comes with a burnt bottom don’t panic. The ‘crust, or burnt bottom is delicious and is what makes a good paella. Many Spanish families, when eating paella do not allow the kids to have any of the ‘crust’ as it is the best and is kept for the adults. The Kebabs in Spain as discussed in the Granada post are amazing. Filled with delicious, fresh ingredients as well as perfectly seasoned meat and fresh aioli and feta to top it off, it is the best hangover cure in the world. Other popular dishes, such as gazpacho, a cold tomato soup filled with strong garlic flavours are common to be found on stands in the busy streets. For something sweet, crema catalana is a delicious burnt custard which you must try in Barcelona. The ultimate sweet in Spain is churros, an extremely popular Spanish donut stick often dipped in hot melted chocolate. This is the best thing to have after a night clubbing when you’re walking home at 7am.

Food

There is so much food to be discovered throughout Spain. Tapas, for those who don’t know is a variety of appetizers, or snacks obviously in Spanish cuisine. They are delicious! It is common to have a wide range of tapas with a cerveza (beer) or two instead of a proper meal for dinner. Some of the most common tapas foods are; tortilla espanola, which is a plain potato tortilla, often served with a tomato or another tipping sauce on top. Croquettes are also a potato based food and are crumbed, filled with anything from octopus to rich melted cheese. They are delicious! Gambas ajillo (garlic prawns) are also served as tapas and are always amazing. Queso manchego (Spanish sheep cheese) is sometimes served with olives. Allioli, or aioli is often dribbled on the top of delicious baked potatoes. Potato salads are also a commonly found tapas, as well as jamon (ham), prosciutto and pescaito frito, which is an extremely common deep fried small sardine-like fish.

Salamanca

Salamanca is another beautiful city in Spain. La Cocina de Toño is one of the top tapas bars there according to Lonely Planet. Mesón Las Conchas, El pecado, Mandala Café, Restaurante Le Luna, Restaurante Lis, Zazu Bistro, El Bardo, Mater Asturias, Patio Chico, Victor Gutierrez and Casa paco are all great places to eat and not too pricey. The Hostels throughout Salamanca vary from $15, including Alda Centro Salamanca Hostel, to $70 on an average night at places like Hotel Residencia Grav Via. The most appropriate place to stay, considering your little amount of money and will to explore and party on, would be the Youth Hostel, Salamanca. At only $16 a night, this place is a young and vibrant hostel to stay in.

Heaps of people love the Salamanca night life. “Salamanca is full of nightlife activities, the best example for this is the tunos, who are mainly university students who sing in the Plaza Mayor. They sing specially for women that is why they are so romantic and nice that every woman can fall in love with them. I like the tunos very much so this is an excuse to go back there, they are so romantic. Very Spanish.” Sonia69 from Virtual tourist.

Other posts, such as louisecj, say “Salamanca has so much to offer in this respect.. jacko's (a bar dedicated to micheal jackson) is great if you like obscenely large drinks on the cheap.. camelot is a club that can be quite cheesy.. usually only entered into on a friday/saturday..when everyones there dancing their socks off to the grease soundtrack and forgetting to be embarrassed..
personally i think the park is great.. always some friendly spaniards making mojitos and inclined to share..
there are so many "irish bars" in salamanca.. being irish myself i thought id find some familiarity, but really its just that they value the name!.. "the irish rover" is great for some dancing.. poor enough midweek but is packed at the weekend..
molly malones, the shamrock, etc. are among others..
la chupeteria was my favourite spot.. all shots 1 euro.. it wouldn’t be the most personal of places.. but if you enjoy a variety of shots on fire, and all the rest of it, its great fun.. there’s a grassy area outside for collapsing on afterwards.
for the more sophisticated drink with friends.. tin tin is great, jazz music often playing outside.. and the rum in there is great.
there is so much to explore in salamanca.. and the nightlife only really kicks off after 11pm until the early morning..
and if you are really really up for an all nighter.. the garramond or circus...open at 4am for an underground dance session.
el sabor is a salsa place.. can drink and salsa simultaneously if you like.
what else... ah yes.. you will most definitely come across leonardo's.. its a greasy mc.greasy fast food place.. and you might be repulsed initially but i dont know anywhere in the world where a bacon con queso bocadillo has ever tasted so good..
well worth getting 2..
salamanca everyone walks everywhere so you'll burn it off easily enough!.. all in all.. fantastic city and a place i would visit again... enjoy”

Valencia

Valencia is home of the La Tomatina festival, which is held in the last Wednesday of August. Many tourists as well as locals travel to Valencia for the festival, so if you are planning to go to it (which I would definitely recommend), book a room well ahead as the city books up fast! This city is full of culture and there are always interesting activities happening around every corner. There is even gay and lesbian sauna’s around the city. Sauna Magnus is definitely one of the big ones if you wanted to check it out.

If you’re feeling a little hungry, A Tu Gusto is one of the top Mediterranean restaurants according to the Lonely Planet. Maipi, Vuelve Carolina, Riff and Casa Guillermo are some other great places to eat around the city. There are heaps of clubbing areas throughout the city as well.

By day Barrio del Carmen is a maze of cute little streets filled with boutiques, restaurants, bars and shops. By night, this area turns into a vibrant clubbing central. Calle Caballeros is at the heart of it, but take a walk down any of the little side streets and you'll stumble across some great chill-out bars and small clubs. Canovas is also a great area for clubbing. At the river end of Gran Via Marques del Turía is the Plaza Canova, where you can bar and club hop till the early hours of the morning. Aragon/Polo i Peyrolon is another great area for clubbing. If you head towards the university, you’ll see Avenida Aragon and to the right, there are streets with clubs, restaurants and bars all the way to the area known as Polo i Peyrolon. 

Hostels in Valencia are pretty cheap. From about $15 a night you can find a place to stay and some of them are pretty fun. Red Nest Hostel and Purple Nest Hostel are probably the two best at $15 a night. They are as expected, full of traveling students who are up for a good night. For $18 a night, Rooms Deluxe Hostel is pretty nice, as well as Home Backpackers and Indigo Youth Hostel.

Córdoba

Córdoba is a city found in Andalusia and is well known for the Mezquita, the great mosque of the city. The interior is incredible, so don’t forget to charge your camera! Other places, such as Patio de los Naranjos and Minaret, Palacio de Viana, Casa de Sefarad and Museo de Bellas Artes are also quite beautiful if you are keen to see some more sites.

Casa Mazal and Taberna San Miguel El Pisto are both delicious places to eat, as well as Bodegas Campos, El Churrasco, Taberna Sociedad de Plateros and El Astronauta are also great, so pick whichever is closest to you or suits your taste. The prices vary so be aware of that.

 Majority of the hostels are around $30 and are mostly one star. Some are not too bad, including Hotel Mariano, Hotel Abadi and Hotel Plateros, with one of the most fun, alcohol fuelled hostels being Funky Cordoba. Everyone there is lovely and with only being $16 a night it’s worth it. It is hard not to make new friends here. If you’re in the mood for some chocolate and churros, Don Pepe is yummy.

There are some great bars around the area as well. Bar Correo, Bodega Guzman, La Pataita de Antonio, Amapola and Bar-Cafeteria Soul all are always crowded and have decent music and drinks.