I visited Portugal for the first time. I had a great vacation, but these 3 things would've made my trip even better.

When planning our trip, I didn’t have a preference where we ended up in the Faro District, Portugal’s southernmost region. I just wanted a beach, and Lagos was familiar.

I agonized over where we would stay in Lagos — but for the wrong reasons. I was so concentrated on stars and reviews that I neglected one of the biggest factors: location.

The Airbnb I booked was wonderful. As a New YorkerI wasn’t even intimidated by Google Maps’ projected 12-minute walk to Old Town Lagos and 25-minute walk to the beach.

What I didn’t account for, however, was how incredibly steep Lagos is and how sore my calves would be.

Porto had been hilly and full of 15,000-step days, historic churches, and museums — and Lisbon would be more of the same — so I banked on Lagos being the relaxing stint of the trip.

Unfortunately, I never did get that break I was hoping for. A mile-long walk to the beach on vacation feels like five. And climbing up a hill after dinner makes it feel like a mountain.

However, we had a much better time at our accommodation in Porto, Casa da Companhia, Vignette Collection. This five-star IHG hotel offered complimentary breakfast and was located in a central location that made exploring the area simple.