Nine out of ten British second-home buyers in Portugal opt for the Algarve, thanks to its excellent year-round climate and 3,OOO-plus hours of sunshine a year.
It's a sportsman's paradise with extensive facilities for golf, tennis, horse-riding and water sports. Popular towns with British homebuyers include Praia da Rocha, Carvoeiro, Luz, Armacao de Pera and Praia da Gale.
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Western Algarve
Stretching from Cape St Vincent to Albufeira, this area includes the towns of Lagos - from where many of Portugal's voyages of discovery set sail Portimao and Lagoa, a wine-producing area. Though Albufeira is the largest resort on the Algarve, it still retains a certain charm.
Central Algarve
Extending from Albufeira to Faro, this area takes in the so-called golden triangle - the exclusive resorts of Dunas Douradas, Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo.
Vilamoura is one of Europe's largest residential
developments with a marina. There are marina developments elsewhere on the Algarve at Lagos, Portimao and Vila Real de San Antonio.
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Eastern Algarve
Stretching from Faro to Vila Real de Santo Antonio on the Spanish border, this is the quietest and least developed stretch of the Algarve.
It's noted for its sleepy fishing villages and farming communities - Estoi, alhao and Tavira - which are a world away from the manicured complexes and bustling resorts further west.
The port and university town of Faro is the historic capital of the Algarve and its economic and administrative centre. Its attractive old centre has some of the best architecture in the region.
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