Step out of the latticed doorways of this vacation home for rent in Portugal into vivid cobbled streets. Lagoa is alive with an open market, sidewalk cafes and traditional taverns occupying its modest, whitewashed buildings. Known for its expansive sands and idyllic coves, it boasts beaches such as Praia do Carvoeiro (7km), the cliff-backed sands of Praia da Marinha (8km) which is home to caves and arches and a favorite destination of divers, or the Praia de Albandeira (12km) with its photo-worthy limestone arch, glinting turquoise water and beachfront restaurant. The Algar de Benagil is one of Mother Nature’s masterpieces, a seaside cave with a skylight hole in its roof, reachable only by boat.

Beyond beach going, lovers of lobster should make their way, in season, to the fishing village of Ferragudo, a town of red-tiled roofs that spills down a hill to the café- and shop-lined waterfront. The region’s best-preserved castle is set in the Algarve’s ancient capital of Silves, about nine kilometers away. Silves’ striking red-stone Castel dos Mouros dates from the 12th century and is the heavily fortified site from which the Moors ruled over southern Portugal. Massive city gates still stand in Silves, and the town is also home to a unique Gothic Cathedral constructed on the site of an original Moorish mosque. Outdoor recreation opportunities include kayaking, SUPing and boating, as well as diving and hiking the coastal Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos path that winds its way along the waterfront, and offers views over the bays, coves, and beaches that make the Algarve famous.