Mid-way along the coastal strip of The Algarve is the holiday hotspot of Albufeira. Once a fishing village it is now a bustling resort with crowds of package holiday tourists and a noisy nightlife.

The peaceful and quaint fisherman’s beach has been replaced by a colourful riot of parasols and roasting humanity, but get away from the crowds and you may be lucky enough to find traditional shops, cheerful restaurants (top tip: go where the locals go) and an excellent produce market, to stock up on fish, meat, salads and fresh fruit, perfect for the BBQ back at the villa.

Albufeira is certainly not the destination for everyone but travel a short distance along the coast and something more appealing will appear, be that mountain villages, golf resorts, water parks or exclusive villas with private pools.

There is more to The Algarve than beaches, away from the coast the ground rises, and the tourist crowds disappear. Exploring the mountain villages is a delight. Take a walk a through wooded valleys, beside bubbling rivers, chat to the locals and treat yourself to a leisurely stop for a simple (or something more fancy if you wish) lunch in a quiet ‘taverna’, washed down with a chilled, fresh, astringent Vinho Verde. Perfect. For us travel is always about meeting the locals and enjoying traditional culture.

Tavira is a town in the far eastern Algarve. It is close to the Spanish border and sits on the Gilao River which flows to the sea through the salt-pans and lagoons of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, a perfect place to pause and watch flamingos, spoonbills and many other exotic wading birds.

Tavira differs from much of the Algarve, it has a rich history and was occupied in medieval times by Moorish invaders. The town itself has resisted much of the ‘touristification’ of the region and boasts a rich architecture with many of the buildings still decorated in the traditional Azulejos (ceramic tiles).

In 713AD Iberia was invaded by the Moors and Silves became part of the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba. It remained under Moorish control until the mid 13th century.

Today Silves is proud of its Moorish history, culture and architecture.

We were fortunate to visit Silves when a Moorish festival was in full swing. The streets around the ancient hilltop castle were transformed into a ‘traditional’ souk, every open space played host to exotic sporting activities (camel racing, jousting etc), entertainers and cultural productions and the night air was perfumed with incense, and the aromas of every variety of North African cuisine.

The second most populous town in the Algarve (second to Faro). Situated on the Arade river, Portimao was originally the shipbuilding centre of the Algarve but is now a major tourist hub.

The beach resort known as Praia da Rocha, is nowadays a wall to wall over-development of high rise holiday apartments, restaurants and bars catering for the annual influx of countless thousands of tourists. Somehow the region manages to swallow them all up and cater for all tastes.

As a kind of homage to the Shipbuilding history of Portimao, the Santa Bernarda, a sailing vessel in the style of a 15th century caravelle, plys its trade from the river frontage, carrying travellers for a front row seat to view the caves and grottos of the Carvoeiro coastline.

Faro, the principal town of the Algarve, is the major commercial centre, and for most visitors will be the gateway to the region via the international airport. Many of those visitors bypass the city and head directly to their holiday destination, and in doing so miss out on the Ria Formosa Nature Park, the lagoon, golden beaches, historic Moorish architecture and a vibrant city and nightlife.