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This premier seafood restaurant is well known for its octopus, but the sautéed tuna is just as tempting. A photograph on the wall taken in 1954 shows Tavira under snow – an occurence unheard of since!

Popular with beginners as well as the more adroit, this layout, completed in 2001, is recommended for the holiday golfer who prefers a fairly relaxed game. It requires concentration, however, especially for club selection, as the holes vary in length more than one might expect of a 9-hole course.

A popular lunchtime haunt, Amuras buzzes at night with a mix of smooth soul and sexy jazz funk on the modest dance floor. Live music every Friday night usually comes with a Latin twist.

While neigbouring Praia da Rocha remains one of the Algarve’s hottest nightclub districts, the town’s nearby marina boasts some wonderful new bars including this one. The first-floor terrace is perfect on those balmy summer evenings when you’d rather chat quietly over a drink than join the throng on the dance floor where the music matches the mood – hot!

Wrapped in classic hill-walking country and pleasantly lost in time, Barão de São João typifies rural Algarve. It is best appreciated during the antiques fair, which the village hosts on the last Sunday of every month.

Jolly open-air antiques market and handicrafts fair on the fourth Sunday of every month.

The white is a particularly inspired blend of Arinto and Rabo do Ovelha grape varieties.

A thriving agricultural town and capital of the Baixo Alentejo, Beja also has a rich past displayed in museum buildings that are often as interesting as their exhibits. The Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, for example, now houses the Museu Regional, and the town’s oldest church, the 6th-century Santo Amaro, is home to the Museu Visigótico. The landmark Torre de Menagem (castle keep) dates from the late 13th century.