The Algarve

Praia da Luz is small and friendly, as is Lagos as is Espiche.

Yes, Lagos is very pleasant.

Alvor, ferrugudo, carroeivo ( sp) are favourites.

Depends if you want to be by the sea or not. Espiche not on the coast but a short drive away. Burgau has a nice beach plus cafes and restuarants. Not too busy unlike Lagos.

Olhao 15 mins from airport loads of lovely restaurants huge food market always loads of locals
Not a lot of shops get a 20 min boat trip to beautiful beach
Best place we have ever been in Portugal

Armacao de Pera - not quite so touristy and lovely beach and cliff walks

Vilamoura used to be beautiful. Friend and myself stayed in a lovely hotel way back in the 90's near to the marina.

I would definitely recommend Alvor...been there in September about 10 years running...Love it...so friendly and so many restaurants to choose from....we have stayed at all the Pestana hotels...very good...especially the ones on the beach...Also Luna Alvor Bay...adult only not luxurious but clean and comfortable...I would,say just go B and B to any...as a pleasure to eat out...?Not going this time as having hip replacement!!

I hated my first visit to the Algarve- so built up, so English dominated. Then someone gave me the best advice. Turn right out of Faro airport and not left. Been a couple of times. Much more Portugese. Tavira is great if you want a holiday that isn't beach orientated. I went further down near the Spanish border and did a day trip to Seville last time. Great links to all the places by a cheap rail system if you just want to explore.

totally agree with Lagos, lovely place. plenty of choice of restaurants, good fish market, and some lovely trips out on the water

Agree with Trisher, Eastern Algarve, less commercialised, Tavira is beautiful, and you can reach a lovely beach by ferry for 2 euros. Just back from my fourth visit !

We lived Praia da Luz, and the next village along, Burgau.

We rented a villa in Prai da Luz and really liked the resort but it is small with a handful of restaurants but they were all good. You can get a bus to Lagos from there. The beach is lovely. In June we went to Vilamoura which is also on the small side. Some nice shops around the marina. Beach is lovely and there is a boardwalk that takes you along the beach to another small resort called Quarteria which is maybe a little run down in the backstreets but again prom and beach fantastic. We really liked it. Good bus service to Vilamoura and you can get a bus to Faro which is a nice day out and a place called Loule. It depends whether you are happy to be in one resort full time or whether you like to get out and about.

Portugal was the first place we went abroad with our children. We loved it but it was a long time ago, so I googled it and this is one comment, there were many on a similar vein:
'Thankfully, Tavira has managed to avoid such horrors despite being in the Algarve, i.e. Portugal's most popular region for tourists and expats. Unspoilt and decidedly laid back, this is one of my favourite towns in this southern region. It may be quiet but there are still plenty of things to do in Tavira'.

We spent three weeks there and hired a car for a few days. Tavira is near to the Spanish border.

Burgau is where we used to go. It’s a lovely spot, but a bit of a pull uphill from the beach! Lots of nice eateries. Recommend Lagos and if you want to eat with locals, rather than touristy eateries, try Adega da Marina - but, for lunch, get there before midday as the queues are legendary!!

Tavira is my favourite town, we stay at the Maria Nova adult only hotel. The rooftop bar is fabulous. ( Fleetway Travel)

The town is a 5 minute walk from the hotel, the stunning beaches are reached via a 10 minute ferry ride.
We are very particular but are returning for a third time to this beautiful area.

Look at the review under 'Vilamoura' on www.silvertraveladvisor.com/

Just click on reviews or just search Portugal - it will help.

Lagos is my favourite, looking to buy there. Meia Praia beach is enormous with very few people on it . Alvor is lovely, Vilamoura and Albefeira are nice but a bit busy, |Praia de Luz used to be so small but has got a lot bigger over the years, The coastline all along the Portuguese coast is beautiful, so it doesn't have to be the Algarve, the Silver Coast is lovely, Cascais, is beautiful. Wherever you end up I am sure you will have a great time xxx

I live alone but would love to go for a holiday away from my family has anyone been on holiday alone,can you recommend any places

We went to Portugal for many years, staying lots of different places (agree Alvor is nice), we eventually found a beautiful place called 'Quintassential' which is 5 bungalows up in the mountains near Loule, with a swimming pool, and is run by a lovely couple Rosa, who from Portugal, and her husband who is English, take a look at their website. In Portugal it is better to hire a car in order to see different places, (Rosa can arrange this), the roads are excellent as is the food, & the people are lovely. Enjoy wherever you go, but agree the commercialised places are a no no!

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Champion, I too live alone. Where you gondeoends on what you want from a holiday, Do you want beach and sunbathing, do you want to tour. Whatever your interest there will be other single travellers. I am going with Riviera next year, they do solo holidays.