Hello all.

Some Canadian friends and I are now discussing moving to the Algarve region and setting up a small vacation establishment.

We have not decided on a location yet, and are looking for the following criteria:
- Charming setting, i.e. not in a sterile downtown or residential area
- Access to one or more of: local restaurants, coffee shops, bars and the like
- Interesting surroundings: historical sites and/or nice places for nature hikes
- Reasonable access to transport that is not daunting to tourists. We’re assuming most will come via Faro.

We're thinking of not competing with the facilities that primarily cater to the beach crowd. (Assuming property prices close to the beach come at a premium)

We’re planning a scouting visit to Algarve soon, but where should we start looking for such places? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Cheers.
PS! I hope this does not end up as a double posting, but my first attempt has not shown up 6+ hours after I pressed Submit.