Tavira, Portugal
While earthquakes saw off much of the Algarve’s historical interest, and tourist over-development has blighted some resorts, the little town of Tavira has escaped the ravages of both. A handsome Roman bridge spans the lazy RiverGilão, with locals and visitors lingering long over their vin hoverde in the cafés along its palm-lined banks.
Compared with the Algarve’s usual chunky architecture, Tavira is elegant and patrician: 16th-and 17th-century mansions and balconied houses decorated with azuelos (tiles) line its cobbled streets, and white domes and the spires of 37 churches pierce its skyline. There are no beaches in town, you cycle, bus and boat-hop to the magnificent sandy spits of the ilhas (sand islands).
Don’t miss: Cacela Velha, a tiny, almost untouched hamlet spectacularly sited on a rocky promontory occupied only by a church, ruined fort, restaurant and a few rooms to let. The views over the virgin shore and sand bar are sensational.
Where to stay: A lovely villa, Santo Estevao has a pretty garden with almond and olive trees, terrace and barbecue, and a pool shared with the English-speaking owners, who live in a separate part of the house.
Eastern Andalusia, Spain
In peak season, the fleshpots of Marbella and Torremolinos heave with holidaymakers. Head inland, though, and less than 30 minutes from Malaga and the Med you’ll discover a part of Andalusia that, in tourist terms at least, time has forgotten – a land of picturesque villages, national parks and surrealistic limestone crags.
On the edge of Montes de MalagaNational Park, amid groves of almond and olive trees, Casabermeja with its Arab watchtower, 16th-century church and superb restaurants and tapas bars, is ten times more Andalusian than the village of Mijas, where all the tourist buses stop.
Prehistoric cave paintings nearby are evidence of much earlier inhabitants, and its graveyard is now a national monument noted for ancient burial mounds. To the west, El Torcal Natural Park is a Disneyworld of natural limestone rock sculptures and well worth a day trip.
Where to stay:: The large Casabermeja villa, a converted 18th-century wine press, offers 360-degree views across stunning country and mountain scenery, and ancient caves in the ground contain paintings said to date back 6,000 years. It can be booked as two self-contained properties, ideal for groups of friends or families.
