Belharucas and Olhos d’Água: the approach from Vilamoura

Heading west from Vilamoura, Falésia’s cliffs carry on into Praia do Barranco das Belharucas, a long, open beach where the rock turns a deep, rusty red and gullies cut down through the cliff face. It is a fine stretch to admire at an easy cruising speed, with the pine-topped clifftops above.

Then comes Olhos d’Água, a former fishing village whose name means “eyes of water”. At low tide, freshwater springs bubble up through the sand and rocks at the edge of the beach, a quirk that gave the village its name. From the sea you see the small bay, the colourful boats pulled up on the sand and the dramatic rock pinnacles at its western end.

Both make an attractive opening to the day, and on calm mornings the water off this stretch is often flat and inviting.

West of the old town: São Rafael, Arrifes, Coelha and Maré das Porcas

This is the stretch most people come for. Praia de São Rafael is a wide bay of golden sand scattered with carved stacks and pillars, some standing in the shallows, with water that glows turquoise on a sunny day.

Close by, Praia dos Arrifes is defined by three tall rock stacks just offshore, a shape that has become one of Albufeira’s signature views. Praia da Coelha is smaller and more sheltered, a pretty cove under sandstone cliffs that is often calm enough for a swim.

Then there is Praia da Maré das Porcas, a tiny, rocky cove tucked under the cliffs and easy to miss from land. It is one of those places that is genuinely best seen from the sea, and the skipper will usually slow down so you can take it in.

Many of these beaches are small, so a safe position offshore matters more than trying to land at every cove.