Algarve

The Algarve is often reduced to beaches and golf courses, but beyond the resort developments lies a very different southern Portugal. Whitewashed fishing towns, Moorish traces, traditional quintas and villages surrounded by cork oak, olive and carob trees reveal a landscape with a strong architectural identity of its own. Along the coast, ochre cliffs and Atlantic beaches meet a new generation of retreats that reinterpret the region’s simple vernacular through limewashed walls, natural stone, timber and quietly contemporary design.

Food and drink are essential to understanding the Algarve beyond its holiday image. Fishing remains central to life along the coast, with grilled sardines, octopus, clams and the region’s cataplana reflecting an enduring relationship with the Atlantic. Inland, olive oil, almonds, figs and citrus shape a more rural cuisine, while traditional tascas and beach restaurants increasingly share the region with ambitious chef-led kitchens, local wine producers and beautifully informal places where lunch can easily consume an afternoon.

The Algarve’s most interesting hotels are increasingly found away from the conventional resort model. Restored farmhouses, intimate village hotels, converted historic buildings and design-led coastal hideaways offer a more personal connection to southern Portugal. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where architecture, food and landscape define the experience—hotels that reveal an Algarve of wild beaches, local character and understated design rather than simply sunbeds and swimming pools.