BEST DAY EVER: PORTIMAO

Start at a pastelaria in the old town, not on the tourist strip. Order a bica and a pastel de nata. Stand at the bar. Add sugar to the coffee. Eat the tart in two bites. Drink the coffee in three sips. Pay less than two euros. Walk to the harbour.

The harbour at this hour is the best version of Portimao: the fishing boats are coming in, the market is opening, the city is waking up at its own pace. Walk the full length of the waterfront and watch the morning happen.

The Museu de Portimao opens at 10am on most days. Arrive at opening to beat the tour groups. Allow two hours. Watch the 1946 sardine canning film in the basement -- it runs on a loop and it is eleven minutes of genuine industrial history. Walk the factory floor with the machines in place.

When you leave, you will understand Portimao in a way that no amount of beach time can provide.

Book the noon departure from the harbour for a sea cave tour. The trips run to Ponta da Piedade and back, about three hours, with stops inside the caves and at a beach accessible only by sea. Bring sunscreen and a hat. The water is cold but swimmable from June onwards.

The caves at midday have a particular quality of light -- the sun is high enough to illuminate the turquoise water from above -- that is different from the morning. Both are worth seeing. If you can only do one, do the morning.

After the boat, you will be hungry. Walk to the harbour tascas at the eastern end of the waterfront, near the fish market. Find one with a handwritten menu in Portuguese and no photographs. Order the sardinhas assadas -- grilled sardines -- with batatas cozidas and salad. Order a cold Sagres.

Eat outside if possible. The sardines will arrive whole, on a piece of bread to catch the juices. Eat them with your hands. This is correct.

Drive or take a taxi to Praia da Rocha. Walk the full length of the promenade to the western end. Find NoSoloAgua. Order a Medronho Sour. Sit on the terrace and watch the sun drop toward the Atlantic.

The sunset from Praia da Rocha, with the amber cliffs on either side and the ocean in front, is the kind of thing that makes you understand why people come to the Algarve and do not leave.

Book Avô Casimiro in the old town for 8pm. Order the cataplana de marisco for two. Order a bottle of Alentejo white wine -- ask for something local and not too expensive. The cataplana will take twenty minutes to arrive. Use the time to drink the wine and eat bread with olive oil.

When the cataplana arrives and is opened at the table, the smell alone is worth the trip.

After dinner, walk to one of the harbour tascas and order a medronho. It will be served in a small glass, room temperature, and it will taste of arbutus berries and fire. Drink it slowly. Order another if you feel it is appropriate.

This is the correct end to a day in Portimao. The third medronho is inadvisable but, in our experience, inevitable.