The western Algarve has two coastlines with two personalities. The south coast is golden cliffs, calm bays and easy family days; the west coast is Atlantic drama, surf and space. Within half an hour of Lagos you can have either. These are the twelve we would actually send you to, with the honest notes a brochure leaves out.

The south coast: calm, golden, family-friendly

1. Praia da Luz

Our home beach, and a complete one: a broad sweep of sand with the black volcanic mass of Rocha Negra at its eastern end, a palm-lined promenade of cafes and restaurants directly behind, and calm, clear water that suits children and long lazy swims. Lifeguarded in season, with sunbeds, water sports in summer, and everything a beach day needs within a two-minute walk. If you only learn one beach, learn this one.

2. Meia Praia, Lagos

Five kilometres of uninterrupted golden sand curving from Lagos marina towards Alvor, the biggest beach in the area by far. Space is never a problem, even in August. A string of beach restaurants and bars sits along its length, the water shelves gently, and the walk from the Lagos side arrives with the whole bay in view. Bring shade; it is gloriously exposed.

3. Praia Dona Ana, Lagos

The postcard. Honey-coloured cliffs, sculpted stacks and clear turquoise water make Dona Ana one of the most photographed beaches in Portugal. It is compact, so arrive early in high summer, but out of season it is simply one of the loveliest places on the coast to put a towel down.

4. Praia do Camilo, Lagos

Dona Ana's smaller, wilder sibling, reached by a long wooden staircase down the cliff face. The reward at the bottom is a pair of intimate coves connected by a tunnel cut through the rock. Tiny, beautiful, and best outside peak hours; the staircase back up is your post-beach workout.

5. Praia do Porto de Mós, Lagos

Between Luz and Lagos, a long, broad beach beneath high cliffs that stays quieter than its neighbours. Two good beach restaurants anchor it, and the clifftop walk from here back over to Luz, past the Atalaia viewpoint, is one of the best short walks in the area. The sand shelves a little more steeply here, which the bodyboarders appreciate.

6. Praia de Burgau

Ten minutes west of Luz, Burgau is a fishing village first and a resort barely at all, which is exactly its charm. The small beach sits in the village's lap, ringed by whitewashed houses, with boats still hauled up the slipway and a couple of restaurants close enough to hear the waves from your table.

7. Praia da Salema

Further west again, Salema keeps the same unhurried village feel with a longer run of sand. Fishermen still work off the beach in the mornings, the water is family-calm, and dinosaur footprints, genuinely, can be found in the rock at the eastern end. A proper day-trip beach with lunch built in.

8. Praia do Martinhal, Sagres

At the sheltered edge of Sagres, Martinhal faces east across a bay dotted with islets, which keeps it unusually protected for somewhere this far west. Shallow, sandy and backed by dunes, it is the west coast trip that still works with small children, and the windsurfers love it for the same reasons.

The west coast: wild, windswept, unforgettable

9. Praia do Beliche, Sagres

Tucked between Sagres and Cape St Vincent, down a long staircase, Beliche is a golden amphitheatre beneath towering cliffs that catches afternoon light beautifully and offers some shelter from the north wind that combs this coast. Surfers in the water, photographers on the steps, and one of the last beaches in Europe before the lighthouse.

10. Praia do Amado, Carrapateira

One of the Algarve's great surf beaches, wide and wild, with surf schools working the whitewater all season and serious surfers further out. Even if you never touch a board, the scale of the place, red-brown cliffs, huge sky, Atlantic rollers, is worth the drive. The boardwalk circuit around the Carrapateira headland next door is spectacular.

11. Praia da Arrifana, Aljezur

A crescent of sand held between dark cliffs below a clifftop fishing hamlet, with a ruined fortress standing guard above. Arrifana manages to be both dramatic and swimmable, and the sunset from the fort, with the whole beach glowing below, is a west coast essential.

12. Praia de Odeceixe

At the region's northern edge, where the Seixe river meets the sea, Odeceixe gives you two beaches in one: ocean surf on the seaward side and a calm, warm river beach behind, which makes it the west coast's best all-ages compromise. The drive through the river valley to reach it is a pleasure in itself.

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Practical notes. Lifeguards operate in the bathing season (roughly mid June to mid September on the main beaches); respect the flags, especially on the west coast, where currents are serious. Cliff edges crumble, so keep to paths and never sit beneath overhangs. Parking at the small cove beaches (Dona Ana, Camilo, Beliche) fills by mid-morning in July and August; go early or go late, and out of season, go whenever you like, you will have half of it to yourself.

Staying nearby? Villa Lux Luz in Praia da Luz sleeps 20, a 15-minute stroll from beach number one.