The Algarve can be extremely busy - especially in high season. Especially in the stretch between Faro and Albufeira, you have to look for a few square meters to throw out your towel. If you travel a little further east, you will end up in a less touristy part of the Portuguese South. The cozy Tavira is located in the Ria Formosa, a sixty kilometer long lagoon and nature reserve, surrounded by islands, peninsulas and sandbanks. And there, a ten-minute bike ride from the beach, you will find bed & breakfast Quinta dos Perfumes. Close to the villages of Conceição and Cabanas de Tavira and a must for those looking for a bit of peace and quiet in the Portuguese Algarve.

Quinta dos Perfumes is, as befits a real agroturismo, small but nice. In the main building you will find twelve rooms and a number of studios have also been provided near the swimming pool. The interior is sleek, light and cozy and the service is personal and always with a smile. The hotel deserves bonus points for dog lovers. Hotel dogs Poppy and Margarida welcome you enthusiastically every morning at the extensive breakfast buffet. There you will find freshly made Portuguese pastries, fruit and vegetables from the vegetable garden and orange juice, freshly squeezed from oranges from the orchard. If that isn't heavenly!

Our favorite spots in Quinta dos Perfumes? The freshwater swimming pool in the middle of the orange grove, the lovely sunbeds and the large terrace on the first floor of the main building. No better place to gaze at the sunset with a glass of rosé! Also handy: you can use bicycles for free all day long. Vamos!

Caixa Postal 545 S Conceição e Cabanas de Tavira, 8800-058 Tavira – Rooms from 95 euros per night – www.quintadosperfumes.com