Located at the southern tip of Portugal, the word Algarve derives from the Arabic word for "the west", owing to the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century. My wife's family has lived in the town of Lagos for generations, and I have been lucky enough to experience both the town and the region. Steeped in history, and laced with the smells of the sap of plants and the salt of the sea, the Algarve's landscape is both lush and warm, yet also harsh and rugged. It is a place that stays with you, long after you leave it.
