Lagos is very pleasant, for strolling, for eats, and with beaches nearby.

Albufeira will be enjoyable that time of year, with all the same, but a touch less history. Great beach right in the center, makes Albufeira a really nice option.

Tavira has true grande class, but is not as tourist-ready - - though if you have a nice place to stay and decent transport, three days would be sweet.

If you have a car, then you will have many delights short at hand. The little towns up and down the coast, as well as inland, make a stay with a car enthralling no matter WHERE you are quartered.

If you don't want to rent a car, then hunker down in Albufeira, because it is simply an easy place to be, and easy to get back to the airport in Faro.

Hotel prices that time of year should be very advantageous. Do a search using the major websites and choose one that people who have stayed there have rated highly.

Lagos, Salema, Burgau, Ferragudo, Porches, and Carvoeiro would be my suggestions. I am not a fan of Albufeira, at all.

If you do not plan on renting a car, I would stick to Lagos. Car rentals are very cheap there, this time of year though. Also, there won't be crowds wherever you go. October is a sleepy time, but excellent for those of us who want to be there. We'll be there too.

Another vote for Lagos. We were there a couple of years ago and it's probably less commercial than the other resorts. Good choice of hotels and restaurants too, but don't worry about beaches, the water will be too cold to swim.

You need to indicate your budget to get hotel recs for your stay.

Rubicund, not necessarily. We swim in October most years. It is 'exhilerating', but still enjoyable.

SloJan2, exhilarating wouldn't be the word I'd use. In August whilst wading out near the big rocks at Lagos, the water was so cold I lost feeling from my knees down.

I'd say b****y freezing.

We love Tavira. It's more than touristy enough for my taste. Most of the tourists are Portuguese and Spanish whereas in Lagos it's mostly British tourists. We found Lagos to be pretty loud at night!

I'm assuming you will have a car, and if so, you can really traverse the whole Algarve in a few days, because westernmost to easternmost (Sagres to Vila Real de Santo Antonio) is only about 100 miles. But having said that, I think with that timeframe, it's better to concentrate on either Lagos and the West or Tavira and the east. I love Tavira, as others do, but I think that on balance the west has more spectacular scenery. Praia da Rocha near Portimao in the off-season is just heaven; the rocky coves near Lagos are also amazing, and the views from the pousada in Sagres are great.

I've been to Lagos in high season and low season and the differences are stark. Party central in high season, nice small town in off season. Maybe that's true of the entire Algave, though.

So when is the off season? How about late March?

Late March is still off season. I find that the only time the tourists get to me is July and August. The Algarve is dead from Nov - Feb and things start perking up in March but not by much. It is pretty quiet until the summer months. If you do go in the summer, you should just rent a villa with a decent sized garden so that you can get away from the riffraff.

I'd jump for Tavira, we stayed in the old tuna factory (now a 4 star hotel) for peanuts in early November 2 years ago. Perfectly fine rooms, a car park and you are close to a row of restaurants on the harbour front which kept us happy for a week.

But you need to be in a fair size town or else it will be very dull

Albufeira - but make sure you stay in the old town. Lagos is also beautiful - I prefer Albufeira. Ferragudo is too quiet - I have heard that Tavira is beautiful but Ive never been.