Best Base in Algarve without staying in resort
 

We're flying into Faro and would like to find a base that will allow us to visit the gorgeous beaches in the West Algarve while not staying in a resort area or party town. We prefer smaller luxury hotels/inns to large resorts and would like to be surrounded by historic Portuguese towns with character rather than high rises or big resorts. I'm seeing the nicest inns on the East coast but we don't want to spend all our time in a car visiting the sites/beaches the Algarve is famous for.
What's the best town to base in for this? Any hotel/inn recommendations?
We're a couple in our early 50's

Thanks in advance!

Lagos, while with its tourist attractions, is large enough to be more than a tourist town. In 2019 we rented an apartment there and used it as a base for our Algarve visit, with the exception of Tavira which we saw on the way to Lagos. Tavira has a nice old town, but the build up along the coast is not attractive at all.

https://flic.kr/p/2grRqnH https://flic.kr/p/2grs4Tg https://flic.kr/p/2grRafy https://flic.kr/p/2grQj8a
You can search for my trip report and here are the pictures for the Algarve part of that trip:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmENSCvb

Thanks so much Michael, I read through your trip report that was very helpful I was leaning toward Lagos so I will zero in on options there.

Michael, what are your thoughts on basing out of Carvoeiro?

Thanks!

That's a real tourist town, the beach is relatively small so might be even more crowded depending on the season. If you are going for a B&B, with evening meals cooked at home, the shopping might be more limited than in Lagos.

Alternatives might be inland. Loulé is a possibility. Silves is another one, but much smaller:

https://flic.kr/p/2grPFv6