Can anyone recommend a beach town that meets the following: <BR>1) Water warm and calm enough to swim <BR>2) Places to stay within walking distance of beach <BR>3) Character <BR>4) Enough of a town to explore, eat out, have a drink at night <BR> <BR>Has anyone been to Sesimbra? Or elsewhere on the Setubal Peninsula?

The places that fit the bill are often swarming with tourists.Portugal is on the Atlantic,so for warm water you should go south, to the Algarve.The water tends to be rough at times,UNLESS: <BR> -consider the ilahos (sandspits)- go to Tavira, a lovely little place well east of Faro,the shore is pebbly but <BR> you can get a ferry to the sandspits where there are campsites, bars, etc. - they even have their own tourist police! <BR> The water on the mainland-facing side <BR>of the sandspits is calm - caution, this side is also used by nude bathers. <BR>Tavira itself has some reasonably good restraunts & you may be able to find a pension.There is also a modern hotel at the edge of town.(or camp on the sandspit-idyllic!)

This is the Atlantic not the Med. The <BR>water is always cold. I like Lagos as <BR>the best location to see things on the <BR>Algarve, but do not expect FL water. <BR>There are several good beach type hotels <BR>near Lagos---search to find your choice.

Another good choice would be to stay at Peniche. It's near Lisbon about an hour (?) I can't remember excatly how far but I went there 2 years ago and loved it. I stayed with a cousin who had an apartment there so I can't recommend a hotel but the water was great, calm at least but not warm you'll have to go to Algarve for that. And there is a night life, clubs, bars sightseeing etc... I would recommend checking it out.