We are 4 couples ~30yo, who will be travelling for two weeks through Spain and Portugal. For one of the weeks we would like to get a villa in either the Algarve coast or the E. coast of Spain. Any thoughts/preferences? Ideally, we would prefer an area with less-crowded beaches and nice restaurants, but also within a short drive to some decent nightlife.
Thanks for any and all input!

It depends on when you plan to visit: between mid-July and mid-September, if you haven't already your accomodations booked, you may be out of luck. 'High, high season' in Spain begins 16 July (Virgen de Carmen). "an area with less-crowded beachesquot; Forget that! Unless you hit the Costa de la Luz west of the Donana wildlife refuge.

I have just about given up on Spain's Mediterranean coast: it's all tourist!Of course that's also your status. You might consider Barcelona and day-trips to Costa Brava and Costa Dorada resorts.

Try Mojacar in Almeria province.

try vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner). Beautiful properties, the site should at a minimum give you an idea of where, how much, and what is out there. A lot of owners are British citizens with summer properties in Spain, assisted by local management.

Portugal has some of the friendliest people in Europe, if that makes any difference.