Praia Do Camilo.

To reach Praia do Camilo, you must first descend a dramatic wooden staircase of some 200 steps snaking down the ochre-colored cliffs. The reward at the bottom is one of the Algarve’s most visually striking pockets of coastline. Rather than a wide-open stretch, Camilo is a pair of compact, golden-sand coves connected by a hand-cut pedestrian tunnel through the rock. Surrounded by towering limestone walls and offshore sea stacks, the beach is highly sheltered, which keeps the clear, turquoise water calm and ideal for snorkeling. The limited real estate means it fills up incredibly fast during the summer, but the striking views from the descent—and the sense of being tucked away in a hidden stone amphitheater—make it worth navigating the stairs and the crowds.