Portugal

Description: The Algarve is the Southernmost region of continental Portugal. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on its Western and Southern border, to Spain on the Eastern edge.

With a permanent population estimated at around 500,000 residents that easily doubles or more during peak season, they enjoy the beautiful turquoise waters, over 300 days of sunshine annually, historic sites, world class food and wine and welcoming locals. It is easy to see why this region is one of the most highly recommended and sought after areas to vacation, long-term stay and even re-locate permanently to as Expats. We personally find something every single day that highlights that sentiment with us too.

I would rate their infrastructure a 3.75 out of 5. Roads and highways we have driven a couple hundred miles on so far are on par with most of the U.S. as a comparison. Traffic is lighter usually, most drivers obey traffic laws, and signage is mostly adequate.
There seems to be an adequate number of hospitals and urgent care centers. Thankfully we have not had to use them, but from the outside they look newer and modern in the larger cities.

For those with mobility issues, the Algarve is from one end to the other on the spectrum depending on location and activity/attraction you are engaged in. Throughout the Algarve we have seen people of all levels of mobility, from wheelchairs to crutches to scooters. I would rate Lagos a 4 out of 5, and the Algarve a 3 out of 5 due to so many of the activities requiring walking or rolling long distances. If you stay within the population centers you will have no problems in almost any of the places we have visited. Even most of the larger beaches have excellent wooden boardwalks that extend for miles along them.
Faro, the capital of the Algarve, has an international airport and is located near center of the Southern edge of the region, making it a great hub. There is a regional train from Lagos in the West, to the Eastern border with Spain, ending in the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio. An hourly ferry crosses the Guadiana River that separates to two countries and makes a day trip extremely easy and fun. We did not use the train, as we rented a car for our 30 days here. From what we have observed in Lagos, it runs 3-4 times daily at least. We have been told it is very cheap, somewhat unreliable and may leave you waiting 3-4 hours for the next one if there is a problem. The physical trains we have seen do appear to be a few decades old, but we have also seen a good amount of work being done along the tracks to upgrade them.