Leave the clubs behind, this is the other Algarve

What's that on the horizon? A hill topped with a tumble of white cubes. Is it one of those Moorish "white towns", like in Andalucia? Do they have them on the Algarve? "No," confirms my friend, "it's a golf resort."

A golf resort! Slam on the car brakes; the illusion is destroyed. He's right. It's another of the manicured enclaves that seem to be smoothing out every wild inch of Portugal's southern coast.

But the Algarve hasn't been abandoned to clipped grass and timeshares. Beyond their bounds lie fishing villages and Moorish towns, dune-backed sands sculpted by the wind and rocky shores with fantastical grottoes, the wetlands of the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, and the cork woods and peaks of the Serra de Monchique. To dismiss this coast as a preserve of the retired and golf crazy is to lose out on one of the most appealing destinations in southern Europe.

An enjoyable way to see the variety offered by the other Algarve is to follow the pousada trail. Four hotels from this countrywide collection – once state run, now managed by a private company – can be linked to provide a tour from Tavira, by the Spanish border, to Sagres at the Iberian peninsula's western tip, where the 15th-century explorer Vasco da Gama learnt seamanship.

We began our tour at Sao Bras de Alportel, north of Faro airport. One of the first pousadas to open, back in the 1940s, it is the least impressive of the quartet today, blessed with only a moderately interesting building and passable location, and well overdue a refurbishment – which it has had since our trip. Its only redeeming feature for us was the panoramic views from its restaurant.

Our next stop, Santa Clara-a-Velha, was far preferable. Strictly speaking, this does venture into the Alentejo, but only by a few miles and who's counting. As well as its beautiful setting by a reservoir, the route up here reveals the Algarve's woods and mountains, too often overlooked by visitors enthralled by the sea. It also passes Mon-chique; in the 19th century, a haunt of the Spanish middle classes who came to this spa town to seek relief from their ills in its waters.

The wind-whipped town of Sagres, our third base, offers a contrast with its end-of-world atmosphere, most profoundly felt on the ramparts of the 17th-century Fortaleza fort. The modern pousada, looks out to it and provides a cosy setting from which to marvel at the surrounding landscape. It's also close to the Algarve's trendiest beach, Martinhal, which has good fish restaurants.

Last stop Tavira, a town filled with architectural treasures, and a beach island to enjoy. It's a short hop from Faro's airport, yet is still to be overwhelmed by tourists. The pousada is the best of the four, an elegantly converted convent, with a courtyard providing a romantic setting for its restaurant. This one also serves the best food – all claim gourmet-standard regional fare. The pousadas offer a taste of the real Algarve, for the eyes and the stomach.

COMPACT FACTS

How to get there

Monarch Airlines (monarch.co.uk) flies to Faro from Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester with fares from £83 return. Keytel International (020-7616 0300; keytel.co.uk) sells a Pousada Passport, including four nights' B&B, for £314 per room – £40 per person per night. Or book two consecutive nights, Sunday to Thursday, and get a third free at the same pousada in July and from 1 September to 31 October. Carrentals.co. uk offers a week's rental from Faro Airport from £92.

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