Take a look at the alberfura resort reports, the strip is better for the Young night life the old town is nearer the nice beaches and has plenty of bars and restaurants where the little one would be welcome in the evenings

wizard

thanks i will, do you know anything about the other two resorts that i mentioned?

not a lot sorry but im sure the boys and girls will give you some answers later [always quiet sund pm unless its raining

wizard

Hi
Carvoeiro is nice but steep hills in and out of the main area and the beach is nice but not very big,Praia da Rocha is more touristy but the beach is wonderful.Perhaps Alvor might be better for you .It has a lovely beach ,plenty of bars and restaurants but has also managed to keep its Portugese atmosphere.Also there is a good bus service from there so if you do not want to drive you can still get about.

I stayed in Carvoerio last year and thought it was really nice. Plenty of nice places to eat and the beach, although not the biggest, is really nice and safe for small ones. It is hilly, but hten a lot of places in the Algarve are.
We are going again in October and this time I think we are opting for Alvor as I've heard that's still quite traditional.

Whilst Alvor is not as 'touristy' as many resorts on the Algarve, 'traditional' is not the word I would use to describe it any more as the Irish bars and Karaoke have infiltrated the town.If you're looking for a traditional village,then I'd suggest that you look further west-Burgau,Budens or Salema- or east of Faro - maybe Cabanas.