Some of the English laughed, not realising how literal this was.

Dublin airport, once associated with joyful Christmas reunions and painful farewells, is now a thoroughfare for voluntary ex-pats and multiple-holidaymakers.

While some go for the exotic and the unusual, many are looking for the familiar in a warmer climate. In the Algarve they find it.

Purpose-built tourist complexes have mushroomed there since the 1960s, when Faro airport first opened. The year-round sunshine, world-class beaches and top golf courses assured the popularity of places like Albufeira. They quickly reached saturation point, though construction continues.

"Until the 1970s, we did not have compulsory education in the Algarve, " says a spokesman for the tourist board. "Not every home had electricity and running water. Since then there has been much development. We may have lost some features that were special to the region, but the way of life now is much better. People from different parts of Portugal and other countries come not only to visit but to live here."

Meanwhile the number of foreign six-year-olds in a primary class in Tavira is reported in a local paper. There are Chinese, Poles, Germans and English. The school has 15 nationalities altogether. The diversity is celebrated, though initial language problems are acknowledged. "The children act as interpreters for their parents, " says the teacher, pictured with her cosmopolitan class.

In the western Algarve, development was slower to take off.

Then, three years ago, the A22 motorway reduced a journey of several hours to 45 minutes and the area around Lagos, the ancient capital of Portugal, was ripe for conquest.

The place I am staying is in Praia da Luz (beach of light), recently upgraded to a town and renamed Vila da Luz. The influx is from northern Europe and the lingua franca is English.

Following Derek Davis's act on the night in question, Irish dancers clattered across the stage, smiles fixed. The owner of the resort joined the Three Irish Tenors for their encore. I spotted a fellow Dublin journalist who has a home here on another table. The Irish football team use the complex as a base for its training, rumour has it. What I knew already, and liked, about Portugal was gleaned previously from a week driving round the Minho region in the north and from a few days in Lisbon and Oporto. This wasn't it.

But the next morning, emerging from the comfort of my fourstar Estrela da Luz apartment and the luxury of a massage and facial, I was more mellow. I was so relaxed my face looked botoxed. I'd had a swim and a sauna and admired the stamina of those, young and old, whirring away in the gym.

Walking down to the beach, I wondered how long it would be before the remaining grass was covered in more white villas. But I was wrong. The coastal area here is protected and development must abide by certain rules. In Luz, according to Winkworth's estate agents, there is actually no more room to develop. Oceanico, who own Estrela da Luz, are building a big complex at the other end of the town, but after that, they will look elsewhere.

Lagos, a 10-minute drive away, is bigger than Luz and has more of a Portuguese infrastructure, with several outstanding churches and the remains of medieval town walls. The earthquake of 1755, which destroyed Lisbon, had its epicentre just south of here. The Igreja de Santo Antonio, with its madly over-the-top gilt and carved interior, and the museum next door are among the few buildings to have survived the earthquake.

A new marina echoes Lagos's glory days as the starting point for Portugal's voyages of discovery in the 15th century, and is still important as the first port of call after the Atlantic Ocean.

Founded by the Phoenicians, Lagos became an important trading town under the Moors before the re-conquest by Christian armies in 1241. Henry the Navigator used Lagos as a base for African trade and the remains of the first slave market in Europe can be found alongside the old custom house.

The statue in the main square is comically ugly and depicts the youthful king Dom Sebastiao looking as if he's wearing a carpet on his head. He led a disastrous expedition against the Moors in Morocco in 1578 and died with most of the Portuguese nobility, enabling Spain to annex Portugal for 60 years.

White storks have built their nests in tall brick chimneys around the town, which cannot, because of the bird's status, be pulled down. The pedestrianised streets of the town centre make for pleasant strolls and are lively in the evenings, with some excellent restaurants. Here, unlike many towns along the coast, local tastes prevail, with few burger joints. Lagos also has a couple of decent 'pensaos' for those who are not in the luxury apartment market.

Some of the Algarve's best beaches lie around Lagos, and the coast here is called the Costa d'Oiro, or gold coast. Meia Praia is a sweeping four kilometres long. Camper vans enjoy uninterrupted ocean views along this stretch, and many people decide that, by driving, they don't need an apartment at all.

On the bus back to Luz, I saw a bit of the green hinterland and realised how little tourism has encroached away from the coast, with the Monchique hills offering an almost total respite. I never count myself as a tourist. Just as traffic is always other cars, so tourists are always other people.

Portuguese courtesy prevails everywhere. Most people have some knowledge of English and are gracious under the foreign onslaught. I looked kindly on Luz as I walked back to the apartments. Although tourism plays a large part in the local economy, there are few high rises here and just one hotel on the outskirts. Gardens are well tended, and wild flowers sprout where given a chance. Almond blossom and lemon trees remind you that you are indeed far from home.

As I waited for my taxi back to the airport after a short but relaxing break, I watched a Portuguese man tending cabbages on a small plot opposite the apartment complex, while hens clucked around him, oblivious of any change.

GETTING THERE Daily flights from Dublin with Aer Lingus and Ryanair, and from Cork with Aer Lingus three days a week.

STAYING THERE Oceanico resorts offer four-star accommodation at Estrela da Luz in Praia da Luz and at Jardim da Meia Praia, Lagos.

Spring deals include a three-night spa package at Estrela da Luz for 150 per person sharing, excluding flights, and a seven-night golf package at either resort for 200.

www. oceanicoresorts. com EATING OUT Estrela do Mar, situated above the fish market in Lagos, is popular with visitors and Portuguese alike.

Don Sebastiao in the centre of Lagos town has a famous cellar, home to a variety of Portuguese wine (some dating back to the late 1800s), port (red and white), Madeira and Muscatel. Both restaurants are reasonably priced.

The Adega da Marina, on the main promenade area, is typically Portuguese with its rustic atmosphere and choice of chargrilled chicken and variety of local fish. This was particularly good value with lunch for four people coming to 30.