FARO tips

The southern Algarve region of Portugal has some of the warmest weather in the country and a dramatic coastline dotted by golden-hued craggy cliffs, patches of pristine sandy beaches, and quaint, cobblestone towns. While this idyllic Atlantic retreat is no secret among Europeans, it still flies relatively under the radar for visitors coming from farther afield.

Even though the leaves are just starting to turn, airline network planners are already getting excited for next summer.

The Faroe Islands feature one of lushest, most dramatic landscapes on the planet.

After a few back-to-back years of splashy press releases and cocktail parties, United Airlines is out with its hotly anticipated transatlantic network announcement for next summer.

In the glare of the morning sun, the streets of downtown Faro are a textural hot mess. A faded art deco shopfront sits cheek by crumbling jowl with its neighbour’s rusting balustrades and handmade fondant tiles. A bank swerves around the corner like an ice-cream sandwich hit by pistachio light. Everywhere there are buildings you might generously describe as less art and more nouveau. These are layers of the near past – and I’m smitten.