I bought in the East Algarve Phil, much cheaper and good rental potential as the East side is now becoming more popular. I bought one apartment in Olhao and another in Tavira. Tha Agent was RENTABILIZAR in Olhao and I cannot heap enough praise on Claudio Silva, one of the partners there. He was extraordinarily helpful in virtually every phase of the operation. The company has a very good website which displays all their properties in english.
You might find it worth a visit. Also, the cost of living in the East is significantly lower than in the West, mostly because of the tourist honeypot!