“Legal or tolerated, there are dozens of nudist beaches along the Portuguese coast. And there is something for everyone.” El Mundo writes in its piece, elaborating; “From Barreta, also popular with ornithologists, or Caniçal, Lourinhã (better known among surfers), to Meco, the capital of the Portuguese naturism, where there is a family atmosphere.”


However, El Mundo recommends Lisbon’s Praia da Ursa, in the Sintra-Cascais natural park for its seclusion, or Praia 19 on Costa da Caparica which it claims is a “favourite among the gay community.”


These beaches sit on El Mundo’s list alongside others such as Nugal beach in Makarska (Croatia), Little Palm beach in Waiheke (New Zealand), Maslin beach in Onkaparinga (Australia) and Zandvoort beach in Holland.


Meanwhile, in related news, Praia D. Ana in Lagos, one of the Algarve’s most famous and popular beaches, is still under construction three weeks after the initial deadline for artificial replenishment work to have ended.


Newspaper Correio da Manhã describes the beach as looking like a “building site”, with “machinery next to awnings, tubes for feeding sand – sucked from a depth of 40 metres, two kilometres off the coast – a bad smell and confusion.”


The newspaper claims part of the beach - which in 2013 was voted as ‘the best in the world’ by the Spanish edition of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller magazine - is closed off to beachgoers and tourists are complaining about the state the popular spot is in.


Being carried out by the Portuguese Environment Agency to a budget of €1.8 million the work aims to protect the cliffs from sea erosion.


A new deadline - Friday this week (July 10) – has reportedly now been put forward.


Addressing the issue, Desidério Silva, head of the Algarve tourist board, said the impact on local tourism shouldn’t be noticeable but “”it needs to be programmed so that these works do not coincide with high season.”


According to the APA there are currently more than 20 beaches undergoing work throughout Portugal.