My favorite place to swim is Cascais Bay. I look at it every day and I love watching the fishermen, swimmers, stand-up paddle boarders, etc. Everyone shares the bay. I love swimming near the fishing boats because it gives me a unique feeling of Cascais.

Outside Portugal, I loved swimming in the warm, crystal-clear waters of Sardinia. The ocean is so blue that it seems to have a new shade of color. I also really liked Mallorca, with its bays and hidden coves that reveal colorful fish and old stone fishing huts. In Italy, I recently swam at a secluded beach in Basilicata, in November. I had the beach all to myself, and swimming there was an adventure.

Candy Tomkins