Help me narrow down where to look

My fiance and I are considering the early retirement expat lifestyle in a few years when all our kids finish college. Or even her retiring there while I work for a few more years online. But we want to travel there a few times and find an area we really love. I’ve never been to Portugal, but it sounds a lot like what we would enjoy. Slower lifestyle. Mild climate. Beaches and views. Old world charm.

I have no idea where to start. But I’d like to check out a few spaces in Spain and Portugal first. We don’t want to be out in the country or own a farm. Honestly, we would probably prefer a 2 BR apartment in a medium size village with a nice walkable downtown area, food, entertainment. And close enough to a bigger city we could jump on a bus or scooters and go into the city for the day. Or a beach town.

What would be the easiest way in these areas to research that and potentially find some short term rentals locally to try out. Is air BNB popular there?

Also, is Portugal pretty live and let live? Lgbtq friendly? Non racist. Are Americans treated well there? And Zarina wants to know what it costs to get a massage or get your apartment cleaned. 😂 Ok, maybe I want to know that too.

Cheers,

Zarina and Brian