hi ... i have been to ct quite a few times and we are going again in sept,i have always felt safe and not had anything stolen or never heard of anyone been robbed while we were there ..although im sure there is the oppertunist thief around but that can happen anywhere in the world most of the hotels and apartments have safe deposit boxes for a small fee which is ussually around 15 to 20 euros which is worth it ..also just take enough cash for what you need for the trip/day etc which is what we use evert time we travel ..but if you choose a villa to stay in i would ask if there is one available...im sorry you had a bad experience in portugal ,but i can say i have never heard of anythinglike that while ive stayed in ct ..and you know how something like that would spread around the resort if it did happen hope this helps