People | 8 |
Bedrooms | 4 |
Bathrooms | 3 |
Property type | villa |
Minimum Stay | 7 nights |
This contemporary villa with pool set in 6 acres with outstanding views of the Alentejo provides a beautifully natural setting in which to relax. The open plan style of the villa provides a comfortable and inclusive living style. Clear blues skies, beautiful sunsets over the rolling hillsides and with the opportunity to star gaze enhances the experience of being in the Alentejo. Situated just outside the village of Garvao where life is unhurried and near to the regional main town of Ourique where their is the opportunity to buy freshly produced food and wine of the region.
Overall this was an ideal villa for what we needed, both my husband and I always like a very well equipped villa, with a pool, in a remote area. this is exactly what we got. It was about 1 hr and 20 mins from the Faro airport, fairly easy to find the villa as long as you follow directions given by the owner, Roger.
The villa itself was modern, large, well equipped with all mod cons, the pool was a great size and was situated right outside the main back door.
Peaceful is possible the best way to describe the villa, I cannot say quiet due to the cows, horses, sheep and goats, cowbells, a cockerel with no sense of time as he crowed all day long, this all added to the rural charm of the situation. I almost forgot, the villa seemed very popular with swallows, there were nests everywhere round the house, and it was a delight to watch them each dawn and dusk flying over the pool to catch the small insects.
Local shops were 15 mins drive away, supermarket which was extremely well stocked, chemist, cafes....everything you need.
a car is essential for this villa, and as long as you are prepared to travel then it is an ideal place to stay to enable you to see this part of the country.
Roger, the owner of the villa was a delight to deal with.
Let me start by saying that if you want lots of nightlife, bars, clubs and mixing with loads of other tourists...then this area of Portugal just isnt for you.
This is the real Portugal. Your only nightlife here is a blanket of stars, the sound of crickets, horses huffing and the clinking of bells on the goats in the fields surrounding the villa.
Peace and tranquility is what this place is all about.
The villa is spacious, has everything you could want, all the mod cons. I would suggest a bigger toaster in the kitchen! Yes the showers are tempermental! But we havent been anywhere in Portugal where they havent been. It is tastefully decorated, and even lovelier than our first visit now due to new furniture etc.
The bedrooms are a good size with comfortable beds and plenty of storage.
The 'snug' has a TV and loads of dvds to choose from, an ipod dock too.
The pool is large enough for everyone to have a dip.
The views are just amazing.
Yes there are a couple of houses nearby, but the neighbours are lovely friendly people who respect your privacy. We even got a bucket of organic homegrown vegetables from the neighbours as a sorry for one of their gorgeous wee dogs coming over for a visit!
The welcome basket containing bread, butter, cheese, olive oil, wine etc, is a nice touch and always appreciated.
The Pingo Doce supermarket in the nearby town of Ourique has everything you need and is reasonably priced, with friendly staff who are always patient with our terrible attempts at portuguese. Obrigada!
You have to try the pastel de nata! Glorious little custard tarts that Portugal is known for.
We didnt have much trouble finding the place, but as with all the villas we've been to previously the roads are a bit rough and ready. Once you expect that however, they are easy enough to drive on. Car hire is a complete necessity.
I've only dealt with Roger, the owner, who is a lovely chap and the customer service has been great. Yvonne who looks after the villa is lovely and cannot do enough for you.
All in all we highly recommend this villa and will definitely return for a third time as soon as we can.
....after a stressful time trying to find the villa on our arrival, we were delighted at how 'out in the sticks' the location is and how gorgeous the view is. There are houses nearby but neighbours were far away enough so that we did not feel over looked (although they were extremely friendly and respected our privacy). The villa itself is great despite having a few typical Portuguese flaws....no consistant hot water for showers/baths and the electrics were not too happy with having many things work at once. Also was disappointed to find that the dishwasher did not work. Being a family of five this meant that we were constantly washing up. We had chosen a place with a dishwasher to avoid this!
The villa itself is 20 mins from the main A2 motorway. It is perfect for getting away from it all and relaxing. The nearest decent supermarket is 10-15 mins drive away though there is a small shop a 15-20 walk away in the village. The pool was fab and was where the kids spent most of their time. There were even already inflatables there for them to use. Someone came to clean the pool during our stay as well.
We managed to get to the Algarve in about 1h15m, the West coast beaches in about an hour, and Lisbon was 2 hours away.
Overall the property was as the description stated and was perfect for a family. The villa was clean and it was lovely to find milk, bread, cheese and wine already in the villa on our arrival. We would definitely recommend this property.
N.B. Hiring a car is an absolute necessity.
Coast/Beach:
Beaches to the South are approximately 1hr 15mins away. Beaches on the West Coast are approximately 1hr away and the destination of choice.
Travel:
Airports - Faro is 1hr and 20mins by road and Lisbon is 2hrs 30mins. Car Hire will be essential.
Distances:
Village of Garvao - 20 minute walk (1km)
Town of Ourique - 10 km
Rental Period | Minimum Price | Additional Nights | Weekend Night | Weekly | Monthly | Event Price | |||
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My Standard Rate
7 night minimum stay
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£850
for 7 nights
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£850
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Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
Changeover Day:
Saturday
Notes on prices
A non refundable deposit of 20% is required at the time of booking and the full payment is required 8 weeks prior to departure.