Work/family trip to good old Portugal!
July 25, 2019
Despite talking about Portugal all day to our lovely clients, I still can’t get enough of it and recently travelled to Carvoeiro with my family, partly to relax and partly to visit some of our lovely new houses. I have been lucky enough to stay in many villas during my years with The Villa Agency and have visited hundreds! Each has their own charms and I love discovering the special features each house has to offer, whether it is a stunning view, a beautiful garden or even a particularly comfortable bed!
We stayed in Villa Amadoura this time and there is so much to love about this house! First, the location was perfect for us. The house is walking distance from the centre of Carvoeiro, including the beach & restaurants, so we decided to get airport transfers and just hire a small car for supermarket runs and the odd water park trip (boys only – so the girls could relax by the pool!). We were able to walk to restaurants in the evening very easily and, whilst the walk back was uphill, we had no problems walking off our dinner even with a pushchair! My sister has just had a baby and I am the proud auntie to 2 month old Jackson. We had a travel cot for the baby which was in perfect condition and my sister was able to wander into town with Jackson without worrying about car seats and hot cars! She did need a hand getting up the steps that lead into the villa but this was not an issue for us.
The villa itself is modern and fresh with large dining tables inside and out, comfortable sofas, stylish bedrooms and sparkling bathrooms. There is a games room downstairs which is a great place for the children to escape the midday sun and relax somewhere cool with table football, Wii games console & even a keyboard which my 10 year old son loved as he was able to practice his latest rendition of Queen’s ‘We are The Champions’ which he is learning at home! The sunbeds outside are particularly comfortable, as are the mattresses in the bedrooms – I have never slept so well away from home!
The owners of the house have thought of everything; whether it is a kitchen utensil to cook with, games for the children, Smart TV, large, soft beach towels, even a pen and paper to do a shopping list – it was all there! We are a family of foodies and it was great to have all the utensils we could dream of and a good set of sharp knives, to make meal time easy.
On the evenings we didn’t want to cook, we discovered some wonderful restaurants nearby. O Rafaiol is just down the road from the villa and it is such a pretty setting. The staff are really friendly and the food was amazing. Recently under new management, the new menu has only been offered for 4 months and we felt privileged to be among the first to try it. It is modern, fine dining cuisine with a friendly, informative team to help you choose the perfect dish and wine to complement it.
We also sampled the menu at Casa Algarvia which offers grilled fish, steaks & some classic Portuguese dishes. It is not expensive and the staff are lovely. Following a great meal we ended the night with some Karaoke at Round Up Saloon, which was great fun and is always an essential part of our perfect family holiday!
We really did have a wonderful holiday, we were all so pleased with the villa and wanted to stay longer! I would happily return to Villa Amadoura and look forward to talking to clients about all its attributes on the phone or by email. If you are interested in staying here, just ask for Ginnie and I will answer any questions you might have.
