Colina Verde holiday house: Carvoeiro

Having stayed in this beautifully maintained house several times with freinds and family alike, everyone has come to the same conclusion. It must be the best rental proprerty we have found either in the USA (California, not Florida) or Europe. From the first visit the property Manager has been outstanding. Any query and she will be at the house within the hour and the problem just goes away.

The are has some fantastic restaurants, notably the "Picanha" restaurant on the main street "Casa do Bife" and "La Vela" at the bottom of the street on the corner.

The refurbishment of the town has made quite a difference with new facilities that enhance the appearance of the town even further.

The beach is small but very clean and literally a step from the town square.

We would certainly recommend the town and particularly the house to anyone who wants a great place to stay that feels like home as soon as you open the front door.

Martin & Anne Sep 2009

We found ourselves in this wonderful holiday home by chance, our first choice turned out to be double booked so with flights already booked I came across this gem. It didn't disappoint our first visit to Portugal could not have been more perfect.

The owners were extremely helpful in accommodating our dates, even though they overlapped one of their busiest weekends. Mark was extremely quick in responding to any questions we had and we cannot thank him enough for helping us out.

The house is quite beautiful, one of the best we have stayed in, certainly a few more comforts that we have at home and I can honestly say it is the first time we have been on holiday and didn't feel like coming home at the end of two weeks. The property is very bright, clean and very well maintained, not surprising considering the excellent maid service, the views from the roof terrace were absolutely stunning. There is everything you could need and more in this property. The pool was lovely and never busy, I was very impressed to see disabled changing facilities in the pool house.

The house is just far enough away from the village to be able to enjoy the peace and quiet but close enough for a gentle walk down for those all important evening meals and drinks, bit more energy needed on the walk back but with the size of meals served we certainly had the energy. The resort was just our type of place, nothing 'in your face' but enough bars and restaurants to be able to choose a different one every night. We found the Black Stove bar extremely friendly. We enjoyed so many of the restaurants it would be unfair to pick a couple out for this review, on the whole helpings were huge and service warm and friendly. Street entertainment was a real bonus, fire eaters, solo artists, local groups something for everyone.

We hired a car as we like to explore and the area certainly didn't disappoint, Carvoeiro is perfectly situated as a base to discover more about this part of the Algarve. We enjoyed wandering around Lagos and driving up into the mountains, no matter where we went the local people were very friendly and helpful.

This is a perfect holiday home and although we don't usually holiday in the same place twice I feel that if anywhere would tempt us back it would certainly be this gem. I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending this to family or friends.

A first class holiday.

We were expecting a home from home (but with sunshine and a swimming pool!!) and we were certainly not disappointed. This is an excellent place to stay with the information on the website an accurate representation of what to expect on your arrival.

The property is spacious, spotlessly clean and very well maintained. The local Property Manager was very friendly and provided a wealth of information regarding places to see / go. In addition, there was an "experiences" book updated by each family who have stayed at Casa Graca. This proved invaluable when it came to choosing from the many restaurants/bars in Carvoeiro (and in the case of our 2 children the best ice cream parlour!!) If however you fancy a "night in" the small local market provides excellent fresh produce (the fish is particularly good) and even I was able to master the gas BBQ!

The property is, as described, on the top of a hill overlooking the village (views from the roof terrace are great especially at sunset) with the centre an easy 10 minute walk away. The walk back can be testing, dependent on the amount of wine drank with dinner, but the local taxi service is excellent and costs 3/4 euros one way. The owner provides numbers of reliable drivers if you feel the urge to venture further afield.

As a base for exploring the Algarve, Carvoeiro is excellent with a number of attractions (both family orientated and more traditional) within a 30 minute drive including the hustle and bustle of Portimao or Albufeira. There are excellent sandy beaches within 5/10 minutes drive. If you are a golfer then there are a number of courses close by (as you would expect) Alternatively you can spend all of your time round the pool, which is shared with a small number of other properties but in the time we stayed (early August) was never busy / crowded.

This was our first visit to Portugal and we were very, very impressed. I would certainly recommend this property to anyone considering a family / relaxing holiday on the Algarve.