Great location & nice hosts
Review Submitted: July 25, 2011
Date of Stay: July 2011
We're just back from a 10 day stay in this cottage. It is beautifully situated at the top of a hill with great views all around. There is a long terrace with a barbecue & table/parasol in front of the property. The pool itself is actually in front of the owners' villa which is only a few metres away. The owners (Terry and Pauline) were exceptionally friendly, helpful and welcoming and were also a model of discretion - there was never any sense of being "watched over" whilst using the pool. It was also very nice to see the bread, butter, milk, water, vegetables, wine, home-made chutney & marmalade that was there when we arrived. There was plenty of hot water from the gas-fired boiler. The kitchen area is huge and the washing machine, cooker, micro-wave & oven all worked well. In the living room the TV had Sky satellite TV which was great for the children.
The pool was very big with great views across the valley and was also kept clean.
The nearest supermarket is 5 minutes' drive away in Messines and there are 2 or 3 restaurants about 3-4km away from the cottage. Beaches are about a 30 minute drive away and it is easy to access the local attractions such as Zoomarine and the water parks. We also took our 2 young children to a local stables, Quinta da Bica, which was about 5 minutes' drive away. There they spent a happy 2 hours brushing ponies & going for a short ride.
There were a few cons - the furniture is best described as rustic & some of it was quite dated. The crockery was also a bit of a random selection and some of it was chipped. There was quite a limited choice of cooking utensils and some of the pans had been left sticky & dirty by previous tenants. The non-stick frying pan needs to be thrown away & replaced. Our children didn't like the blankets & woollen bedspreads & would have preferred lightweight duvets.
Recommended for:
Families with Young Children
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Helpful votes: 1/1
