Tavira region holiday villa: Malhao

We were a party of four and spent a week at the villa in June 09.
The villa was all that that it said it was.
The kitchen had all appliances that one could think of and the cupboards were well stocked with essentials.
Pete and Shirl the local agents were gems and a mine of information.
The local restaurant only less than ten minutes stroll away served monster meals and fresh tuna to die for and a bar that stayed open all day.The snack bar a few minutes further on closed for their holiday two days into our stay which was dissapointing as it seemed to be a fun place to be. The locals we met were great as was their peaches.
Berrel beach was fantastic. Spain half an hours drive away and all the Algarve on the door step.
This was one of the best holidays we have been on and would certainly use the villa again.
Just one thing we would have liked was air conditioning in the bedrooms.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Casa Margarida, where we instantly relaxed and indulged in the villa’s location. The narrative about Casa Margarida was very apt in its description of the location, layout and facilities. We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the owner at the villa, especially as we had been using his helpful map and directions from the airport. The owner gave us a tour of the villa and handed us a very useful pack of information about what we could see and do. The villa was very spacious yet cosy. We were impressed with the extensive range of facilities in the villa. The kitchen was equipped for all our needs including picnics and use of the BBQ.

To do:
•Explore Tavira, wander around the shops and admire the tiled houses.
•Tavira’s castle, enjoy the magnificent view of Tavira.
•Tavira’s market is a great way to mingle with the locals and buy some food (recommend the cherries)
•Cacela Velha, very quaint village, great place to have lunch (very reasonable)
•Visit Quatro Aguas, plenty of places to eat (good ice cream).
•Manta Rota and Cabanas are commercialised beach towns, but provide very clean beaches.
•Off the beaten path, but great place to spend an afternoon, Pego do Inferno (waterfall near the villa)
•Explore the Algarve, recommend Silves. Lagos, good place for shopping and to admire the marina. Loule lovely place to wander around, famous for its indoor market (one of the better markets in the Algarve)
•Praia Verde, great beach with good facilities.

To eat:
•Santo Estevao (village closest to the villa), local restaurant/bar where you can eat with the locals
•Aquasol, Tavira, owned by an English lady. Fab fresh, organic food, great surroundings including the tiled mosaics.
•Rive Gauche, owned by a French lady (who also owns Abstracto) fabulous food, extremely well presented. Both Rive Gauche and Absracto are worth a visit to admire the owner’s decoration of her restaurants, plus the cocktails are very good in Abstracto.
•Plenty of bars for what ever takes your fancy, Irish and Dutch bars, but a lot of the restaurants provide great cocktails and wine. Basillo’s bar near the villa is great for a beer (very cheap).
NB. Pingo Doce is the local supermarket, there is also a Lidl very close to the villa.

We had a wonderful holiday due to the good weather, lovely people and fantastic stay in the villa. We have not stopped recommending the villa to friends, family and colleagues.
Anne and Martin

This is a spacious, well equipped and maintained villa in a peaceful location just a few minutes drive from Tavira. The outdoor space and pool was perfect for a relaxing break. Would not hesitate to recommend.