Rua do Castelo is a beautiful house in a small, peaceful rural village in West Algarve. We were welcomed by the calming music of a field full of cows, with bells gently clinking in the sunshine and felt relaxed right away. The panoramic views of the village, hills and valley from the terraces are great. Nature lovers will certainly enjoy this location.
The house is tastefully decorated in a modern cottage style, and well equipped. It is very clean with three bedrooms and bathrooms including a deep bath – great for a soak after a long walk. Outside there is a shaded seating area with BBQ and large outdoor dining table, then two terraces to the front and top of the house (1st and 2nd floor). In winter months, you would get to enjoy the log burner in the cosy lounge, we were tempted and it was 25C, maybe when we go back in Spring.
The village of Bordeira is a delightful unspoilt village with one cafe/bar, where local people and a few ex-pats gather in the evening for very reasonably priced drinks and a few local Portugese speciality dishes, home-cooked by Lourdes who runs the place. I recommend the Javali (Wild Boar) which was simmering on the stove behind the bar one of the times we visited. We were made to feel very welcome and returned a couple of times through the week. There are some dogs and chickens but this is rural Portugal and it adds to the atmosphere in the evenings.
There are a few walking guides for the area, but you can join the coast path, which is clearly marked, at most towns/beaches. I imagine it is busy in full season but in September/October we found plenty of space on the beaches and parking no problem. The West coast is rightfully famous for it's surfing (although we don't) but relatively undiscovered for walkers. The landscape is varied and you can easily see cliffs and crashing waves, beaches, sand dunes, hills and valleys all in a single walk. The hills while dramatic are not that high, so good for walkers of average fitness. For swimming (not surfing) beaches, it is a similar distance to the South coast where the water is much calmer.
Surrounding facilities are good with a large supermarket and everything you would expect in local market town Aljezur (15 minutes drive North) and small bars/cafes and restaurants (Portugese, Seafood) in Carrapateira (5 minutes drive South). If there is a vegetarian in your party or for a different take on a burger there are tasty options at the Micro Bar in the mini-town square.
The owners Anton and Chris were really helpful and ensured we had a relaxing stay, they can provide you with bike rental, bike tours, walking tours and jeep tours. Having made our own way walking we did take them up on the (personalised) Jeep tour which was great fun. This gave us the chance to take the dirt tracks you don't want to go down in your hire car, and took us to their favourite spots including beaches, castles, hidden valleys and lakes. Along the way, we also went to Adega da Craveira vineyard of a 'natural' wine maker and had an informal tasting (delicious) and met a talented wood turner with his wares. It was a great introduction to the area, and if you are interested, we would recommend doing this at the beginning of the week rather than the end.
Alle boekingen worden rechtstreeks gemaakt bij de eigenaar 