There's a sprinkling of privately owned hippy chic bungalows just behind the white-sand beach but the prices can be eye-watering. Casas da Comporta, Alentejoĭon't be fooled by the sleepy, slightly ramshackle air: Comporta is where Lisbon's fashion and media set come to get some sand between their perfectly manicured toes. Where to eat The best choice of restaurants is in Portalegre, a 20-minute drive away: try the piri piri chicken at O Poeiras on the main square (+351 245 201 862, Praça da República 9-15, mains from €8.50).
There is river swimming nearby and a public pool with a slide in the local village. What to do Borrow mountain bikes or take a guided walk with the owners in the surrounding São Mamede natural park. Nearest airports: Lisbon (220km) Faro (380km) There are books, and boardgames, and telescopes for budding stargazers.įrom €975 a week, 020-3603 1160, .uk. English owner Sarah lives nearby and is on hand with daily breakfast deliveries (just ring the sheep bell when you're ready), afternoon tea and delicious evening meals (five days out of seven) so frazzled parents can completely switch off. Laze in the hammocks, splash about in your private pool or help yourself to fruit and veg from the garden and eggs from the free-range chickens. The name means "house of dreams" and this 150-year-old whitewashed cottage for four, tucked inland in the Alto Alentejo close to the Spanish border, is the stuff that "escape the rat race" daydreams are made of. Casa dos Sonhos, near Portalegre, Alentejo Where to eat Cafe Odeon is a cheap, cosy, no-frills cafe serving omelettes (from €3), burgers and heavenly pancakes a short walk from the beach in Lagos. Aqualand ( aqualand.pt) is a popular waterpark with wave pools and water slides in Alcantarilha, a 30-minute drive away. Things to do Sign up for lessons in dinghy sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing or scuba diving in lively Lagos, a 10-minute drive away ( ). Tour operator Inntravel offers packages with car hire from £1,335 a week ( .uk ). With a saltwater pool, playground, slide, swings and table tennis to keep children entertained, you might have trouble tearing yourselves away from this lovely spot.įrom €1,150 a week for an apartment sleeping four, with breakfast, +325,. Outside there's a private terrace where you can breakfast on eggs from the resident hens and homemade bread and jam provided by hosts Jill and Julio Pires, who also offer communal evening meals in their farmhouse kitchen twice a week. There are three self-catering apartments which strike just the right balance between rustic charm (terracotta-tiled floors, wooden ceilings, woodburning stoves) and 21st-century luxuries (satellite TV, DVD player, Wi-Fi). This 19th-century farmhouse surrounded by orange, fig and almond trees offers the perfect antidote to the Algarve's boxy mega-resorts.
Quinta das Achadas, near Lagos, western Algarve Scoopit (Rua Dr Antonio Cabreira 32) in Tavira is the place to go for ice-cream. Where to eat Dare the kids to try squid at the family-run Restaurante Alcatruz (+392,, three courses with coffee from €8) in the fishing village of Santa Luzia. Take a boat trip to see dolphins off the coast of Tavira ( ). What to do Explore the lagoons and powdery sandspit beaches of Ria Formosa on the little tourist train that runs from Pedras d'el Rei, a 15-minute walk from Quintamar. Cool off after a hot day on the beach in the natural swimming pond, complete with lily pads and croaking frogs.įrom €300 a week for an apartment sleeping three, .uk. There are even rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens for toddlers to terrorise. It will come as no surprise that owners Tamar and Miguel have children of their own: they've thought of everything to make families feel at home, from books and toys to a trampoline, sandpit and wooden pirate ship. Four simple apartments and houses (sleeping between five and eight) have white walls, tiled floors, woodburning stoves, colourful rugs and throws, and flower-entwined balconies. There's nothing fancy about this little self-catering complex, which sits prettily within the Ria Formosa nature reserve at the quieter end of the Algarve.
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