Casa Escondida....the perfect holiday hideaway

Tucked away down a rural road near the village of Estoi, the Casa Escondida is a delightful holiday rental. Within an easy ten minute drive from the beach and the city of Faro, it provides the restful atmosphere and quiet surroundings that we were looking for. The owner lives nearby and was a great help to us in several ways -- a ride from the bus station when it looked like our rental car wasn't going to show up, a message service when our family called from home, directions to places and activities nearby, and countless other acts of kindness which helped to make this one of the most wonderful "home away from home" we have ever experienced.

The house itself is charming one level, white washed, red tile roofed casita with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a very well equipped kitchen, a comfortable living room with excellent satellite television and a fireplace, and a spacious dining room. There is a separate laundry room with a washing machine and a convenient area outside for hanging clothes. The swimming pool is huge and there are several lovely places to sit outside in the shade and in the sun. We appreciated the quiet and the privacy of the house. It is surrounded by a lovely rural garden full of trees and plants, flowers and vines. Everything in the house was exceptionally clean and well maintained.

I can't imagine finding another place that would suit our needs as well. We could most certainly recommend this lovely rental to anyone.

First, the photographs do no justice. We were simply delighted the moment we stepped into the house, with everything. It is bright, comfortable, and really just home. There's a wonderful energy in the house, perhaps reflecting John's (the owner), who was most helpful and quite hilarious at times. We couldn't get enough of the sunny poolside and cosy fireplace, should've booked two weeks instead of one, or a month even.

The surrounding region is worth exploring, lots going on besides the touristy parts on the coast, which we avoided. Go to Cafe Vitor in Estoi for authentic seafood, visit the markets in Olhao, and check out the Alentejanoe Natural park on the west coast.

We came back!! For our Honeymoon after falling in love with the place last year. This time we discovered there was more to Estoi than the village square edged by the church, the hotel and the two cafes for coffee and cake, the restaurant down on the Roman bridge and the bar with free Wi-Fi overlooking the river that we found on our last trip. There is a labyrinth of winding roads, which were all decked out with bunting as there was a festival of the saints (I think) after which most of the streets are named. There are a few shops and some small, quaint super(ish) markets, cafe bars and local restaurants, there is even a cinema rather like our old-time picture houses. We enjoyed a lovely meal at Gunther’s restaurant again, this time securing the table by the picture window thanks to the expert Portuguese booking made ahead of our stay by ‘homem inglês com a barba branca’. However, my personal favourite was the meal we had at the little restaurant/cantina on the side street as you head out of Estoi towards Casa Escondida, the name escapes me, the fresh dorada fish was seasoned and cooked to perfection and needed little more than a crisp fresh salad to dress it up, absolutely delicious!

On the recommendation of previous visitors in the guestbook and John, we took the 30 minute regular ferry crossing from Olhao to the traffic-free zone of Ilha da Armona, which has the most stunning of wild, unspoilt beaches if you care to walk the 20 minutes through the little village of white-washed houses that have sprung up over the years. There are toilet facilities and lifeguard stations, sunbeds and private little gazebo-type spots to rent and a little restaurant just off the beach for lunch and to escape the scorching mid-day heat. There are also a few restaurants/cafe bars at the harbour all surprisingly reasonably priced, a bottle of Sagres beer at the harbour was only 1 euro!

This part of the Algarve really is one that will never lose its charm for those looking for somewhere off the beaten track that hasn’t fallen prey to over-inflated prices due to mass-tourism. It’s the Algarve of yester-year and long may it remain that way. It is a perfect hedonistic retreat for rest and relaxation, with wonderful views to be seen, beaches to be explored and food and wine to be savoured. If its crowded beaches, hectic nightlife and designer shopping you crave, this is not the place for you.

Amamos Casa Escondida e voltaremos novamente, obrigado John and Marion