As Andorinhas: Holiday Villa Algarve

11/04/2026

Alte

Alte is based in Loule and is about an hour away from Monchique, but can be combined with a trip somewhere else or en-route to or from the airport. I decided to visit it as I had seen it recommended as one of the most unspoiled villages in the Algarve, providing a glimpse of traditional rural life. It's a tranquil inland village (giving something so different to the busy coast) which is incredibly picturesque, full of the wonderful whitewashed houses with colourful window frames and cobbles streets so typically Portuguese. It also has natural springs.

It is home to popular, scenic springs surrounded by trees, including Fonte Grande and Fonte Pequena, which are used for swimming in the summer, and Queda do Vigario which is a 24-meter waterfall on the Alte River.

There is a 13th-century church, rebuilt in the 16th century, featuring Manueline-style doorways and 18th-century tilework. Alte is known for its heritage of Esparto grass crafts.

Located at the Rotunda dos Combatentes de Alte roundabout in Alte is the local cemetery and if you follow the path downhill from the cemetery, you will reach the Queda do Vigário waterfall.

Pottery and ceramics remain one of Portugal's most important and traditional art forms. With a unique style that features floral themes, geometric designs and beautiful country life scenes, Portuguese ceramics and pottery make for great gifts. In Alte, you can pick up colourful pieces from the Centro de Artesanato.

Alte attracts visitors who enjoy hiking, exploring local handicrafts, and visiting the Polo Museológico Cândido Guerreiro e Condes de Alte (local museum).

I stopped off here on my way to the villa from the airport. It was getting dark but it was still lovely to walk around and I finished my time off by having a delicious meal. I decided to go there again on my way back to the airport, and have an experience of it in the daylight. It was a grey day and I can imagine it being even more delightful in the sunshine.

28/03/2026

I used a bit of my creativity putting some Portuguese designs on this Co****le set for the villa.

The Rooster, known as The Galo de Barcelos, is an iconic national symbol that represents luck, justice and faith.

Sardines are a fundamental cultural, economic, and culinary symbol in Portugal too.

There is space to play this inside the villa, or you are welcome to take it outside too. Please return it to inside afterwards.

The rules for Co****le:

Set up your boards directly facing each other with 27ft between the front edge of each board. It can be played with 2 or 4 players. Pick which side of the board you'll throw from. In a 4 player game your teammate's pitching box will be directly across from you. In a 2 player game, if you start throwing from the left side of the board you'll work directly across to the other board, and throw back from the right side. Lastly, pick up your bags (4 for each team) and get ready to play.

Decide who goes first, then alternate turns throwing bags with your opponent. You thrown one bag, then they do, then you, then them etc. Your feet may not go past the front edge of the board. Also a tossed bag may not touch the ground. If it hits the ground and bounces up on the board, remove it before any other bags are thrown. If it's hanging off the board and touching the ground, remove that as well. When all 8 bags have been tossed to the other side, add up the score. If you earned the most points in that single round, your team will throw first in the next round.

Scoring:

After all bags have been thrown, for that round add up your score as follows:
1 point for any bag fully on the board (touching the ground does not count).
3 points for any bag that made it through the hole.

Each team's points cancel each other out so that only one team can score per round. For example, if you scored 6 points and your opponent scored 2, you will add 4 points to your overall score and your team will throw first in the next round. If you scored 6 points and your opponent scored 6 as well, there will ne no points awarded and whoever threw first in the last round will throw first again.

A game is won when a team reaches 21 points with a lead of 2 or more points.

Of course, you can play with your own variation of the official rules. For example, some play with the rule that you must reach 21 points exactly. If you go over the points, your score is automatically reduced to 11 and play continues. Another variation is to count every point (no negation of points) and see who has the most points at the end of 13 rounds.

Fun for all ages. Enjoy your time connecting, making memories, being off screens, and doing something a bit different together. Enjoy!

Have you ever played Co****le? Would you enjoy having a go?

26/03/2026

Faro!
To get to the villa most people come via Faro airport. Why not stop off and explore Faro whilst you're there? It breaks the travel up nicely and Faro is a wonderful place to explore. I've enjoyed Faro both on arrival and just before leaving. Both were a treat. A first and/or last taste of Portugal.

24/03/2026

I've been at the villa doing some jobs, buying some bits, and getting things ready for the new season.

Some new additions to the villa this year are:

- We've installed solar panels - to try and provide more electricity to the villa
- Swing Ball - to add some fun
- Co****le game - for more fun
- Beat That - another game
- and last but not least an Air fryer!

We find enjoyment in providing things at the villa to try and help people to have a good time, to have fun and connect with each other, and to reduce stress.

This might be through:
- the things we provide at the villa
- or information we share via the blogs we write and posts we do.

We want to provide more than just a place to stay, we really want people to have a good time.

I sometimes wonder why I make more work for myself, or end up spending more money than was necessary.

I've stayed at plenty of Airbnbs that don't bother and just provide the basics.

It's because I've had times in my life where I haven't been able to have holidays.

I've also had holidays that have ended up having way more stress than I would have liked.

And also because I know how wonderful and important it can be to have times away with people you care about, to have time and opportunity to connect, to step back from normal life, to have a break, to be wowed by nature and a different culture, and to have things to look forward to.

They are powerful things.

My main job in England is as a therapist. And I like to think of my job as an Airbnb host as also helping people's mental health, even though it's in a very different way.

There'll always be problems that crop up in one way or another in the villa, but please know, we really try, and really want you to have a good time.

19/03/2026

The villa is up a mountain so the majority of the time you get stunning views, if you don't it's likely because you're in the clouds! Both have an awesomeness about them.

04/03/2026

I was just looking back through 2025 and can see we had guests staying from: Ypsilanti, MI USA; England; Denmark; Germany; San Francisco, USA; The Netherlands; Sweden; and Scotland.

I don't always know where guests are coming from, so there may have been people from other countries too.

This year we look forward to welcoming guests from: England; The Netherlands; Switzerland; Germany; Canada; Sweden; Portugal; and France (that I know of so far).

What a joy that people get to taste a different culture, experience a different country, and enjoy different scenery, cuisine, and climate.

There's certainly something to say for stepping away from your norm and being somewhere new and different. It's an education, it's good for the soul, and it's a privilege and joy.

Stepping back and putting life in perspective can do the world of good.

Giving yourself time to re-set and restore is healing.

And life is for living!

If you have been somewhere recently, or have a holiday booked for this year, wherever it may be, breathe it all in and enjoy every moment. That includes the bit where you get to enjoy having something to look forward to.

I really hope it does you the world of good.

23/02/2026

We are looking forward to opening our doors again at the end of March. We still have a few dates available if anyone is still looking to book a holiday.

These are between Wednesday 29th April and Sunday 17th June, and the second half of October.

Pick your dates and length of stay and you could be heading to stunning Portugal!

21/05/2025

If you're staying in the beautiful Monchique and would like to visit some other towns nearby, here is my latest blog about a few local towns and a bit about them. Wandering around the towns in Portugal is a delightful experience and makes a nice trip out. Each town has a unique feel, and there are a mix of coastal or inland towns, bigger or smaller ones, some more lively or relaxed than others, some with a lot of history, rich culture, more rustic, scenic, and/or picturesque. They're all different and all are wonderful!

If you're staying in the beautiful Monchique and would like to visit some other towns nearby, here are are few local ones and a bit about them. Wandering around the towns in Portugal is a delightful experience and makes a nice trip out. Each town has a unique feel, and there are a mix of coastal or....

19/05/2025

Passadiscos Barranco do Demo (meaning Devil's Gorge) is 15 minutes down the road from Monchique, in a small village called Alferce. It is a short trail featuring wooden staircases attached to steep, rugged cliffs. The walkway has a hanging suspension bridge. It has mixed reviews but I went here in mid April and really enjoyed it. I felt it ticked a lot of boxes: near the villa; stunning scenery; the steps were a good bit of exercise (to compensate for all the nice food eaten on holiday); the suspension bridge was novel and fun; and who doesn't love a waterfall? You could go off the bridge and scramble on rocks to get to the waterfall and stream; kids would be kept entertained (and worn out); and it didn't eat up much of the day, so there was plenty of time to do other things too. In the heat of the summer it's probably not so enjoyable if the waterfall has dried up, and heat and all those steps wouldn't be the best combination.
It gets a thumbs up from me.

06/05/2025

As Andorinhas from the outside, from different angles.

05/05/2025

A lot of the beaches I write about are southern Portugal, but you can also go to the west, and they have bigger waves.
This one is Praia da Bordeira is one of the biggest and most famous in the area and has fantastic views. This beach is about 50 minutes from the villa and is simply breathtaking: the white sand, sand dunes, crashing waves and stunning views make it such a memorable trip.

I went here after exploring Aljezur, a market town in western Algarve, situated on a hill (35 mins from the villa).

Between Praia da Bordeira and Praia do Amando there is a beautiful walk along the cliffs (the Pontal da Carrapateira walking trail).

This place I highly recommend!