Patricia Raistrick review 7 Sep 2010
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The location and the friendly proprietors.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
A very quiet area, ideal for chilling and relaxing, excellent for young families, but close enough to the hustle and bustle of the resorts.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We tried to buy local produce as holiday was self catering, and tried to recycle all we could including washing up water to water the gardens, but the flight would have had considerable effect on the environment as a whole.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very relaxing holiday, felt at home and relaxed the whole time, as villas enclosed in a walled area felt children could wander around as they liked without worry, the owners of the villas were lovely and felt more like family when we left, although never intrusive.
Anne Fleming review 12 Apr 2010
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole experience was fantastic - the cottage are beautiful and so well equipped. The set up is excellent with a lovely pool and hot tub sharing the same amazing views as the cottages. Mick and Rosa are excellent hosts and provided lots of local info on restaurants, beaches and other days out. The welcome hamper is a lovely touch as was the delivery of chocolate on Easter Sunday!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
explore the local villages in the hills especially Alte which is very pretty and has amazing views. Eat at small places where the locals are - food is cheap and delicious - the 6 euro plate of the day for lunch was always fantastic value
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Absolutely, local materials were used in the cottages, solar panels are used to heat water and water recycling encouraged (to give the plants around the cottages a drink!). The welcome hampers included local foods. The gardens around the cottages also encourage local bird life.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent - can't wait to go back
Karl Atton review 28 Oct 2010
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Just a nice relaxing environment that's good for kids and still within easy reach of the local town.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Car hire is a good idea but if you don't want to drive, taxi to/from the airport is sufficient and its a 20min walk to Loule town.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Not really no, there were no on site facilities for recycling waste, paper, card or vegetable waste. Most waste was dumped in the local municipal general waste bins.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Good break, relaxing environment, nice people, good accomodation but could improve the environmental waste element.
Read the operator's response here:
Dear Joann, Karl and Katie,
Many thanks for your feedback following your stay at the accommodation. It was an absolute please to be able to welcome you all. We would just like to reply to your point made regarding impact on the environment.
Admittedly we do not have on site recycling facilities for paper, card etc, but we do provide within our information booklet in all our accommodations information as to exactly where the recycling points are closest to the accommodation, the are two recycling points located within 2 kms of the accommodations on the road from the accommodation into Loule and there are also endless municipal bins throughout the area, (our local refuse workers still sort out many of the items within these bins for recycling!) I think guests with hire cars use the recycling bins more than those without a car as the bins are a little far away.
We do encourage our guests to dispose of their own rubbish and therefore provide guests with all the local points where rubbish can be deposited. Loule council have ear marked our area for the next zone to have recycling bins rather than the green municipal bins, hopefully during 2011. This will be bonus for the local environment. We do however have a composter at the accommodation for vegetable waste and welcome all our guests to use this as much as possible. Again information as to where the composter is located is detailed within the information pack and of course, guests can always ask us if they are unsure.
Helen Owen review 3 Nov 2008
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sitting on the terrace with the Algarve spread out below us; then exploring by public transport.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Rosa and Mick are charming, professional and very helpful, they will do all they can to make your holiday memorable. However the smaller cottages are better for a couple than 2 friends who prefer to sleep in separate rooms. Double bed and folding bed provided, but little space in sitting room for the extra bed - and £70 extra for this seemed a bit steep. They recommend car hire and this would allow you to explore hill villages etc. We managed fine for a week using public transport and taxis. But road up from town is relatively busy, partly unlit, not good to walk up at night - so taxi! Also the last bit of untarred road up to the property is very steep, one taxi refused to go there. [Rosa provides number for English-speaking taxi driver who is v. good, but he was on hol. part of time we were there.] Pack torches.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes. We were encouraged to shop and eat locally and were happy to do so. Rosa and Mick have also done a lot to minimise carbon footprint e.g. solar heating, encouraging recycling.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very relaxing, lots to see and do, not long enough. Weather last week Oct apparently often cool/variable, as we found, but out of anyone's control. Any hassles were of our own making e.g. leaving handbag on train[!] but railway staff v. helpful and bag collected safely.
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for your feedback. We do at all points stress that the one bedroom apartment cottage has a fold up bed that can easily be accommodated in the bedroom along with the double bed already there or the fold up bed can be used in the lounge area of a night time. We set the price for our additional bed upon opening over 5 ½ years ago and we make this price clear in all correspondence. With reference to the taxi driver refusing to come up our hill, this is a first in over 5 ½ years. If we knew the taxi drivers number we could follow this up. Large beam torches are provided in the accommodations for those wishing to walk up and down to Loule or for just exploring the countryside.
