1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Watching the sun come up and eating breakfast on the veranda in November. Perfect house for resting in the evening. Lovely hosts, pool to ourselves... amazing!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Definitely a place to recharge and sooth your soul. A liking for animals is a must - very friendly cat, dogs, chicken and horse. Also hire a car to reach the fabulous beaches and towns.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Every effort is being made to be organic, self sustaining and local materials are being used. The farm is also a WWOOF farm and has volunteers throughout the year.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Totally relaxing, perfect for a couple or a family alike. Small children are well catered for with very friendly and helpful hosts. You will become part of their family for the week and feel that you are in your own home.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

We will remember the scenery of the surroundings at the accommodation. It is a very beautiful place with lots of colour and wildlife.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Consider renting a car (although walking is do-able!) for the freedom to go exploring along the west coast of the Algarve - it is worth the journey.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

We enjoyed the market and ate lots of juicy cherries and delicious cheese from local market traders. The accommodation is very well run, all the water used during the day is reused to water the plants in the gardens and the hot water is heated up by solar panels. It was very inspiring to see it all working together so well.

4. Any other comments?

***** and we are looking forward to going back again one day!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Our daughter stroking the ducklings. The shock of jumping into the pool. Just reading and relaxing whist baby was asleep!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Hire a car through Inga - she uses a local car hire company, ensuring that trade is done locally and also the baby seat was free (I was quoted €50 with a well known name).
If using a baby seat, bring with you the little padded bits from your own seat back home - the seats with any car company will e safe, but can be a bit tatty or chaffing)
The beach and local village are further that we had thought, and we were glad to have the car - walking would have been quite a trek.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes. We were encouraged to shop locally. There were information booklets on markets dates and times, local specialities and wines. Our hosts did what they could to ensure the holiday impacted minimally on the environment - solar heating, recycling water, chemical free cleaning products etc. British Airways offer (at a cost) to replace the Co2 used in the flight, so really its just the car travel impacting on the environment. (hopefully)

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Very relaxing. Our 20 month old daughter loved it... the animals the space the pool, and SUNSHIINE!! Our hosts were lovely and their children very friendly and welcoming. The Granja and terraces were beautiful. Many thanks :)

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

We loved every minute of our holiday! From the moment we arrived, Inge made us feel at home. The place is very beautiful. The guest house we stayed in was delightful - rustic, homely, very fitting with the environment with all the comforts that one needed. My child loved having other children to play with, the gorgeous big swimming pool, and the relaxed easy atmosphere. A lovely balance between company and privacy.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Our only suggestion would be to have a car. Meia Praia beach is a good walk away as is Odiaxere for groceries etc. Also having a car gave us the opportunity to explore the west coast which we loved - the unspoilt beaches, less people etc

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Inge and her family are very conscious of recycling and organic household cleaners, organic food etc. The horses on the farm are, as Inge puts it, 'Buddhist horses'....they do not get ridden but are there to enjoy and be enjoyed as part of the farm. There were also Wwoofers at the accommodation who were delightful people. It was first time I had heard about this organisation. They have also tried to restore the house and keep the original features as well as use stones etc from the farm for their current building projects.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

We rate our holiday very highly. A wonderfully serene, warm, relaxing and very welcoming place!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Portugal as a whole is one of the most memorable holidays we have ever had. Our accommodation just topped it off. Specific though... the beaches were just beautiful.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Go prepared for the heat and mosquitoes. (i.e. lots of sun block, bottled water and repellent).

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Well the car travel did not benefit the locals or environment but we certainly enjoyed the local produce and ate like kings and queens. Portugal as a whole seems very conscious of the environment and offers plenty of opportunities to recycle and reduce waste. The accommodation was completely set up for this too.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable part of the holiday was how quiet and secluded it is, especially the main villa. The pool and the terraces were beautiful.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

We do not need to give any tips as all the necessary information was provided in a book by the owners.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

The trip would have benefited the locals as we bought food at the local stores in Odeaxere. We used natural products, i.e. eco dishwasher tablets, so there would have been no impact on the environment.

What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking on the nearby beach in the beautiful evening light as the baby began to take his first steps. Baby enjoyed the animals around - hens, horses and sheep. Also the pool has a very shallow area for babies which was good. The weather in September was perfect - warm and sunny but not too hot - a slight breeze.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

The accommodation was lovely - very tasteful, the flowers and trees also beautiful. They are still developing the accommodation so there is a bit of building work still going on. The owners provide useful information on shopping and restaurants.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

We found the local market to be very good - lovely veg at very reasonable prices. The rubbish is recycled and solar power is used. However, we did fly to get there.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable part of our holiday has been our daughter Emma who is nearly 3 enjoying being on a farm with one sheep, two horse, dogs cats and chickens, and seeing orange trees, lemon trees and having no television - a totally bonding week for the three of us.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Tips we would give to other travellers booking this holiday - certain parts of the Algarve coast can be windy, so hunt out sheltered coves which are also beautiful. Lagos has some beautiful coves. Food is cheap and lovely.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Our holiday certainly minimized impacts on the environment as the farmhouses were all very picturesque yet unobtrusive. Our hosts provided eco friendly cleaning and washing materials.

4. Any other comments?

We did indeed enjoy our holiday, and will use responsible travel again and will also recommend to friends.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Taking my young children on the beach. I liked the swimming pool areas and the building we stayed in. The pizza restaurant in town. Having a meal with the host and his family.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Be prepared for a very smoky fire. Take some old clothes to collect wood, you get covered with charcoal. A chainsaw might be useful!. Some knives for the kitchen and an oven that works.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

As far as I could tell he benefit to local people seemed to be minimal, a bit of work and more business coming into the area. Compared to most tourist developments in The Algarve this property was much lower impact, visually, in its construction and in terms of land use. Waste water drained onto the land and some of it seemed to be left to its own devices for example. The property on the whole did not seem to be run in a particularly sustainable way.

4. Any other comments?

I didn't like being told to fix the radiator in my bedroom myself, or to go and get my own wood. I was wanting a break from this kind of thing, thats why I went on holiday. I expected better service for what to me seemed like a lot of money. Particularly as the host sorted wood out for himself during our stay.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your e-mail. Let me start by saying that we, and in particular Theo, my partner who spent most time with them, were very surprised by Sophies review: I was in Holland for a week during their stay, but Theo spent a good time with Sophie, her family and other guests and friends that were here: they had a wonderful dinner together, coffee by the pool and a lot of fun in the new carroussel that was installed here.

We regret that the feedback wasn't given directly to us: in this way practical things could have been resolved (kitchen knives) and technical problems repaired (heater). In the beginning of their holiday there was a moment that the heating was not working but this was due to an empty gas bottle. When told so, Theo put a new gas bottle immediately.

I would like to respond in detail to some of the issues raised:
1. firewood; I'm afraid there has been a misunderstanding here: we always deliver firewood to our guests, this is also written down in our information. Guests get the first basket for free and pay 3,50 euros for every next basket. When the wood is finished they just have to ask for a new basket. It is absolutely not our intention that people bring a chainsaw or gather their own firewood unless they like to do so!! This is where the misunderstanding happened because at some stage Theo asked if they needed firewood. They did not, because they already had picked some up themselves. As said before, normally guests don't go down collecting their own firewood, but since some people like to do something while they are here, Theo let them; (by the way: we didn't charge anything for the wood).

2. Smoky chimney; In principle the fire place is not supposed to be smoky, however it is a big chimney and it needs some extra attention: if you start the fire with small twigs and allow the chimney to heat up, then you can build up the fire gradually. Of course, on windless days, when there is hardly any draught in the chimney, it can get smoky. Besides this, sometimes the wood they collected was quite large which brings the fire too much to the front of the fireplace, thus causing smoke in the house. As they didn't say anything about the fire Theo assumed that they were fine. Guests who were in the house after Sophie didn't have any complaints.

3. Sustainability: we regret that this judgement is given without having asked any questions about it while being here. We have been busy renovating and developing our quinta for several years now, and, unfortunately, we don't have the means to organise everything in one time. Part of our water and heating is already heated by solar power and by wood stoves. Our objective is that within a few years all houses will be heated by renewable energy: sun, wood and bio-diesel. We will produce our own bio-diesel made of waste oil and rape seed oil (we will cultivate rapeseed on our land) and use it for generators, cars, machinery and pumps.

Furthermore, where possible, we use recycled and natural building materials (clay, stones) for our constructions. All rain water is being collected and we use environment friendly cleaning materials. We are developing our organic vegetable garden and make our own compost. In the end all waste water - - black (toilets) and grey (shower, kitchen) - will be collected and purified by ecological systems to be re-used for irrigation. However, we are still in progress and it will take at least one or two years more to be completely sustainable. We have written a Development Plan containing details on all these projects. To give guests a better impression we will now put a summary in the guesthouses.

4. Local Benefit: As we are only a small unit, with at this moment a maximum capacity of 10 guests, we will indeed not have a huge impact on the local economy. However, we try to stimulate guests to make use of the local markets and shops. Besides this we are working on a project called 'Quinta Biológica Educativa'. If we get this plan approved by the EU, we will start workshops on organic gardening, sustainable living and regional arts and crafts for school children in the region and visitors and guests.

In short: a lot of projects are still in on-going phase.

5. Service: as indicated above, the collection of wood was a misunderstanding. Theo doesn't have any recollection of having told Sophie to fix the radiator in her bedroom. He does recall a remark that maybe there was air in the radiator and that Sophie's partner offered to have a look. After that Theo didn't hear anything anymore about the subject. There is an extra electric radiator in the house that can be plugged in.

All in all we really regret that the guests experienced their holidays this way and we also regret that they didn't communicate with us so that we could make their stay a better experience.