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Algarve Holiday Villa to rent Quinta da Mimosa in the foothills of the beautiful Monchique mountains near Caldas de Monchique To book or for more information Email: alan_stewart2001@yahoo.co.uk SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE FOR FULL DETAILS AND 2009 PRICES click on any picture to enlarge |
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There is a laundry room for the maid and a downstairs shower-room which has a shower, washbasin, bidet and w/c. The large fitted kitchen is well equipped and is next to the dining room. French doors lead to another patio that is close to the barbecue and pool. Two curved marble staircases lead upstairs where there are four bedrooms. The master bedroom has a king size double bed which can be split into twin beds and there is a balcony. The en-suite bathroom has bath/shower, w/c, washbasin and bidet. Bedroom two has a double bed and a very large sun deck. Bedroom 3 has twin beds and a covered balcony and there is a bathroom which has bath/shower, w/c, bidet and washbasin by the doors to bedrooms 2 & 3. A further flight of curved marble stairs lead to the nearly circular tower bedroom which has twin beds and an en-suite shower and wc. This villa really is as large and spacious as the pictures show it to be. |
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Completed in 1995 this four bedroom, four bath/shower villa has spacious accommodation. It is about 80km from Faro airport and only about 12 km from the motorway junction on a good road and situated in the foothills of the picturesque Monchique mountains. It is in a secluded but not remote location inland from the fishing port of Portimao. The ground floor has a huge open plan living room which is comfortably furnished and has a woodburning stove and doors onto one of the patios. |
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Renting the villa you will find there are no hidden extras. Sheets, pillowslips, towels (other than for beach use) and electricity are included. The maid is booked for 5 mornings a week (two in winter). The property is managed by an agent who is based nearby and in the unlikely event of any problems, he has full authority to deal with them. The maid calls regularly as do the gardener and the pool maintenance man. PLACES TO VISIT: The Zoo which saves endangered monkeys is only a few hundred yards away on the right, up the hill. In the other direction, is a new attraction on the left, Parque de Minas which has exhibits of rural life in the past. The riverside town of Silves with its castle and cathedral is a must and it has a nice indoor market for fresh produce daily and a massive outdoor one each month. You can also take a riverboat cruise down to Portimao. A visit to Silves Barragem is nice. This is a huge man made lake with watersports and a nice restaurant overlooking it. At Portimao you will find a hypermarket, the "Modelo" on the main road to Praia da Rocha and a Lidl supermarket just opposite it. There is also a gigantic indoor fruit, vegetable, meat and fish market nearby. On the waterfront there are sailing trips on a replica sailing ship while towards Praia da Rocha you will find the new marina. Lagos is another interesting town and it too has a fabulous Marina with cafes and restaurants overlooking the boats (try the upstairs Chinese Restaurant) and it is possible here to book fishing and sailing trips. The trips to the caves are good value at about 7 Euros and the sights are amazing. Alte is an inland village that is quite pretty by day and by night there are feasts and folklore evenings which can be quite entertaining. BEACHES: There are plenty of them! We like the ones at Alvor, Praia da Rocha with its weird rock formations, Praia da Vau, Ferragudo, Carvoeiro and Lagos. Also Armacao da Pera at the old part where the fishing boats are kept on the beach. For more information on the area, please CLICK HERE. 2009 PRICES The Villa is available to rent on a weekly basis with Thursday change-overs (for different days please email and ask). Prices are per week for up to eight people: 2009 Up to March 31st
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. £450 pw. 2009 April 1st to May 22nd
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£650 pw. 2009 May 23rd to June 30th
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.. £950 pw. 2009 July 1st to August 31st
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£1600 pw. 2009 September 1st to Sept 30th
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.. £950 pw. 2009 October 1st to October 30th
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. . .... £650 pw. 2009 November 1st to December 31st
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£450 pw. 2010 Jan 1st to March 31st
.£450 pw. Deposit is 25% and the balance is due 8 weeks prior to the holiday. SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR LATEST AVAILABILTY Rentals are from 2.30pm on day of arrival to 10.30am on day of departure. ____________________________________ CAR HIRE: We have so far found the best deals are from the oddly named ZITAUTO ! They base their cars at Faro airport so there is no waiting around for the bus to take you to their depot. They do not ask for any payments until you collect your car and it pays to use Euros in cash as they do charge extra for credit cards. To book and get the best price from them, email Dora at their office ( zitauto@clix.pt ) mentioning you were recommended by Quinta da Mimosa (you are welcome to do this even if you dont book with us). Wherever you rent a car you will find they have a large excess on the insurance, with a lot of exclusions. You can cover yourself against that by taking out their own excess cover, or much better and usually cheaper is the cover offered by www.carhireexcess.com FLIGHTS: Faro is the nearest airport. We strongly recommend you shop around as prices vary so much. Flights during school holidays are normally much more expensive, so it may be worth considering flying into alternative airports such as Lisbon. During a recent half-term, flights to Porto were less than one third of the cost of Faro flights. These may be a lot further away than Faro, but the roads are good and there are some very interesting areas you can pass through on the trip to the villa, such as Sintra, Mafra, Fatima or the big cities. Some useful websites: www.thomsonfly.com www.flybe.com www.flymonarch.com www.ryanair.com www.easyjet.com www.ba.com FOR BOOKINGS, PLEASE email: alan_stewart2001@yahoo.co.uk |
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Outside, the 10 metre swimming pool has attractive waterfall features, a terrace area with 6 sunbeds and a barbecue. For the safety of children, there is a gate to the pool terrace. There are over 12 acres of grounds belonging to the villa, divided by a small river that flows throughout the year. The land has numerous orange and lemon trees, pine covered hills, and of course the beautiful Mimosa trees. Our own woodland walk takes you through a bed of massive bamboos and if you enjoy walking a rough path leads to neighbouring forest tracks that lead for many miles with some spectacular scenery on the way. |
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Nearby is the popular beauty spot of Caldas de Monchique The Monchique mountains are the highest in the Algarve at about 3000 feet and you can drive to the top to enjoy the fabulous views. Often featured in TV documentaries about the Algarve, the actual village of Caldas de Monchique is about 2 km up the road. It is well known for it`s spa waters, its unusual houses and sub-tropical appearance. Being in the foothills, the villa is only about 400 feet above sea level in an area where you can enjoy being in the countryside without being isolated. Within about 20 km (15 to 20 minutes drive) on good main roads are the fabulous beaches of Praia da Rocha and Alvor, historic Silves with its Magnificent Castle and Cathedral or the large shops and fishing port of Portimao. Lagos, Silves and Portimao all hold huge country markets each month which are well worth a visit. In fact, markets are held regularly in most towns so if you miss one, you can always get to another. There are many good golf courses within easy reach to suit all levels of skill and the superb facilities at Penina are only about a 20 minute drive away. |
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Restaurants are plentiful in the area and three are literally within a stones throw of our driveway. Casa Cinzas is directly opposite and O`Recante just 50 metres down the hill. Both do a very good chicken piri-piri (a local dish of hot peppery barbecued chicken which originated in this area) as well as a range of other meals. A few yards up the hill is OMaximo which specialises in local cured hams and a little further up the hill on the left you will come to many others, especially in the village. About 2km up on the right the Rouxinall is rather more elegant and offers a selection of more international dishes. For Sunday lunch, consider Restaurante O`Castelo which has an extensive menu in nice surrounding with views from its terrace right down to the coast. If you dine there, you can get a discount in the adjoining gift shop. About 3km from the villa on the way to Portimao, you will find the slightly more up market O`Cacador (The Hunter) on the left. Further afield, take a 20 minute drive to the Portimao waterfront and enjoy sardines or other seafood grilled near the quayside. If you prefer cooking at home, the oven is electric with a rotisserie and the hob is electric. There is also a microwave. However, if the weather is as good as it usually is, then a BBQ by the pool will probably be your choice. |
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