Guests who have enjoyed our villa in the Algarve
Casa Lia has a wide appeal. It is spacious and well equipped so families with children enjoy spending fun holidays here. Couples looking for a romantic getaway with nobody to disturb them enjoy the peace, tranquillity and stunning views. Yet the many restaurants and beaches of the area are only a short car ride away.
"Excellent villa, amazing locationon, 5* overall".
"We're just back from 10 days in this incredible villa, the whole place is done up to an excellent standard, and is very well-equipped, from the range of kitchen utensils, to lilos and toys for the pool, and a good selection of books and games. The villa is very clean and well looked after, and spacious and airy in the heat - we rarely needed the aircon, though it was great to have the option!
The owner was incredibly helpful, answering my many questions before we left, and once we got there, the villa manager meets you to take you to the villa, shows you around, and then is at the end of the phone if you have any queries about the villa itself or the surrounding area - a very reassuring and welcome touch.
The villa itself is about 10 minutes drive from the town, and it's lovely to get some peace and quiet! Tavira is a lovely town, easy to walk around and with nice restaurants and ice-cream cafes, as well as a castle, old bridges, and a ferry out to the best beach in Europe costs EUR1.90 return! We had a great day on the beach (Ihla de Tavira) which has a boardwalk with plenty of cafes and bars. There's an old castle in the town, as well as a camera obscura, and a lovely old church. Service in restaurants is not as fast as we were used to at home but the food is good and varied.
There is a large new shopping centre in Tavira with an excellent supermarket stocking all the food, drink and toiletries you could need, and the large mall is full of shops!
Faro airport and the business of the city is only a 40 minute drive, but we really felt a world away, we couldn't have asked for a better holiday! We would happily recommend this villa to friends and family, and would love to go back ourselves!"
Andrea from Belfast, September 2009
"The holiday and Casa Lia were amazing" The villa was all we hoped for and more. I would have to think long and hard to find anything negative to say about it. We all loved it. We felt totally relaxed straightaway, and enjoyed the peace and solitude. Having such a nice town as Tavira close by was lovely.
It was reassuring to have your agent, Herman, just a telephone call away should we have needed him in an emergency - it was a delight to meet him - he is very charming, and he did us a big favour getting us some shopping as it was fairly late by the time we got to the villa and we were ready for a beer!
No-one was in any rush to get up early and leave the villa so we mostly had lazy days by the pool and then got ready to go out in the late afternoon/early evenings. We only went to the beach on two days - we went over to the island on the ferry one afternoon, and another day we did the trip by the Guadiana and had a couple of hours on the river beach at Alcoutim.
We had evenings out in Tavira, Faro, Manta Rota, VRSA/Monte Gordo - everywhere was so lively with street entertainment, market stalls etc. In all we had a fantastic holiday.
Thanks for the use of the villa, we shall definitely be singing its praises to friends and relatives and would love to return some time in the future.
11 July 09. Jayne, Mark, Alex from Nottingam.
"Perfect for everyone, young and old"
We have been to Portugal a number of times and have usually really enjoyed the country and the people. However, this was the first time of hiring a villa.
And what a success it proved to be!
We are in our late 40s, my mother-in-law is a (sprightly) 88 and we have a very active 7 year old daughter. In past holidays this has not been an easy combination where everyone is kept happy! At Casa Lia, however, it all seemed to fit!
The accommodation was very clean and spacious and was well appointed throughout. Over the very small things we needed some advice or assistance, Herman, the very handy man, was just a phone call away. Best bits were the the airconditioning, the small but very adequate pool and the entertainment systems (TV/DVD/HiFi)
No printed review can do justice to the fantastic feelings of the outside space and tranquility surrounding Casa Lia at my favourite times of early morning or evening. You'll simply have to go there to experience it for yourself! There was some wind noise at night but we quickly got used to it and found ourselves well rested at the end of the holiday.
Tavira is a really lovely Portuguese town where tourists are well catered for but where they are still well outnumbered by the locals enjoying their own cafe culture.
We thoroughly enjoyed the massive and very safe beach at Manta Rota and just about 10 km away and would thoroughly recommend it.
My daughter has a number of food allergies and we found it easy and enjoyable to prepare many of our evening meals using the wide range of food available at the surprisingly well-appointed local supermarkets coupled with the cooking facilities available in the villa or using the outdoors BBQ.
The only real problem was that this holiday seemed to pass all too quickly!
We will definitely be returning!
Paul and Carol Ann from Scotland, June 2009
"The villa really is fantastic" You must be so happy with it? I loved the way it is isolated and has views accross the rolling hills towards the sea.The lights that come on the drive are great. It actually looked like a footballer's villa when we rolled up. Everything about it was perfect.
If I was going to write a book I would want to write it there. Tash and I walked around the lanes quite a bit and not many other villas have what yours does.I would love to own it. We would love to come out again."
Daniel, Tash, Baby Max, 4 grandparents. May 2009
"What struck us immediately was the sense of calm and peacefulness of this Algarve villa. The pool and barbecue area were great and the views from all the outside areas are spectacular.
There was plenty of room inside the villa and we liked the open plan kitchen which was very family friendly. The bathrooms were spacious and clean and the new air conditioning made a comfortable night’s sleep easy.
We found getting in to Tavira very easy (15 mins max) the beaches are simply superb and we also enjoyed some excellent meals beside the river in the old town.
We went hoping to have a really enjoyable peaceful holiday and the villa allowed us that and more we thoroughly recommend staying there"Julie and Guy from Marbella. August 2008.
"The description of this lovely villa was very accurate.
The owners could not have been more helpful and provided perfect customer service.The property was clean and provided excellent modern facilities.
The views were wonderful and being so isolated we could make as much noise as we wanted without fear of upsetting neighbours
we have no hesitation in recommending this property to friends and relatives.
The golf courses nearby were perfect and the course just over the border in Spain was amazing value for money."
Jane and Leigh. September 2008
"Just thought you would like to know how we enjoyed our stay at your Villa.
We were most impressed. The view over the countryside was impressive, in a tranquil setting. A lovely clean pool and patio, with ample sun loungers.
The large lounge had plenty to entertain us, should we have required it, and the satellite TV let us keep up with home News.
All kitchen and cleaning facilities were perfect. The bedrooms were very comfortable and the heating in each room was an asset.
It was our first visit to Portugal, and it was a great way to be introduced to the country.
We would certainly use your Villa again."Jean and Ferdi from Glasgow. October 2008.
"We really enjoyed our time in your beautiful,peaceful villa and would love to return someday." It felt very spacious and it was so nice to be so remote - great to let the children be children without having to keep asking them to be quiet! The kitchen was fully equipped - lovely to have the TV and DVD player too, to keep the children out of the sun for a few hours.
Ann and family from Reading, July 2009.
