For Marie and Henrique, holidays equal to with family and outdoor dining. When they finally discovered a house in São Brás de Alportel, they didn’t even think twice. They’ve designed a second outdoor kitchen, with a long table and a concrete island to cook outside.
Judging by the date engraved on the chimney, the building dates back to 1876 and still retains much of its old charm, including the typical cane ceilings, painted white. “We wanted to give the house feel of modern comfort, following a Mediterranean style, keeping it as simple as possible, because the house was rustic, not very rich, and we wanted to maintain it with that spirit”, summarizes Marie, curator of a museum in France and who arrived in the Algarve through her husband, a native of the region.
In addition to functioning as a holiday destination for the couple and their three children, the house has been available for holiday rentals since 2018. There are four bedrooms, the same number of bathrooms, a 13-meter long swimming pool, a huge garden full of fruit trees, and even table football. In short: a children’s paradise, and they are more than welcome: “It’s all baby and child proofed,” Marie jokes.
Although the coast is far away, the elevated view pays off – through the trees you can see the sea and even the lighthouse of the island of Culatra shining at night.