Casa Velha is a large, shutter clad property, colonial in style and comprising maybe half a dozen self contained apartments. We were staying in the top floor penthouse, a fabulous one bedroomed property with extensive outside balconies and terraces. The apartment was furnished in the IKEA style, had an open plan kitchen/living area and on this floor was also the small bathroom. Upstairs was the single bedroom which had french windows and glorious beach/sea views from the bed which was our 6am vantage point as the sun rose. The owners claim the property would sleep 4 but that would rely on 2 sleeping on the sofas in the living area which might not be ideal.

The kitchen was well appointed-fridge with small freezer, kettle, toaster, gas hob and oven. The cupboards were perhaps short of cooking essentials such as a colander, bread knife and large lidded saucepan, otherwise it was clean and well appointed.

The bathroom was beginning to show it's age but I believe this is soon to be remodelled which will be a big improvement. It also housed the only loo in the property which was a chore if you needed to pay a visit from the upstairs bedroom during the night.

The bedroom was a good size with wardrobes and table lamps. The views were simply amazing, to lay on your bed and have an uninterrupted view of a giant sun setting is a joy to behold.

The terraces were also outstanding, 4 large sofas, a couple of loungers and a small dining table and chairs, it was perfectly possible to live outside!

Accessing the apartment could be challenging if you have young children or mobility problems-it's a climb of 60 odd steps up fairly steep flights of stairs.

The beach was a five minute walk away, the town similar. There's a small minimart for groceries and household essentials. We were a little surprised that food shopping and eating in restaurants was similarly prices to the UK, how the locals get on I don't know.

The local beach bars are good, Alisios particularly so, we ate out a few times and the food was ok but not the abundance of fresh fish we were expecting.

We will certainly return to this African odyssey and this property in particular.

Finally mustn't forget the marvellous folks at The Utility Room, Matt & Sam who manage the penthouse on behalf of the owners. Very helpful and totally reliable, they even have the foresight to present guests with a mobile phone pre-charged and connected to a local network in case you need to get hold of them