Normally listing descriptions can exaggerate the merits of a property but that is definitely not the case here, it is incredibly accurate. Normally I’ll see the negative if there is one before I’ll see the positive but there was practically nothing wrong with Casa Agape at all. We had a fantastic holiday. We were a group of five adults and three children (8,7 and 2). The house was perfect. The kids lived in the pool which has a shallow end with a paddling area, dipping to 1.9 metres at the deep end. My main reason for choosing it was the fact the pool is visible from the living and kitchen areas but there were so many other positives once we arrived. It feels like a home from home rather than a rented villa and is very comfortably furnished. It is large and spacious and we never felt claustrophobic during our 12 day stay. There is a lovely flow between the living, kitchen and terrace areas. The air conditioning is excellent but it wasn’t really needed despite temperatures reaching 39oC. The house is very close to the absolutely idyllic beach, 5/10 minuteswalk . The heat on the way was stifling but there is a lovely breeze on the beach itself so it never felt too hot despite the soaring temperatures. The beach stretches for miles and is accessed by a boardwalk over the dune. There are deck chairs/parasols for hire and a cabin that sells drinks (we used neither so don’t know prices). A new restaurant was in the process of being opened at the entrance during our stay which will be very convenient. There is a lovely walk through the wood behind/beside the house to Monto Gordo (15/20 minutes). There is a little bar/cafe and shop at the entrance of the estate which has all the essentials. There are several good restaurants locally but of the ones we tried Pezinhos n'aria in Praia Verde was definitely our favourite – relaxed but elegant). Andrew and Else called on our first day and were absolutely lovely. They had lots of tips and were available to contact, if required, throughout our stay. We normally like to vary our holiday destinations but we loved here so much that we hope to be back.

It was off peak when we stayed and seemed quiet but many of the houses were empty so it’s probably a lot more lively in July and August.