Set in the unspoilt terraces of Monchique Mountain, Casa Ginjeira is a very comfortable home with bedrooms all opening onto spacious veranda with southerly views across the foothills to the coast. In summer the high-ceilinged rooms are cool and there are plenty of shady spots to relax, as well as a large private pool which also enjoys spectacular views. An extended season is ensured with underfloor heating throughout the house and a swimming pool heater powered by solar electricity. The house is set in a large terraced garden surrounded by olive and citrus groves and ancient farmed terraces against a backdrop of cork oak forests. Water runs through the garden in a rill, with fountains and a large fish pond.
The house has been completely renovated with beautiful terracotta floors which are heated when required and cool in the summer. The sitting room is furnished for comfortable evenings around the fire. All the bedrooms enjoy the spectacular sea view and have french-windows leading onto the veranda. There are two spacious bathrooms with baths and walk-in showers. Outside there is a further bathroom with shower, convenient for the pool. The well-equipped kitchen, decorated with traditional Portuguese tiles, opens onto the dining room, with a large dining table. There are several other places to eat outside - by the pool, where we have a built in barbecue, or in the shade of the veranda. Above the pool is a decked area surrounded by flowerbeds providing another place to relax on sun-loungers under grapevines clambering over a rustic pergola.
A five minute walk up the track takes you to our favourite restaurant serving the best piri-piri chicken in the area, and there are other great restaurants serving local specialities. The pretty market town of Monchique is just 4km away, with more restaurants and bars and a large supermarket where you can buy anything you may need. Further afield you have the choice of two coastlines within easy reach; the glamorous and busy South, with its golf courses and nightlife or the wild and spectacular West, with world class surfing.
Wherever you go it is a pleasure to return to our peaceful valley. The air is filled with the scent of eucalyptus and orange blossom and nothing but the sounds of gurgling streams, birdsong, chirping crickets and perhaps a lone frog. Nightingales are numerous in the spring, and other birds such as the Hoopoe, Azure-winged Magpie and Golden Orioles may also be spotted.