The village is located in the West Algarve approx 8 miles west of Lagos.  For location map click here. Brightly painted houses look onto winding cobbled streets in which you may encounter donkeys, dogs and hens as well as villagers in local dress and even the occasional goat. Part of the charm of the property is that it is in a genuine village still going about its traditional life, very different from the atmosphere of modern purpose-built developments which can sometimes be rather sterile and anonymous.

The area, generally agreed to be the most beautiful in the Algarve, consists of gently rolling hills with a wealth of walks through fig and almond groves.  This National Park is the Algarve's only conservation area and is richly endowed with wild flowers, birds and rare butterflies.

The village is under a mile from the completely untouched coastline of small sandy coves, and stands approximately 100 feet above sea level in open countryside overlooking a wooded valley dotted with white windmills and eucalyptus forests.

The Beach. The nearest beach is reached by a glorious short walk through a valley dotted with fig and bamboo groves, and medieval wells, with abundant bird and butterfly life. It is sheltered by cliffs all round with a ruined Roman fortress on top, and there is sometimes a freshwater lagoon. Because it cannot be reached by car it it tends to be deserted even in high season.

There is a small white-washed fishing village about the same distance away, reached on foot or by road in a couple of minutes. On its expansive, sandy beach fishermen land and sell their catch, mooring their colourful boats; several restaurants charcoal-grill the freshly-caught sea food, although recent 'improvements' have sadly led to some of its quaint character being lost.

There are many other deserted beaches and small coves within easy reach, with superb cliff-top walks between them, making this one of the finest stretches of untouched coast-line in in Europe, and the only one featuring 'primary' vegetation, this small corner of Portugal having been missed by the ice age.