08 Villa 97 by Herdade de Montalvo

“Hidden spot”

Herdade de Montalvo is a private condominium with 44 houses, some of them available for rent, located near Alcacer do Sal, Portugal. It is about 70 Km south of Lisbon, near the coast, 20 minutes away from the nearest beach - Comporta, which is also a small, charming village. Its facilities include … more

Herdade de Montalvo is a private condominium with 44 houses, some of them available for rent, located near Alcacer do Sal, Portugal. It is about 70 Km south of Lisbon, near the coast, 20 minutes away from the nearest beach - Comporta, which is also a small, charming village. Its facilities include a restaurant/cafeteria, tennis court and possibility of horse and bicycle riding. Each house has its own private large swimming pool. Last week, our family of 3 spent one week vacation there, part of a group of 3 families, 9 friends in total. We did stay at Vila Moinho, number 44, with a beautiful location at the top of an hill, just next to the wind mill. The views are fantastic, very peaceful atmosphere in the middle of nature, beautiful garden and large swimming pool. The house is very cosy and comfortable, big and well maintained. This place seems ideal for families, with plenty of room for fun, but is also a must for people looking for a quiet place to disconnect. As less positive aspects I would mention: - the condominium administration is too strict on the number of people allowed at the house, with little room for last minute changes. We were charged 2300 euros / week for 8 persons ( 4 adults and 4 children plus and extra fee of 100 Euros / week for an extra adult). - payment is requested too long time in advance as full payment is mandatory 2 months in advance by bank transfer - cards are not accepted. A 350 Euros cash deposit is requested upon arrival at the house to cover possible damages. - the house is not fully mosquito proof, even if we were most carefull with this - this area is a mosquito favourite due to the rice crops nearby. - there is no supermarket in the neighborhood (only in Alcacer or Comporta), so plan in advance for first day survival, including enough toilet paper. We recommend that shoes are used at any moment while at the garden as one adult member of our group was bitten by a scorpion (part of the wild nature we enjoy so much to disconnect ) and was transferred to the nearest hospital in Alcacer do Sal. Summarizing: we strongly recommend this place since the positive aspects compensate for the less positive ones.

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