We arrived on Jan 4 for 3 month stay and were met by Miguel's father. His welcome was so warm and friendly, we felt at home immediately. The house exceeded our expectations. We have rented homes in several countries, but here we found almost everything you could think of at our disposal. The dishes provided were very nice and plentiful. Various appliances including a coffee grinder, juicer, toaster, coffee machine, single cup coffee machine, hot water heater, etc. were available. Sra Antonia kept the house and our clothes clean and was delightful.
Although we arrived in winter, the house was warm and the bedding was wonderful. Miguel even provided rain suits for our use. My sister and I used them on a few rainy days. The house is set up well for two couples and two singles or two children (we had my sister and 2 friends stay with us for part of our time). We also never had a problem with hot water or water pressure. You could look out the windows or step out the doors and be greeted by the castle just above us. Next door, the farmer had three ewes, which all had lambs while we were there. We met new lambs and baby goats pretty much where ever we went and were highly amused by their antics.
The house is well situated and a short drive to Estremoz or Evora for groceries. A small grocery in the village also provides much of what you need on a daily basis. We found the Café O Emigrante in the village a wonderful place for meals. Iana speaks English, French, Spanish, and probably a few others, which makes ordering easier. We recommend taking time to explore the walled city and wander through its castle. The views alone are worth the trouble. Vila Vicosa, Elvas, Marvao, Monsaraz, Evora, Merida, Montemor-o-novo are just a few places we would recommend seeing as well as the antas and caves.
We chose this spot as our center for explorations and found it to be a marvelous base. You are only 60 km from the Spanish border, you are close to a toll road and there are several other roads leading in every direction you will want to go. There are several roads/paths to walk around the house and village and Miguel also provided us with a link to a site "Alentejo a Pie" for walks/hikes throughout the region. We tried a few and really enjoyed ourselves.
We left on March 25. We were sad to leave this beautiful place with its warm people, great food, and fabulous areas to explore. We will definitely come back and highly recommend this home.
