Villa Casa das Areias

Very nice villa. Stayed here for 2 weeks. Friendly gardener and maids. Sleeps 6 with a 3 bed so for a family of 5 there was ample space. Huge 2.3 metre deep pool out the front (yes, out the front) and a weirdly placed BBQ. Overall very good quality

Having stayed at the villa two years ago there have only been minor changes, the new bigger fridge freezer being one, and better quality comfortable pillows for the beds being the other. Although the kitchen is in keeping with traditional style, the cupboards and drawers really could do with changing, they look aged and the handles kept coming off. Ants have started to come into the kitchen since we were last there although baits have been set. The cooker is clean and modern, the washer and the dishwasher work well. The equipment could do with being changed, there were numerous items that weren’t function able such as Tupperware containers with no lids, the garlic press with no mesh press insert, broken scissors, and aged blender attachments that don’t fit the blender. Having said that, these are minor details and obviously didn’t hinder our holiday! The kitchen is clean and functioning. The living areas are clean but would benefit from having a vacuum rather than a brush as the tiled floors get dusty. The pool area was much the same as previously. We didn’t see the pool being cleaned while we were there but we were out most days. There are lots of loungers to use along with a large plastic table with chairs and a large parasol. The bbq area is a let down, it is set in glorious privacy with views of an old vineyard and the stunning village of porches. There are beautiful sunsets to see while eating around the bbq, we moved the large table from the pool to this area to take advantage of the idyllic situation. The bbq area could be stunning with tiled flooring, terracing, and lights, it currently has a strange wobbly concrete ground. The bbq itself needs more racks, and would benefit from having a traditional chimney style, although it had lots of forks, tongs etc. There was a constant supply of lovely white towels during our stay, and clean pool towels. The bed linen was clean and changed weekly. The top bedroom could benefit from curtains, something I noted two years ago on a review. There’s only a net and the sun comes up that side of the villa so the room gets light quickly. This room has all the villa’s air conditioning units on the terrace outside which makes it quite noisy, but they’ve got to go somewhere, and the units are defiantly needed in the hottest part of the year. The bathrooms are kept clean by the maids but again, they need a bit of TLC. The grouting around the base of the toilets are discoloured from urine and one of the toilets leaked when flushed making the room smell. The location of the villa is idyllic if you are after peace and quiet and stunning countryside. A car is a must! There are beautiful beaches within a 15 min drive. Porches itself is somewhere we love. It is traditional, and has a small fish market, fruit & vege shop and a coffee shop which we loved to sit outside. In conclusion, the villa is great, the fact that we returned speaks volumes! We are a family of five, with three children under 14. With some minor updates it could be luxurious.