Casinhoto is a 3.000 square meters walled property, located just 2 kms from Portimão (the second largest town in the Algarve) and Alvor (a typical fishing village). It has three villas inside, two of which are for self-catering rental. The third one is occupied by the owners.
In a family and relaxing atmosphere, you can enjoy beautiful lawns and gardens with many flowers and fruit trees, plenty of clear water from own well, a fantastic pool with a specially area designed for children and lovely views of the sea and the surrounding area from the terrace on the top of each house.
Within 5 minute drive, you can find fine sandy beaches with clear warm water and several golf courses, including the famous Penina Golf Course, designed by Sir Henry Cotton.
An excellent base for excursions, as the property is close to the major road network and therefore enables visits to the many sites of historical interest and natural beauty that abound in the Algarve. And with a choice of three large local supermarkets and two daily fish and vegetables markets within a 5 minute drive to city centre.
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Some history
All our family is from the North, but the four of us (my parents, my brother and myself) have spent our Summer holidays in the Algarve since our teens.
In 1971, when I was pregnant with my first child, my parents purchased this wide open property, with no fences at all and with a very small cottage where an old couple lived with their donkey. No water at all, everything dry all around. My parents were so thrilled with the idea of seeing the coming baby wandering around that, despite the total lack of water, they were prepared to fight for their dream.
After the absolutely necessary brickwork carried out, the final result was a two bedroom-cottage with a cosy living-room, an open fireplace, kitchen and bathroom. Outside, a very large patio with barbecue was added, all in the typical Algarvian style.
As an engineer, my father was always looking for any improvements that could provide better conditions. So, he sent for someone to look for water and… bingo! Plenty of clear water from a well and soon did the desert become a garden with bushes, flowers and fruit trees due to my mother’s great dedication and care. It became our little paradise!
The following year, my father had the pool built in a high location so that it could also be used for watering the land. And soon after were we growing vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, peas, green peppers, etc in our vegetables-garden. Lemmon and orange trees and even grapes did we have! Not only in August but also for long weekends, Easter and New Year’s Eve did we use to drive to Casinhoto, so much we loved to stay there.
Two years later, my parents had the second villa built. Designed by my father and located just by the pool, with a large barbecue patio and a terrace on the top with beautiful sea views. In the meantime, my second child was born and my brother got married. We all fitted in the big house while my parents stayed in the original one, by the time already named as Casinhoto.
A few years later, my parents could afford to have the third villa built by the time my niece was born. So, each ‘family’ occupied one villa but, still, we were altogether! Despite our different daily routines, we gathered by the pool and shared some meals, particularly long “sardines” lunches, grilled on one of the barbecues.
So the time went by and we sometimes invited some other relatives and friends to stay with us. Often would our kids bring a friend over to spend the vacations with us and it was a thrill to see them running around, playing and swimming in the pool. My mother has always been an extraordinary hostess!
Nowadays, we don’t spend so much time at the Casinhoto as we used to, but we feel the need to preserve and share this environment for our grandchildren and generations to come. We invite you to share it with us.
Margarida