Casa da Oliveira - Monte Branco

Architect Owner Updates Rural Algarve Outpost

Tucked into a traditional village in the lesser developed northern reaches of the Algarve, this classic home has been given a modern update by its architect owner. A little bit colonial, a little bit boho, and little bit retro with a cute, campy bunkroom for the kids, this vacation home rental in Portugal a relaxed, all-natural oasis with easy access to unexplored beaches and a coastal natural park.

Updated by its architect owner as an easy-living family getaway with a creative bent, this traditional village structure was redesigned to be an all-natural, rustic-chic retreat with wool rugs, wood, cane and rattan furnishings, and global nomad décor. Its location is one-of-a-kind, that rare opportunity to reside within protected parkland, with easy access to a rural village and the southern Alentejo wine country. Dedicated surfers come for the big waves along this off-the-radar section of the Atlantic, but they’d prefer to keep the region a secret.

AROUND

Unspoiled and relatively isolated in the northernmost reaches of the Algarve, this vacation home rental in Portugal is located in the rural village of Aljezur, within the boundary of the Vicentine Coast Nature Park. One of Europe’s few coastal parks, Vicentine stretches across 150 kilometers of cliff-backed, golden sand coastline between the southwestern Alentejo (Port Covo) and the northern part of the Algarve (Burgau). One of Portugal’s wildest areas, the park offers under-the-radar small towns, lost-in-time hamlets, and rich biodiversity and wildlife. Beaches here are mostly deserted—curving swaths of golden sand blown into undulating dunes. Protected coves along the jagged coast have been created by a series of small streams that empty into the Atlantic, and the natural park’s focus is the Sagres Peninsula, a rugged headland marked by limestone cliffs and outcroppings. Known as the “end of Europe” for millennia, it served as the launch point for Prince Henry the Navigator’s many expeditions.

The village of Aljezur is unique for its division into two parts, on opposing sides of a small river—the western Moorish section with a ruined castle from the 10th century, and the eastern section known as Igreja Nova, or New Church. The town’s beaches and coastline are wild and empty, with the Praia do Amado popular with surfers for its pipe waves, the Praia da Arrifana (also a surfer favorite) with its clifftop views and a beach restaurant, and the Praia do Monte Clérigo, a beach popular with families and fishermen for its rich marine pools that form at low tide.

LOCATION

Aljezur, Faro, Algarve, Portugal. Nearest airport: Faro (approximately 100km)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to October