Are the swimming pools private ?

Casa das Pedras has its own private swimming pool and outdoor area with dining table and lounge chairs exclusively for the guests of that house (maximum 4).

Casa das Figueiras (maximum 5 guests) and Casa das Rosas (maximum 2 guests) share the access to another large pool which also has lounge chairs and a dining table. Occasionally and only when guests are not using the swimming pool, my 3 yr old daughter and I go for a little splash!

Is the outdoor area private?

Each house either has a terrace or varandas which are of exclusive use for the guests of that house.

The remaining 12 hectares of the property you are welcome to wander and explore.

There is a gated part as our neighbour Sr Joao Manuel often brings his goats and sheep to help maintain the land. If it is closed, don’t worry they are very friendly, go ahead and open it, we just ask you to be mindful to close it behind you.

Where can we do grocery shopping?

There are a few closed and open air markets nearby:

Friday morning in the mercado municipal of Castelo de Vide.
Saturday morning in the mercado municipal of Santo Antonio das Areias.
Monday morning in the street of Valencia de Alcantara, Spain.

As well as:
3rd Sunday of every month in the mercado municipal of Beira.
last Saturday of every month in the park of Castelo de Vide.
These two are lovely social gatherings, you will usually find crafts, second hand furniture and clothing, baked goods and live music.

Of course there also several supermarkets such as Pingo Doce at the entrance of Castelo de Vide, and larger ones: Continente, Lidl, Aldi and Leclerq in Portalegre.

In Portalegre there is also an excellent “bulk shop” (loja a granel) with high quality, mostly organic, harder to find products called Nave Mãe there are also interesting weekly events and workshops happening there.