Quinta do Mel

The best part of the house is outside: the garden is wonderful, the beds and pillows are comfortable, and there's room for two families with two children each. Its location also makes it easy to get around the Algarve within about an hour, and it's close to Villamoura. But the house itself badly needs work. The bathrooms need a major renovation: toilets kept running after flushing and the drains were slow. The kitchen cookware was beyond repair, and the furniture and lighting also need attention. During our week, nobody came to care for the pool, and the water gradually got worse. The agency made the stay much more difficult. They were arrogant, inflexible, and rude, barely letting us explain ourselves after we'd travelled eight hours, despite booking months ahead. We weren't told the owner lived downstairs. She was friendly and didn't intrude, but we should have been informed. The agency tried to charge extra for everything, including arriving an hour early, leaving late, and paying the deposit by card to cover their bank fee. They threatened to keep the deposit over the slightest issue, so we inspected the whole house carefully. They did return the cash deposit, but only after two days. Check-in was set for 4 pm even though we arrived at 3, and the person opening the gate was late. On departure day we had to leave before 10 am, while gardeners were already mowing and blowing leaves at 8. The house is right beside the road, so passing cars are constantly audible. Lick nightclub is nearby too, with noise lasting into the early morning. It's a shame the owner handed things to such an unfriendly company and doesn't put some of the €2500 weekly fee toward improvements. The house really needs them.

They really know how to make guests feel welcome.