Casarão Paraíso

Everything was clean, at least after we carried a huge spider outside 🙈. If all you need is a place to sleep, it's okay, but it didn't feel comfortable or cosy. The rooms are packed with old furniture, and the living room feels more like a storage space. The house is in poor condition and right next to the road. Still, what do you expect for the price?

The house is right in front of the beach, which was beautiful. We booked at the last minute and were glad we did. Manuela was gracious and kind, texted directions so we wouldn't get lost, and showed us around when we arrived. The kitchen is shared, with coffee, pastries, fruit, beer, and wine. Our last-minute private room came with a shared bathroom, which was very nice and had shower gel and shampoo available. I'd highly recommend staying here.

I was really disappointed. The room had a shared toilet and shower, which wasn't how it had been advertised, and the thin wall meant I could hear someone doing laundry in the bathtub for about three hours while I was trying to sleep. The airport shuttle turned out to mean calling a gypsy cab. The woman running the place was nice and tried to help, calling three different gypsy cabs to find me the best price, €10. But I had repeatedly said a regular taxi was fine and would have saved me €5 or €6. The driver also had no change for my €20 note. I wouldn't recommend this place.

The best thing about this place was how homely it felt inside, partly because some of the lady's family still live there. She was warm when she arrived and mentioned that the exterior needed a lick of paint, which was putting it mildly. Finding the guest house was a real struggle: there were no signs, just a Camino clam shell tile by the gate. After I'd paced the street for 20 minutes, an old guy drove out and gestured that he'd call his daughter, who manages the accommodation. I stayed here in April 2022 while walking the Portuguese Camino. My room was cold, though there was an electric heater in the living room I could bring in. The private shower didn't work, so I had to use the shared bathroom, and the Wi-Fi signal was nonexistent. There are only two places to eat within walking distance at night; only the Italian could make me gluten-free food, and it was superb. There's a full kitchen at the accommodation too. The front-facing rooms looked nice and had fantastic sea views. I'd possibly stay again since there aren't many options around, but I'd check them out first.