The property itself is lovely, first impressions where of a very bright, spotlessly clean and well laid out villa. There were 4 adults and five kids in our party but it always felt like there was plenty of space. The pool area is great and also a good size, 4 houses share it but we found it rare that 2 houses were using it at the same time, and even then the kids would be playing together with kids from another house.

It can be windy at the pool but it was always warm enough on our trip, that the wind was welcome. There were some evenings when we sat out till 8pm comfortably. The house was never too warm as all the sliding doors on the top floor allow a great breeze. Some people have commented about the loud dog barking, and indeed this is the case. We wanted to leave the doors open at night for a breeze but the dogs would wake you up. We discovered that if we switched on the portable fans (there are several in the house) in the upstairs bedrooms at night, left the doors ajar and shut the shutters but only enough that a breeze can blow through them, it obscured the barking completely. Job done and a peaceful nights sleep.

The kids enjoyed the playroom, the selection of DVDs, games and books were great, and the kitchen was as well equipped as we have ever found on a holiday. We did not use the outside BBQ as we ate out most nights.

The village is an 8 minute walk and has a few small local shops, where you can find almost everything you might need. We did our bigger shops in Caldas da Rainha (10 Minute Drive) were the Continente and Leclerc supermarkets have everything you will need. This town is also worth a day exploring the town centre and the beautiful Parque Dom Carlos 1 which has a great restaurant, cafes, tennis courts and playground, and easy parking. There are also a few good restaurants in the village, the best value being the Central Bar and the best food was in another (I don't remember the name) place on a corner, just 100m up from the Tavola restaurant bar. We also ate down at the the beach at the Cais da Praia and Restaurante Europa, both excellent. The last bar on the beach strip, right at the roundabout at the end of the promenade, was great for an evening drink. The sunsets are magnificent here.

The beach was fantastic, very calm (in the lagoon side) although very salty, and strong currents at certain times of day. I would not recommend air beds or toys as some kids we had to help got into trouble with the current.