Local Area

A short stroll from the villa will take you to beautiful views of the lagoon, fishing boats and access to miles of unspoilt golden sandy beach, shelving gently into the Atlantic Ocean. Cabanas Beach is known as a good, clean, guarded beach, flying the EC Blue Flag, where there are beach bars and restaurants, showers, toilets and a first aid tent. In season, sun beds and umbrellas are available to hire, as well as waterskiing and windsurfing equipment. As the Villa is so close to the Ria Formosa lagoon, it is perfect for country walks, bird-watching and fishing, as well as more energetic water sports.

Ten minutes drive will take you to the bustling old town of Tavira, with its Roman Bridge, attractive gardens along the river side, and busy daily market, shops and restaurants. It has a castle and 22 churches, as well as a pretty Island with glorious sandy beaches reached by ferry boat.

Vila Real de San Antonio has good shopping facilities, as well as tourist boat trips upstream on the Guadiana River to Alcoutim, deep sea fishing, or a passenger ferry trip across to Ayamonte for a day trip to Spain. Alternatively is now possible to drive on the IP1 motorway linking Portugal and Spain using the new bridge – Seville is a 2 hour journey!

To the west of Cabanas lay Tavira and Olhao with their attractive islands, Tavira, Culatra and Armona, and Faro, the capital of the Algarve.

Inland the Rococco palace at Estoi is being restored and is set in a lovely garden and the hillside market towns of Loule and Silves are interesting and worth exploring, especially on market day for copper and leather souvenirs.

The beautiful city of Lisbon is a 4 hour drive through the Alentejo countryside and over the Tagus River.

Golf Courses

Villa Casasol is ideally positioned for golfing holidays at Cabanas, with the Benamor Course within a 5 minute drive. The Quinta da Ria and Quinta da Cima courses at Caçela Nova are also nearby and a further 2 new courses at Castro Marim, are within a 20 minute drive. Spanish golf courses are also within easy reach.

Portuguese Cuisine

Portuguese meals are as plain or varied as you wish, and the portions are large and delicious! Fresh fish and seafood caught that morning by local fishermen arrives at your table as tasty dishes of shellfish rice, seafood cataplana or traditional bacalhau (salted cod), or grilled prawns or sea bass, and fiery piri piri chicken. Wines to enjoy range from the Vinho verde the green wine of the Algarve, to Whites and Reds from the Alentejo, Douro and Barraida regions. Brandymel, Almargem and the firewater Medronho and Aguardente are specialist Algarvean liqueurs and brandies, and the area of Tavira is also famous for its marzipan sweets and sticky almond cakes.

Climate

Spring and early summer in the Eastern Algarve, are lovely as the weather is warm and the countryside green and full of flowers.

Summers are hot, with blue skies and brilliant sunshine, with temperatures rising to over 35ºC in July and August, perfect for lazing by the pool or sunbathing on the glorious sandy beaches. Summer evenings in the garden by the pool are warm and flower-scented.

September is still quite hot, but the bars and restaurants are not so full, and it is comfortable enough to be able to explore the Algarve and always to enjoy the sea and the pool!

Winter temperatures hover around 18ºC during the day from November to March, usually with bright sunshine and blue skies, but after dusk, the temperature falls to leave cold, clear and starry skies and the chance to enjoy a wood fire.