Casa Vicentina

This west coast deserves visitors, not developers; turísmo rural is the answer. Rebuilt with imagination and eco awareness, the Casa is a reconstructed, much extended farmhouse, run by charming owner José, a retired civil servant with excellent English (and seven dogs!). It’s a wonderful summer retreat, with little outdoor sitting areas shielded by whitewashed buttresses, and, alongside the waterlily’d lake, a super big pool. There’s a grassed and fenced playground with swings and a slide, and heaps of bamboos and trees; the whole place sparkles inside and out. Now a new building completes the horseshoe layout, holding four superb suites: sitting/dining rooms, kitchenettes and bathrooms below, and bedrooms on the mezzanine: contemporary, fun. The older rooms have a Moroccan feel with their colourful cushions and rugs; most have French windows opening to the lawns and you can catch the distant sea over the tops of the eucalyptus. Masses to do – you can be at the beach in 15 minutes if you pedal hard enough (take the bikes) and the walking all year round is marvellous.