PENTHOUSE APARTMENT WITH SEA VIEWS, BOA VISTA ISLAND

Stunning, simply stunning. These apartments are brilliantly designed, with a high standard of interior design. Stylish, comfortable - and the MOST comfortable bed I've slept in away from home in a long time!

Casa Velha is a small development, maybe 10 apartments in total. It has an intimacy that really works - for those of us who dread the idea of big hotels and all-inclusive 'mass package' tourism, it's a great alternative. The Penthouse is the crowning glory in all this. Up on the top floor, you get a real sense of privacy and refuge, really important after a day's 4x4 off-roading.

The terrace is brilliant - comfortable seating, stunning 360 views, and the perfect place to enjoy a sunny breakfast and get to know the local birds who came each morning in the search of the odd crumb. The Penthouse is light, spacious, has a well-equipped kitchen and a lovely bedroom with 4-poster that enjoys one of the best views out over the dunes and to sea.

The staff deserve a special mention. The house-keeping was second to none - two lovely, friendly, smiley women who took a real pride in their work - and boy do they work hard. You should see them carrying large bowls of laundry on their heads up 4 flights. Poise and grace beyond most people's ken. All staff were a real credit: obliging, friendly and welcoming. And at least two of them make awesome coffee and mix an excellent Negroni. The breakfast is good value and good quality - well worth it if you don't want to make your own.

Sal Rei, for its part, is charming. A small place, as Capitals go, but again with such warmth among local people. There's a great supermarket to buy all your groceries, and the Municipal market does all your fruit and veg and local cheese. It's also a great way to meet some local men and women and have some banter. And remember to pay a fair price - much food is imported.

We spent simple days on Boa Vista. 2 weeks flew by, just having late starts, reading, chilling and watching 'city' life over a coffee in Esplanada in the main square, and then choosing a beach bar for lunch. Aliosis and Boa Vista Social Club are streets ahead for lunch, and right by Casa Velha. Walk down Estoril Beach to Chaves, hire a 4x4 and see Deserto de Viana, Espinguera and Praia Lacacao. Beauty beyond imagination.

We LOVED Boa Vista. My advice? Go there now while mass tourism hasn't killed it and stay at Casa Velha. Just don't try to book the two weeks I want for my return visit...

Casa Velha Penthouse is a nice apartment with plenty of room.
the bathroom/shower is a bit tired. Plenty of pots, pans, utensils etc are provided. The terrace is big and has sunshine from early morning to sundown. The sofas are comfortable. The view from the bedroom is superb!!
The town of Sal Rei is within walking distance, but you need a torch at night and footwear that is suitable for sand and cobbled pavements.
Even though there are plenty of restaurants & shops,you have to look hard because the signs are mostly painted on the walls.On Sunday, everywhere was closed, until the evening, when there was only a couple of places in the town where we could get a meal/drink.
It would be nice for the staff to learn better customer service skills. Everything seemed to be a task, and they do not smile much.
The beach bars are great, and the beaches are lovely.
I would recommend a tour on the Quad Bikes.

I would not recommend this holiday for young children, or the elderley.

We have just returned from a lovely relaxing break in Sal Rei Boa Vista. We stayed at a Penthouse in Casa Velha apartments. There are a total of 63 steps up to the Penthouse so would not be suitable if you have any mobility issues but worth the climb for the views and privacy. The Penthouse was very well appointed with lots of Ikea kitchen items a good size fridge/freezer which we found very useful-we bought enough bread on day 1 for the week and froze it as the bakery was a way from us-and a proper hob and oven. The bed was super comfy, a real bonus in a holiday apartment as they can be very hard/uncomfortable.The outside space was heavenly, loads of seating and movable cushions and some shade if you wanted it. We ate outside every day at the small table on the balcony in the sunshine. The resort is in its infancy somewhat so dont expect the supermarket to carry what you will find at home however we did find the one large supermarket they have and walked there and had a taxi back for 2 euros-absolute bargain-driver even helped us in with the shopping! Fresh fruit and veg is limited but you can find it in the many small corner type shops and wine is cheap and plentiful and very good! The food is good at the beach bars near the apartment, the Social Club being our favourite where 2 bowls of pasta and wine/beer each was about 20 euros at lunch time. Comfortable shoes are a must in this resort as the roads that have been put in are of a cobbled type and elsewhere there are only sandy tracks and a torch was a must as it got dark early and there were no street lights. It felt very safe in the resort and although many people will ask you to look at their shops they are not overly persistent if you refuse politely. There is massive development going on all over the island and in years to come I feel the area will be unrecognisable to what it is now so it is a good time to see it in its raw beautiful state however be prepared for a bit of building noise and be aware they start early and finish late. The beaches are so clean and the sand is white and the sea blue and no evidence of anything horrible being pumped into it! I loved it as the sea was quite warm and there wasnt even any seaweed! Perfect! and so quiet it was easy to find somewhere to sit and be alone. I would advise anyone going to take basic medicines as the pharmacy didnt seem to have much and be aware the food on offer is quite basic and is a 15 min walk away. We will be returning for sure :)