8/10 Good
Anne B., London
27 Aug 2018
Overall we enjoyed our time in Rio Maior a lot
Overall we enjoyed our time in Rio Maior a lot, but there's a few things other travelers should know about the property, that are not made clear here - I list them below. Rio Maior itself is great - we really enjoyed that it isn't touristy. There's lots of nice cafes and restaurants to try local food & drink at, complete with friendly locals. We did lots of day trips, all less than an hour away: Sintra, Lisbon, Nazare, another beach and an amazing river swimming spot.
The house
The sleeping accommodation and the 'living space' are separate! The main house shown in photos is where the bedrooms & bathrooms are, while the kitchen / dining / pool room are on the other side of the garden & pool. If you have babies or young kids you need to know this as it's not ideal for getting them to bed. Bring baby monitors or be prepared to let them stay up late! Or go to bed early with them!
Privacy
The main house is split into two. Rosa, who owns the place, lives in one half with her daughter, Sofia (11). Rosa is hard working and very nice, and her daughter will probably come and hang out by the pool with your kids. However, it does mean that your stay is not totally private. There are various people coming and going every day - for cleaning and maintenance, as well as people picking up keys for Rosa's other houses. This can be disconcerting and definitely takes away the feeling of being in a private place. Your individual rooms can be locked if you have valuables you're worried about.
Cooking / kitchen
This is NOT a well equipped or easy kitchen to cook in. We had to ask for extras, like a sieve and cooking utensils. The kitchen is small so cooking for 10 of us was very awkward not to mention boiling hot. And the equipment is basic - no oven, a small electric hob with 4 rings (you can only actually have two pots / frying pans on it at the same time though) and a toaster. We bought a coffee maker ourselves. The fridge keeps things cold, but only if you make sure the door is properly closed.
Cats
There are two cats wandering around. This mattered to us because two of our party are allergic to cats, so we should have been told this in advance. One of the cats is a stray and was constantly trying to get into the kitchen around meal times. This meant we had to keep the doors closed - annoying not to be able to get a little air when cooking. You might also want to tidy stuff up around the pool in the evening to avoid the cat doing its business on anything!
Anne B.
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2018
