A short introduction to the self catering holiday cottages of Casa Arabella
Well situated in the countryside, giving good privacy and tranquillity, the cottages are an ideal holiday retreat for couples, small groups and families alike. The cottages both have two fully air conditioned bedrooms.
Arabella cottage can sleep up to 5 people while Bracken cottage has space for up to 6 in comfort. They can be rented individually or together to accommodate larger groups of up to 11 people.
The gardens, based around Almond and Fig trees will take a little time to fully mature,
but progress of the smaller plants and flowers is good in the warm climate of the Algarve.
Both cottages are based on an open plan style of lounge and dining area, comfortably furnished in a smooth blend of Portuguese and English styles. As you would expect, they are both fully equipped to make your stay relaxing and enjoyable.
Casa Arabella is built on the site of a semi ruined, typical old Algarvian farm, long ago fallen into disrepair. One main building was visible but was barely habitable. Restoration of the cottage to any reasonable condition was impractical, hence Casa Arabella was born, as it were from the rubble. Initially it had appeared that only one farm cottage existed but as the site was prepared the foundations and small remnants of another cottage were found. At this point the decision was made to fully restore both of the buildings to recreate the small Algarvian farm.
The painstaking restoration took more than a year of hard work and was completed in 2003. The end result is two beautifully restored cottages, "Arabella Cottage" and "Bracken Cottage", each with its own range of modern facilities, while still retaining the full character of the regions houses.
Through the summer the cottages are light and airy, providing welcome relief from the heat of the glorious Algarvian sunshine. During our winter, we still have beautiful warm days much of the time but it can become a bit chilly in the evenings, just the right time to add a log to the fire and enjoy the Algarve all year round.
The swimming pool and garden are the only parts that are shared between the two cottages, each having its own terrace with furniture for relaxing and dining outdoors, or enjoying a barbecue. The pool is enclosed by a wall and has a large sundeck surrounding it for those who like to just lie back and soak up the sun.
Having been restored at the same time as the cottages, the gardens are still a long way from being mature, but you may still be able to pick a fresh fig or two, or some almonds. Take a look at a short summary of the facilities in each of the cottages. From there you can browse the detail information and photographs.
