Vila Serena is located on the edge of Praia da Luz, one of the best coastal villages on the western Algarve. Luz has its own beautiful beach but within 30 minutes there are dozens of beaches – some of which have very few visitors, even in the Summer. When the estate agent took us up to the second-floor roof-terrace and we gazed over the sunlit pools, beautiful gardens, palm trees and blue sea we knew this was going to be the perfect holiday home. The villa is one of 16 sited in extensive beautiful gardens that encloses a huge swimming pool with linked children’s pool and loads of grass for sunbathing and BBQs. The first floor has two bedrooms, one with a veranda, and a bathroom with loo, bidet, washbasin and newly-installed walk-in shower. A baby bath is available and two travel cots with bedding. Bedroom three has an adjacent loo and shower and is on the ground floor. The roof terrace has sunbeds, perfect for all-over suntans The living room is open plan with a dining area. The Smart TV will supply most channels – BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, Cinema, Netflix, Amazon Prime and local channels. There are plenty of books and board games. The log-fire is wonderful in the winter. The Wifi is Superfast cable and consistently runs at 250+ MBS. The double doors lead to the wide sunny patio garden with dining gear and comfortable garden furniture to cover all forms of relaxation. There are parasols to shade the sun. Each patio is enclosed with hedges. Out front there’s a sheltered parking space for a car. The kitchen has an oven, 4-ring ceramic hob, dishwasher, washing machine, microwave, fridge-freezer and is well stocked with cutlery and glasses. Children’s mugs and plates are supplied, including cafetiere and a teapot. All linens and towels - including beach towels - are supplied. Given how quickly clothes dry in the Algarve sun, you can fly out with hand-luggage only! There’s a cupboard bursting with buckets & spades and all the gear you’ll need for the gorgeous beaches. And a BBQ. In the Algarve, everything is on a hill, but there is a bus service which is reliable. Next to Vila Serena there is an Indian restaurant and an hotel restaurant. 15 minutes’ walk away in the village of Luz there are café’s, bars and restaurants of every description offering everything from sardines to prime steaks, pub pints to classy cocktails. And the Ice Cream Factory is an absolute must. A short bus ride away or 15 minutes’ drive is the town of Lagos, one of the fastest growing towns in Europe with people moving from all over Europe and northern Portugal. Here you can access countless boat trips, the marina and loads of restaurants. Our caretaker Joao will, if you call from the airport, meet you at the front door to show you in. He can provide a welcome pack if your arrival is too late to catch the excellent local Baptista supermarket five minutes’ away. During longer stays, Joao and his team will, for a fee, freshen up the house and change sheets/towels. We’ve tried to make a ‘home from home’ experience for our guests, and many return year after year. They love the detail in the house – coat hangers, cheese grater, clothes pegs, digital radio, measuring jug– let us know if we can add anything. We hope you enjoy your stay.