We spent a week in November relaxing is the very comfortable home. All the rooms are all spacious and well appointed - perfect for relaxing and enjoying the great views over the rolling landscape. Nigel was always responsive and provided excellent information and tips. Intermarche for shopping is very close and has everything you need. The local restaurant is O Luar a Foia, literally up the hill and well worth the climb up. After enjoying the excellent local food you have an easy stroll back down! We really enjoyed the hiking to Foia, Picota and the hills above the Convento (well worth the visit). Trips to the coast were relatively easy and also enjoyable, particularly the lighthouse at Sagres - more great walking. All in all, a lovely time spent in a lovely area.

We stayed two weeks with our two teenage boys and Granny. Had a super time, the villa was perfect in every way, the beds very comfortable and linen and towels top notch. The lounge is well furnished and we used our Netflix account on the TV though there was a good selection of English programs as well. The kitchen is well equipped and the outside entertainment area was used every day. The views from the villa are quite something, literally, from every window and we sat out late at night watching the sparkling lights along the coast. The kids were in the pool for hours at a time even Granny went in. The kids made friends with the neighbours black lab Duke. We had several barbecues and ate at some of the restaurants that the owner recommended, all were very reasonable with good food, friendly service, it was nice that we were not rushed, very relaxing, our favourite was the wild boar and an black pork, the kids loved the chicken piri piri, Granny liked the fresh fish. We spent quite a few days visiting some of the west coast beaches, Arifana was the best for body boarding but all of them are unspoiled and not too crowded. We spent a day in Lagos which is a very nice town with a lovely marina that do all kinds of boat trips. All in all the villa was very good value for the excellent quality provided and so we have decided to come back next year. We would certainly recommend this villa for any one wanting a quality holiday at a very reasonable price. Well done Nigel

We have rented villas on the coast of the Algarve for many years but have grown weary of the traffic, crowds and being overcharged in restaurants for mediocre food. So we tried Monchique, what a revelation! We found Villa Vida Nova on the internet and discovered the cleanest and best equipped villa we have ever rented. The views are spectacular and the location very convenient for everything. There are dozens of quality restaurants serving dishes we never new existed at prices half those on the coast. The town is cute with quaint shops and cafe's, unpretentious, there is an honesty about Monchique, the people are friendly and the place feels safe. We explored superb beaches on the west coast and found country roads which took us to villages, Alferce and Marmelete come to mind and the same integrity was found there. We are sorry that we did not discover Monchique years ago. We booked the villa with Nigel who gave us vouchers for discounts at several restaurants, he also advised us on getting a great deal on renting a car. Monchique and Vida Nova are going to become our first choice for our holidays from now on.

I have to say I tended to agree with the 6 ladies, who wrote to the owner about issues that concerned them, and got a rather rude response from him. The hill is very steep, and you'll need a car, especially if you're not fit. Having said all that, we found our stay very peaceful and relaxing. The restaurant at the top of the hill the restaurant is very good