CASA GUADIANA
Casa Guadiana-Rural Portugal. Sleeps 6.
No television, no telephone BUT a glorious situation on the banks of the Guadiana River in southern Portugal. Check for availability.
The house sleeps 6 in two double bedrooms and one bunkroom. It is set in two acres of private land with river frontage on the Guadiana and has its own private landing stage. Two kayaks, one canadian canoe and a sturdy sailing dinghy with outboard engine are provided.
The Guadiana is perhaps one of Europe´s great undiscovered rivers, having 75km of beautiful, navigable waterway between Vila Real at the mouth of the river and the old fortified town of Mertola which is the highest point of navigation for boats. Canoeists have a further 25km of very remote water to explore upstream of Mertola (bring your own tent).
The Guadiana River, for the first 50km upstream from the sea, forms the border between the regions of the Algarve (Portugal) and Andalucia (Spain). In Portugal, the old towns of Mertola, Beja and Serpa are an easy drive away for a day's sightseeing while the glorious beaches of the Algarve can be reached in 3/4 of an hour. In Spain, the old border fishing town of Ayamonte is well worth a visit and fantastic Seville is 2 hours away. The Portuguese village of Alcoutim is the nearest civilisation (about 10 minutes by car or 40 minutes by boat) and here you will find several cafés/restaurants and a well-stocked village shop, or pop across the river by ferry to Sanlúcar in Spain where there are two further shops and a handful of tapas bars.
Other activities.
Casa Guadiana is situated in good walking country. There is a large network of virtually unused minor roads and dirt-tracks as well as footpaths to be explored. Feel free to ask us for advice on routes. Also in Alcoutim there are bikes, motor scooters and off-road buggies for hire. Please give us advance notice of these if you're interested.
There is a wide variety of birds never or rarely seen in the U.K.-too many to list here. All the afficionados agree that this is a fine location for bird-watching.
Weather.
Mostly glorious (ie warm or hot english summer's day) in March, April, May, September and October. In June, July and August: blue skies nearly every day and getting hot in the afternoons (up to 35C, occasionally more). The winter months, December, January and February are generally a mixture of cold and sometimes frosty nights, occasional heavy rain and rather beautiful, pale blue days which can reach 20C in the afternoons.
Swimming in the river is safe and clean. The water is swimming pool temperature for most of the summer ie May-October and is cooler but tolerable in April and November.
Electricity.
Comes from solar panels via a 230V inverter so ordinary mains appliances can be used. In winter or on cloudy days you may have to turn on the generator if you're going to use a lot of power. There is a washing machine. Heating is by gas fire and wood-burning stove.
Internet.
There is no internet access at Casa Guadiana but there is a public wifi internet service in Alcoutim and there are computer terminals with internet access available for public use in Alcoutim library for a nominal fee.
High season; 16th April-3rd September-£650 per week
Low season; January 2011-15th April-£550 per week
Payment accepted in sterling at the official exchange rate at the time of booking.
TERMS OF BUSINESS
We require half of the fee payable on booking and this will reserve your place in the calendar. The other half needs to be paid before arive at Casa Guadiana. There will be a security deposit of £300 which will be returned within one week of the end of your holiday.
Please note that we do not permit pets and we request no smoking in the house.
We assume that those using the boats will be competent to do so. Our insurance policy will not cover activities on the river. You should ensure that you are adequately covered.
LOCATION
1 hour 15 minutes from Faro airport by car (public transport not for the faint-hearted!).
The house is about 5km up-stream from Alcoutim and 3km east of Cortes Pereiros, both of which are marked on the Michelin map no.593
See location on Google Maps
AVAILABILITY AND BOOKING
Check the availability and contact Bob and Kate Saudek by text or telephone on 00351 967551675 or email us at; saudekrk@hotmail.co.uk or write to; Saudek, Lista de Correos, Sanlucar de Guadiana, 21595 Huelva, Spain.
LINKS
See the property on the Owners Direct website
