While we knew it was a good spot we’d found here on the west coast of Portugal, we hadn’t realised just how good until the heatwaves hit Europe.
We love oceans – especially big ones like the Atlantic – mainly for the stunning coastline carved out by wild waves and crisp cold waters.
To me, a dip in the Med can feel a bit like soaking in soup, and although here it’s sometimes quite bracing, the North Sea it ain’t and the ocean’s a wonderful 20C+ at the moment.
One of our early options – as we searched for a place to call home in Portugal – was a move to the interior of Alentejo, closer to the winelands that nestle up to the Spanish border.
The rolling hills and castles and monasteries streuseled around the countryside were a huge attraction, were it not for the swealtering summer temperatures.
Half an hour or so east and the mercury starts rising...further still and the thermometers can head 10 to 12C higher than here on the coast.
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We found a place we could afford – far enough up from the Algarve to avoid stag dos and hen nights and south enough of Comporta to steer clear of Clooney and Kidman, the French designer crowd and the super-wealthy arrivals who have followed.
It might be the busiest time of year here, but our definition of crowded isn’t Mallorca – there’s always space on the beach even at high tide and especially in some of our more secret spots.
We feel the moderating influence of the ocean in the winter as well, and this year the natural air conditioning of our prevailing NW wind has created the kind of microclimate we are grateful for every day.
While the rest of Europe has been sweating it out under heat domes, the only thing we are properly toasting is our decision to move here.
The 300+ days of sunshine was the attraction – especially when moving somewhere off the grid – but as climate change starts messing with everything, it seems we have found a sweet spot.
And thankfully I can report another so-far-so-good summer where some fascinating people from all over the world have somehow discovered us, despite our still embryonic efforts at marketing.
Discretion is the best part of valuing a hidden getaway like ours, but without giving too much away we’ve welcomed a South African constitutional court judge, an ambassador, a two-time Oscar nominee who works with Ridley Scott, a former Cambridge Analytica employee turned screenwriter, an author and journalism professor, a top Dutch musician and a huge number of fabulous and fascinating folk from all different walks of life.
The calendar is full of colour, including patches of red which indicate people arriving into rooms other guests are leaving on the same day.
We’ve found some cleaners to help take the pressure off Krishna who also has to keep an eye on the irrigation system and make sure the vineyard stays alive.
A patch of vines took a turn for the worse and the prognosis from our friend Niels was mildew. After a bit of treatment, green shoots are emerging from plants I’d written off and being dead, and hopefully the bulk of them will survive the summer and thrive enough to store up some umph to see them through winter and a start the Spring strong.
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The calendar is still looking pretty hectic, but we do have a few gaps in the last week of August...if you’re tempted to swap a heatwave for some Atlantic waves and pay us a visit.
There’s still some space on our next wine retreat at the start of October as well, and with a few retreats in our diary we have no complaints in just our second year of business.
Well, apart from my foot of course…
Spiking it on a sharp root, deep in the forest while wearing highly inappropriate footware was clearly my own fault, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Two weeks and a couple of courses of antibiotics later, and it’s still curbing my usual enthusiasm. I can understand why torturers like to focus on the feet.
The MRI scan came back this week and thankfully proved I’m not going soft in my old age and there is actually a piece of wood 2.5cm long lodged deep in my foot between a couple of metatarsals.
If it had been nothing more than “heavy bruising” I’m not sure I could have got away with putting my feet up and abandoning Ana and Oda to the daily breakfast routine and the regular runarounds for recycling and re-supply.
But despite it all we’ve continued to fire on all cylinders, keeping our people in pancakes and our clients in croissants, cakes and coffee with thanks to the irrepressible Krishna and the fabulous José.
There’s much more to write about the brilliant Erasmus young entrepreneurs scheme which brought the man from Grand Canaria to our door, and every project his season has had José’s hand in it.
Oda’s bartending experience in Los Angeles has also brought a twist and a shake to proceedings with her weekly cocktail nights.
We hosted guests and friends for an Eclipse viewing party, and while only 93% totality it was still quite a spectacle through the special spectacles I’d ordered through Amazon.
I particularly like the way the light slipped into the perfect smiley as the moon made its way across the sun.
We always try to celebrate the Perseid meteor shower every year as well, and the peak of the performance was the same night as the eclipse, so one thing slipped easily into the other as we turned off the lights – cocktails in hand – and watched the shooting stars criss-crossing the sky.
And everyone has been enthusiastically tucking into our new white wine – Mauro’s fabulous blend of Arinto, Fernão Pires and Gewũrztraminer with its label lovingly designed by Oda.
It depicts our favourite beach, Garfunkel and the recently departed Simon staring out to sea and is a lovely tribute to our much-missed mutt.
It was a big space to fill, but somehow Ronaldo Romulus the first is managing to fill it and remains just cute enough to get away with an astonishing level of puppy destruction.
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