Reviews Boutique Hotel Guesthouse-Moncarapacho East Algarve, Portugal

We had a wonderful vacation at Guesthouse Moncarapacho in east Algarve, Portugal.

The studio where we stayed was beautifully decorated and equipped with all amenities. The pool was lovely, and we enjoyed the surroundings. The coast and islands off the coast are fun to explore, as are the cities and towns in East Algarve.

The weather was very pleasant at the end of September, between 25 and 30 degrees. In short, we had a great time! Maarten and Celine are exceptionally hospitable, and everything was tip-top.

I hope all is well with you.

Kind regards, Saskia and Frank

Dear Maarten and Celine,

All is well with us. After returning home, we're back to work, and before you know it, you're fully immersed in the daily routine again.

We had a wonderful stay at Guesthouse Moncarapacho. The village is beautifully located in a central position, and the guesthouse itself is spacious, making it an excellent base for exploring the area. The apartment is comfortable and fully equipped.

There's plenty to do in the surrounding area. We loved the beaches in the Ria Formosa - such as Santa Luzia and Cacela Velha. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is also a stunning walk, and the viewpoint at Cerro da Cabeça is definitely worth visiting. The olive oil tour at Monte Rosa was a surprisingly enjoyable activity.

There's a wide choice of restaurants: from luxurious dinners at Bosso in Tavira to simple but delicious piri-piri chicken at Frango da Ria near Olhão. The welcome at the guesthouse was exceptionally friendly, and the welcome package in the apartment was a nice surprise, making us feel immediately at home.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Guesthouse Moncarapacho - a beautiful place with a warm atmosphere and plenty of nearby possibilities. Highly recommended.

"We had an amazing stay at your guesthouse. The hospitality was top-notch, and you are such warm and friendly hosts. We enjoyed our lovely conversations. The accommodation was spotless, almost new, and everything worked as it should. The only thing that might be missing were some hooks for towels.

The personal touch you prepared for our little boy was very thoughtful, and he was thrilled. Moreover, the breakfast was, of course, delicious and incredibly extensive!

The surroundings are beautiful. The beaches are easily accessible, and the ferry to the nearby islands is also very convenient and highly recommended.

The pool was fantastic, large, and much nicer than chlorinated pools due to its salt water. The garden was still under construction in this new phase but will undoubtedly be stunning! We would definitely recommend this stay."

Kind regards, Lai Jin and Max

Hi Celina and Maarten,

We'd like to leave a review. We had a fantastic time at Guesthouse Moncarapacho. The location is perfect, with easy access to lovely coastal towns like Tavira, Fuseta, or Olhão. You can also venture more inland, hike in the Fonte Férrea park, and visiting the Ria Formosa is highly recommended.

The cottage itself and the service are excellent. It's spacious, cozy, clean, and has a beautiful terrace with a sea view; we could get used to it!

We were surprised with some tapas on the first evening, and the breakfast the next morning was truly luxurious! Celina and Maarten had great tips for the area and were very friendly. Thank you very much for the lovely time!

Best regards, Lienke & Wouter
P.S. The rice table was also fantastic (thanks again for all the cooking, Maarten)

We enjoyed our stay at your beautiful boutique hotel. The décor is lovely, and everything has been thought of. With the distant view, charming villages, and nice beaches, it's an excellent vacation spot!

A peaceful place in nature with charming villages and the ocean nearby. A beautiful cottage with all amenities and plenty of privacy. And a friendly host close by if needed. A pool and garden where it's lovely to relax with a view of the ocean!

Dear Maarten and Celina,

As already confirmed verbally, we thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable stay and exceptional hospitality. Both at check-in and check-out, the wine and other gifts were very much appreciated. And respect for your special personal project and adventure in building this accommodation from scratch.

And, like in the well-known B&B TV show, there are some tips. Indeed. The absence of barking dogs was a positive point worth mentioning. No barking dogs, which we often hear in Portugal.

Some points to consider:
1) There's a sewer smell in the bathroom.
2) The doormats are too high; perhaps carve out the floor locally and sink a custom dry-run mat.
3) The faucet rosettes in the bathroom are missing. Maybe have them made of marble if the originals don't fit.
4) When opening the top drawer, we often grabbed the lighting bar, causing it to come loose. Re-screwing it should fix this.

We'll consider our options for next year and ask about your availability then.

Kind regards, Peter and Liedeweijde

In June 2025, we were lucky enough to stay in the new studio Casa Florine.

Maarten and Celina bought a beautiful piece of land in Moncarapacho, where they built a lovely white house with three rentable cottages.

The final touches were still being added, but everything will undoubtedly come together nicely.

We explored East Algarve from Faro to Tavira. We hiked beautifully in the area among fruit and olive trees and climbed over rocks.

The Ria Formosa nature reserve, which stretches for 60 km along the coast, is stunning. Walking through this area from Fuseta, the nearby charming coastal village just 6 km away, you'll see thousands of tiny crabs.

Fuseta has a pleasant beach where you can enjoy seafood on the promenade and find delicious restaurants in the center. We ate twice at the vegetarian restaurant Green Spirit and once at the Tapas restaurant do Nik.

We rented bikes twice in Moncarapacho from a nice, friendly man who already knew Celina.

Once, we cycled to Tavira on the EVO 1 bike route, mainly through the Ria Formosa. We immediately encountered beautiful flamingos and birds at the start. Tavira is a charming town with shops, restaurants, and a castle with a beautiful garden where you can freely wander.

The second time, we cycled to Faro through the Ria Formosa on the bike route, but it eventually ends, requiring you to find an alternative route.

What I found particularly special is that there are islands off the coast, part of the Ria Formosa, where you can take a cheap ferry or go on a boat tour.

We took the ferry from Olhão to Ohla da Culatra. We walked through the charming fishing village with its restaurants to the beach, enjoying beautiful nature along the way. From there, we walked for 45 minutes along the beach to Ohla do Farol, where we ate and spent a few hours on the beach before taking the ferry back to Olhão.

Olhão is also a lovely town with narrow Portuguese streets and houses along the promenade, featuring a large covered fish, vegetable, and fruit market.

We also took the ferry from Fuseta to Ohla da Fuseta and walked along the beach to Ohla da Armona, a long village where we ate and lounged on the beach before walking back. It was about 16 km in total.

You can walk to the Praia do Barril beach, approximately 9 km from the guesthouse, or take a little train to the Atlantic Ocean beach. Afterward, we ate squid in Santa Luzia.

The islands Ohla da Tavirs and Ohla de Faro, which you can also reach by ferry, are apparently beautiful.

On Saturdays, Loulé has a large covered and open-air fish, vegetable, and fruit market. It's a charming inland town.

We drove back through small Portuguese villages and ate at a restaurant primarily frequented by locals. Moncarapacho has nice restaurants and squares.

We took a tour of the wine farm Quinta da Tor, where we also enjoyed a delicious wine tasting with tasty bites and discovered they had a lovely pool.

Since Celina and Maarten's pool was not quite finished in June 2025, and it was very hot, we visited a restaurant with a pool three times in Fuseta, Ria Panoramiqua, which was delicious and offered a beautiful view of the Ria Formosa and the Atlantic Ocean.

From the Casa Florine studio's terrace, you can also see the Atlantic Ocean, which is extraordinary. The studio has a cozy atmosphere, and the essentials were provided for us, including a bottle of wine 🥂. Our bed was regularly changed 😀.

Having a car is handy; hopefully, we'll return when the pool and garden are fully completed.

Love, Remco & Gertrude

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