About us

Who are we?

We are Maarten and Celina Schiphorst-Ongenae from the Netherlands. In the summer of 2025, we opened our Boutique Hotel in the eastern Algarve.

Celina is a true Brabanter, and Maarten worked for over 40 years at the municipalities of Aalsmeer and Amstelveen. Our three sons, their girlfriends, and grandchildren live in Amsterdam.

Guests bring excitement to our retired life. How wonderful it is to share the Mediterranean life here in Portugal with our friends, family, and guests from all over the world! Maarten often cooks (Indonesian cuisine) for our guests.

How did this come about?

By chance, during a vacation in the eastern Algarve, we stumbled upon this piece of land with an old Portuguese house near the village of Moncarapacho.

We were immediately enthusiastic about the location, the view of the Atlantic Ocean, and the possibility of building there.

The plan to build three rental accommodations, a swimming pool, and a pétanque court after retirement was born!

In addition to our hobbies like reading, relaxing, gardening, yoga, computing, cooking, Portuguese lessons, and enjoying good food and drink, we are both involved in volunteer work in our own ways.

Maarten joined the International Rotary in Estoi, a neighboring village, through a neighbor. Together with other members, he organizes activities that raise money for projects in the area around Estoi.

This ranges from providing funds for daily milk at school to food packages for poor families.

Celina volunteered at the center of Moncarapacho village. It is called Casa do Povo, or "the house of the people," and it focuses on providing attention to older people in the village who are often lonely.

Throughout the week, various activities are organized at Casa do Povo, ranging from Portuguese conversation lessons, Somatics, yoga, senior exercise classes, tap dancing, to midday meals.

On Sunday afternoons, there is plenty of dancing and dining by both locals and outsiders. In the summer, several festivals are also organized, including a summer and winter carnival!

Each future guest receives a link to all activities and attractions after booking their stay with us. This allows you to browse at home and discover your interests. Let us know what you want to do, and we'll take care of the rest!