Reviews Boutique Hotel Guesthouse-Moncarapacho East Algarve, Portugal

We had a wonderful holiday at Guesthouse Moncarapacho in eastern Algarve, Portugal.

The studio where we stayed was beautifully decorated and equipped with all amenities. The pool was lovely, and we enjoyed exploring the area. The coast and islands offshore are great to explore, as are the towns and villages of 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 were incredibly welcoming, and everything was in perfect order.

I hope you're doing well.

Kind regards, Saskia and Frank

Dear Maarten and Celine,

We're doing great. After returning home, we've settled back into our daily routines.

We had a fantastic stay at Guesthouse Moncarapacho. The village is beautifully located and the guesthouse itself is spacious, making it a great base for exploring the area. The apartment is comfortable and fully furnished.

There's plenty to do in the surrounding area. We loved the beaches in the Ria Formosa – like Santa Luzia and Cacela Velha. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is also a stunning walk, and the viewpoint at Cerro da Cabeça is well worth the visit. 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 yet 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 that made us feel immediately at home.

All in all, we immensely enjoyed our time at Guesthouse Moncarapacho – a beautiful place with a warm atmosphere and plenty of nearby attractions. Highly recommended.

"We had an amazing stay at your guesthouse. The welcome was fantastic, and you're both incredibly warm and friendly hosts. We enjoyed our lovely conversations with you. The accommodation was spotless, almost new, and everything worked perfectly. 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. The breakfast was also delicious and incredibly extensive!

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

The pool was excellent, large, and much nicer than chlorine pools due to its saltwater. The garden was still under construction in this new phase but will surely be gorgeous! We'd definitely like to stay here again."

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 inland, hike in the Fonte Férrea park, and visit the Ria Formosa, which we highly recommend.

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 our first evening, and the breakfast the next morning was truly luxurious! Celina and Maarten had great tips for exploring the area and were incredibly friendly. Thank you so much for the wonderful stay!

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

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at your beautiful boutique hotel. The decor is stunning, and everything has been thoughtfully considered. With the distant view, charming villages, and lovely beaches, it's an excellent vacation spot!

A peaceful retreat in nature with cute villages and the ocean nearby. A beautiful cottage with all amenities and plenty of privacy. And a friendly host nearby if anything is needed. The pool and garden are wonderful places to relax with views of the ocean!

Dear Maarten and Celina,

As already confirmed orally, we very much enjoyed the comfortable accommodation and exceptional hospitality. The wine and other gifts at check-in and checkout were greatly appreciated. We also respect your special personal project and adventure in building this new accommodation.

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

Points for improvement:
1) There's a sewer smell in the bathroom.
2) The doormats are too high; consider lowering the floor at those spots and installing custom-made dry mats.
3) The bathroom faucet handles lack escutcheons. Perhaps custom marble ones could be made if the original ones don't fit.
4) When opening the top utensil drawer, we often grabbed the lighting bar, causing it to come loose. Reattaching it securely should solve this.

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

Kind regards, Peter and Liedeweijde

In June 2025, we had the pleasure of being the first guests in the new studio Casa Florine.

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

While some final touches were still needed, everything will surely come together nicely.

We explored East Algarve from Faro to Tavira. We enjoyed beautiful walks through fruit and olive groves 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, a charming coastal village only 6 km away, you'll see thousands of tiny crabs. Fuseta has a lovely beach where you can enjoy seafood on the promenade and delicious meals at restaurants in the center.

We rented bikes twice in Moncarapacho from a friendly, cozy man who knew Celina. We cycled to Tavira along the EVO 1 route, mostly through the Ria Formosa, where we spotted beautiful flamingos and birds right away. Tavira is a charming town with shops, restaurants, and a castle with a beautiful garden that you can freely explore.

The second time, we cycled to Faro through the Ria Formosa along the bike route, but it eventually ends, so we had to find an alternative route back.

One particularly special aspect is the presence of islands off the coast, part of the Ria Formosa. You can reach them cheaply by ferry or take a sightseeing 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 and then to Ohla do Farol, a 45-minute walk. After enjoying some food at Farol, we spent a few hours on the beach and returned by ferry to Olhão.

Olhão is also a charming town with narrow Portuguese streets and a large indoor fish, vegetable, and fruit market on its promenade.

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 had lunch and relaxed on the beach before walking back – a total of about 16 km. You can either walk or take a train to Praia do Barril beach, which is about 9 km from the guesthouse and 1.5 km from the village.

Afterwards, we ate squid in Santa Luzia. The islands Ohla da Tavirs and Ohla de Faro, also accessible by ferry, are reportedly beautiful.

On Saturdays, Loulé has a large indoor and outdoor fish, vegetable, and fruit market. It's a charming inland town.

We drove back through small Portuguese villages and ate at a restaurant popular with locals. Moncarapacho has nice restaurants and squares.

We took a tour of the Quinta da Tor winery, where we enjoyed a delicious wine tasting with tasty bites and had access to a lovely pool.

Since Celina and Maarten's pool wasn't quite finished in June 2025, and it was very hot, we visited a restaurant with a pool in Fuseta three times – Ria Panoramiqua, which served delicious food with stunning views of the Ria Formosa and the Atlantic Ocean.

From the Casa Florine studio, you can also see the Atlantic Ocean from the terrace – truly special. The studio is cozy and had all the necessities we needed, including a bottle of wine 🥂. Our bed was regularly changed 😀. It's convenient to have a car, and we hope to return once the pool and garden are completely finished.

Love, Remco & Gertrude

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