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 delightful, and we enjoyed exploring the area. 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 particularly hospitable, everything was tip-top.

I hope all is well with you.

Warm regards, Saskia and Frank

Dear Maarten and Celine,

Everything is going well with us. After returning home, we're back to work, and before you know it, you're settled back into the daily routine.

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 ideal base for exploring the area. The apartment is comfortable and fully equipped.

There's plenty to do in the surrounding area. We really enjoyed the beaches in the Ria Formosa - such as Santa Luzia and Cacela Velha. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is also a beautiful walk, and the viewpoint at Cerro da Cabeça is definitely worth a visit. The olive oil tour at Monte Rosa was a surprisingly fun 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 pleasant surprise, making us feel immediately at home.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Guesthouse Moncarapacho - a beautiful place with a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of opportunities to explore nearby. Highly recommended.

Dear Maarten and Celine

"We had an amazing stay at your guesthouse. The welcome was fantastic, and you are both very 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. The breakfast was also delicious and incredibly extensive!

The surroundings are 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 a chlorinated one. The garden was still under construction in this new phase but will surely be gorgeous! We would definitely recommend this place."

Warm regards, Lai Jin and Max

Hi Celina and Maarten,

We would like to leave a review. We had an amazing 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. Spacious, cozy, clean, and 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 luxurious! Celina and Maarten had great tips about the area and were very friendly. Thank you very much for the lovely time!

Kind 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 decor is lovely, and everything has been thought of. With the distant view, charming villages, and nice beaches, it's a wonderful vacation spot!

A peaceful place in nature with cute villages and the ocean nearby. A beautiful cottage with all amenities and plenty of privacy. And a friendly host close by if anything is 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 accommodation 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 new accommodation.

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

We will consider our options for next year over the coming weeks and will then ask about your availability.

Best regards, Peter and Liedeweijde

Maarten and Celina bought a beautiful plot of land in Moncarapacho, where they built a lovely white house with three rentable cottages. In June 2025, we had the honor of being the first guests in the new studio, Casa Florine.

The finishing touches were still being made, but it will surely be perfect soon.

We explored East Algarve extensively, 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 around 60 km along the coast, is stunning. When walking through this area from Fuseta, the nearby coastal village just 6 km away, you'll see thousands of tiny crabs.

Fuseta has a lovely beach. You can enjoy delicious seafood on the promenade and find cozy restaurants in the town center. We had two fantastic meals at the vegetarian restaurant Green Spirit and one at the tapas restaurant Do Nik.

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

One day, we cycled to Tavira along the EVO 1 bike route, mostly through the Ria Formosa. We immediately spotted beautiful flamingos and birds at the beginning of our journey.

Tavira is a charming town with shops, restaurants, and a castle with a beautiful garden that you can freely explore.

On another day, we cycled to Faro through the Ria Formosa along the bike route. However, it ends abruptly, so we had to find an alternative route.

What I found particularly special is that there are islands off the coast, part of the Ria Formosa, which you can reach by ferry at a reasonable price or take 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, passing through beautiful nature. From the beach, we walked for 45 minutes to Ohla do Farol, where we had something to eat and spent a couple of hours on the beach before taking the ferry back to Olhão.

Olhão is also a charming town with narrow Portuguese streets and a large covered fish, vegetable, and fruit market on the 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. It was a total of around 16 km.

You can either walk to Praia do Barril beach, about 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 also reach by ferry, are supposed to be beautiful.

On Saturdays, Loulé has a large indoor and outdoor fish, vegetable, and fruit market. It's a lovely town in the countryside.

We drove back through small Portuguese villages and ate at a restaurant where mostly locals dine. Moncarapacho has nice restaurants and squares.

We took a tour of Quinta da Tor vineyard, where we enjoyed a delicious wine tasting with snacks and relaxed by their lovely pool.

Since Celina and Maarten's pool was not quite ready in June 2025, and the weather was very hot, we visited three restaurants with pools in Fuseta, Ria Panoramiqua, which was very tasty and had a stunning view of the Ria Formosa and the Atlantic Ocean.

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

It's convenient to have a car; hopefully, we'll return when the pool and garden are fully completed.

Love, Remco & Gertrude

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