Located 5 km from Thermal Springs of Monchique in Monchique, Vinha do Gaio welcomes guests with a restaurant and bar. Free WiFi is featured and free private parking is available on site.
“The simple pleasures we as humans draw on are in overwhelming abundance here and that shows in the happiness of the people who are your hosts at Vinha do Gaio.
This is the place you stay at in the Algarve if you like old time charm with modern amenities without sacrifice of the values that make this area so special. Namely, really charming people, incredible views, amazing climate, nature and Portuguese food that's basically a steal.
It's a place that when you show up late (as we did) and simply mention to Claudia you hadn't had dinner yet, the result is a meal of the family's left over Portuguese dish from that evening, topped off by a small desert made of hand picked figs and berries right from the property.
It's a place breakfast is served with that morning's fresh bread, iced tea made from local herbs and berries, home made jams, a unique coffee, Portuguese grown black tea, plus fresh eggs, ham, cheese, etc. This is slow food at it's purest.
It's where you can walk the property to relax with Antonio and pet/feed the donkeys and sheep, help him pick some fruit (while also savoring it off the bushes and trees), throw a ball for Luna the dog who quickly retrieves it while the cats play on the wooden fences, rock walls and trees as they follow you around the property. Yeah, true story.
For a real cultural Algarve experience you can ask Claudia and Antonio to make dinner for you one night and they'll either smoke something the local fisherman caught that morning or make salted cod, a specialty that's some of the best seafood we've ever had. Make sure to enjoy Algarve wine with dinner and ask them to join you as they live to share what makes Portugal Portugal with guests.
Abundant beaches are an incredibly picturesque 30 minute drive from here. So are the nearby coastal communities and the hubbub of tourism.”
