Arrivals and Departures:
Check-in time: 16:00
Check-out time: 10:00
Payment:
Reservation Deposit: 30%
Balance: 56 days prior to arrival
Capacity:
Sleeps: 6 + Cot sleeping infants
Enjoying a handy location just 25 minutes from Faro Airport, closer
still to some of the region's best beaches and on the edge of a
charming, traditional, yet well serviced village, Fonte Verde is a great
choice for a relaxing family break, especially in Spring and Autumn
when temperatures are generally warm and dry.
This private
development of just 37 contemporary townhouses is well suited to little
ones since it is safely enclosed and gated, boasts a dedicated toddler
pool, along with the free-form main pool, and a friendly on-site manager
who can arrange babysitting, airport transfers, taxis, pre-arrival
shopping and has enough baby and toddler gear (see 'Fast Facts' for full
list) to fit-out a small branch of Mothercare!
The Donovan
family who own the villas, are also often on site with their own brood
of three youngsters under 10, The junior family members are ready-made
playmates for little guests, whilst
their parents are a fantastic source of useful tips and advice for
child-friendly activities, attractions and eateries nearby. With the
larger Algarve resorts of Vilamoura and Albufeira and many lovely
beaches within 10 minutes drive, plus the shops and restaurants in the
village of Boliquieme, on the doorstep, there's certainly plenty of
choice and the Donovans help ensure guests are directed to the best
options for them.
Accommodation Overview:
Each
of the townhouses comes with its own safely enclosed balconies (lounge
and master bedroom) and terraces. The main terrace has a built-in BBQ,
whilst the terrace is an ideal spot to put out one of the handy paddling
pools available on request, allowing parents the luxury of enjoying a
quiet drink or book in the sun whilst junior splashes about at their
feet. Inside, the houses are identical to the large 4-bedroom houses but
with a handy den/second lounge in place of the second garden-level bedroom. They boast contemporary interiors with
beautiful art prints on the walls, huge comfortable king-size double
beds (can be two singles), travertine bathrooms with powerful showers
and full-sized tubs and well-fitted kitchens complete with
American-style fridge freezers, washer-dryers, dishwashers,
coffee-makers, microwaves and full-size over and hob.
Aids to
relaxation come in the form of air conditioning, WiFi, an flatscreen TVs
with SKY TV (bring own card) and DVD players in both the lounge and
den. The three-bedroom townhouse with den boast a garden level 'media
room' with large flat-screen TV, DVD players and toy box, making it the
ideal space for little ones to enjoy some midday shade or end of the day
relaxation with one of the kids DVDs available on request.
They're also a bonus during sports tournaments and, with their easy
access to the BBQ terrace, its not uncommon for neighbouring families to
have kids socialising in one media room and parents in the one
next-door with a frequent stream of food, drink and conversation being
passed between the two!
Beyond the safely-gated private terraces, the communal courtyard houses pretty plants and space for toddlers to roam on ride-ons, a low-walled pool area with heated toddler splash pool and a large free-form main pool, with a gentle slope, which allows toddlers he security of being able to touch the floor when splashing about with grown-ups.
Fonte Verde is set in central Algarve in an area popular with the Portuguese themselves ensuring the facilities in the area have remained traditional and authentic. The centre of Boliqueime village is within a short walk and boasts a bakery, bank (with ATM), handy pharmacy, coffee shops, mini-market, beauty salon, clinic, sports centre, all weather football pitch and numerous shops and restaurants. Each July it holds a fantastic Portuguese food festival in which guests can dine like royalty for under £10. The local restaurants and bars are a fraction of the cost of those in the resorts and, there are great walks in the local hills with amazing views.
The sophisticated resorts of Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo are close by and within 10 minutes drive are waterparks, several lovely beaches, historic Loule, Algarve Shopping, Vilamoura Marina, Albufeira and numerous highly respected golf courses. Well worth a visit is the Zoomarine park in nearby Albufeira , perfect for all those Finding Nemo fans, little ones can explore a range of underwater habitats, watch dolphin shows, visit the 4D cinema or even swim and interact with the dolphins (prebooking important). Other activities in the area include Krazyworld - a crazy golf, swimming and petting farm, a range of aqua parks and even a go karting site suitable for young children.
Nearest Medical Services: Local clinic three minutes walk; 10 minutes to hospital and excellent English speaking private GP clinic. A comprehensive guide with phone numbers, addresses of doctors, chemist, baby sitter, restaurants etc. is provided in the villas.
Getting There: Fonte Verde is a 15 minute drive from Faro airport, mostly by motorway and is well signposted. taxi generally costs €30-€40 but the owners can arrange a fixed fare of €25.. All of the major and many local car-hire operators are based in Faro airport. Try www.skyscanner.net for a summary of all flights from each UK airport and www.auto-europe.co.uk for good car rental rates. Also, the owners can generally organise favourable rates through Hertz, particularly in the off-season.
Past Guest Ratings: * (1 guests)
*Rating collated since Feb '10.
All verified as genuine BFB guests who experienced the accommodation with young children.
Awards:
Very friendly and attentive owner looked after all our needs. Well managed and l...
Very friendly and attentive owner looked after all our needs. Well managed and looked after site with excellent on site manager. Friendly place, and not too overwhelming. Great for babies. Nice little village within walking distance.
I visited the Fonte Verde with my family (including two young children) in Augus...
I visited the Fonte Verde with my family (including two young children) in August 2010 and the accommodation and service were simply fantastic.
The 37 villas are located around a central courtyard, comprising two excellent swimming pools, sun loungers and gardens. The villas have been thoughtfully planned to accommodate families with children and have been fitted with all the modern fixtures and fittings you could wish for, including flat screen TV, DVD player, Sky TV, three air-conditioning units, a modern, well stocked kitchen and beautiful furniture both inside and out. No expense has been spared on the finish in the villas and my only complaint was the lack of towel rails! (I believe they where due to be fitted). The living areas are light, airy and have the added benefit of electric blinds on each of the windows. The outside space included a balcony with patio furniture, built in BBQ and a small lawn.
When I booked Fonte Verde, it was on the recommendation that the villas catered for young families. Everything we needed for young children was in the villa or provided for us by the manager, Tadas, when we asked. We were supplied with a cot, highchair, pram and even toys for the children. Our original booking had to be postponed due to child illness and Ray, the owner, was extremely helpful and arranged another villa for us as soon as we were able to fly just a couple of weeks later!
Boliquieme is a quaint little village and after reading reviews we decided it was not necessary to hire a car as we were only staying for a week. I feel that although it is not essential I would highly recommend it for getting to see more of Portugal. Saying this, Tadas was more than helpful in ferrying us around and as he had child seats it made it a lot easier and safer than getting taxis. He even did our pre arrival shopping for us! During our stay our 5 month old got chicken pox and due to the high standard of accommodation and comfort we experienced we still managed to have a really enjoyable holiday and would certainly not hesitate in recommending Fonte Verde as an excellent destination for people with families. We will certainly be returning in the future!
Lovely accommodation, lovely owners - very helpful regarding surrounding area an...
Lovely accommodation, lovely owners - very helpful regarding surrounding area and for anything we needed (which wasn't very much). Overall rating: Excellent!
Lovely accommodation, lovely owners - very helpful regarding surrounding area an...
Lovely accommodation, lovely owners - very helpful regarding surrounding area and for anything we needed (which wasn't very much). Overall rating: Excellent!
Very helpful information prior to booking the house. Ray, the owner was easy to ...
Very helpful information prior to booking the house. Ray, the owner was easy to contact via email and telephone. Supplied all the required baby essentials and groceries requested which made our lives much easier on arrival. Very clean, modern and toddler friendly house. Nice beaches 20 minutes drive from the house. Useful maps and guides left for us to look through. Overall Experience: Excellent!
Very helpful information prior to booking the house. Ray, the owner was easy to ...
Very helpful information prior to booking the house. Ray, the owner was easy to contact via email and telephone. Supplied all the required baby essentials and groceries requested which made our lives much easier on arrival. Very clean, modern and toddler friendly house. Nice beaches 20 minutes drive from the house. Useful maps and guides left for us to look through. Overall Experience: Excellent!


