 at Baby Friendly Boltholes "Pin It")
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Pinewood House sleeps 4+cots in 2 ensuite bedrooms+ private pool. |
 | The house has its own heated private pool but also enjoys use of the five communal swimming pools set around the grounds of Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel. The two swimming pools based at the Village Square are ideal for families. One generously sized pool spans indoors and outdoors. Adjacent is another smaller pool designed for toddlers. A juice and snack bar offers poolside service. Each of the pools are safely gated and their are beanbags for little ones to rest on and chests of pool toys. |
 | All village houses have 32 satellite television with multi-channel selection and video on demand, wireless internet access and an MP3 docking station. Modern conveniences include designer kitchen and washing machine and dryer. |
 | There's a huge sandpit area and trampoline, plus a fabulous gated kids playground area with slides, swings and play fort. |
 | There's a 'Raposinos'kids club for children from 2-4yrs. Sessions are 9.30-12.30 or 14.30-17.30 at a cost of 19Euros per 3hr session. 1 session per week is FOC to BFB guests staying 7+nights. Open daily year-round. For kids 5-8 yrs there's a 'Fox Club' in school holidays priced at 10Euros per 3hr session times as above. 1 session per week is FOC to BFB guests staying 7+nights. There is also an 'Explorers Club' for children aged 9-12 and a 'Teen Club' for 12-16 year olds. Both are open daily from 10am-6pm in school holidays. Charges apply for some activities |
 | There is a spa at the hotel with a wide range of services. |
 | A fully equipped gymnasium is located in the Village Square. |
 | There's a choice of restaurants at the resort including an excellent quality family-friendly Mediteranean cafe bar, a fish bistro, poolside snack bar and a formal restaurant for dressy evenings. |
 | Wifi is available |
 | many lovely beaches within a short drive |
 | The hotel is set on the beach and the resorts Beach Club Garden, positioned just above Martinhal beach, is where guests can hire equipment for windsurfing and other watersports. |
 | 5 minute walk to the resort's beach, shops , cafes and bistros. |
 | For children aged 6months - 2yrs, there is a dedicated crèche offering 1:3 childcare by a team of qualified child minders and managed by a native English speaker. Rate euros 12.50 per hour. Open daily year-round. |
 | The hotel can provide a cot,potty, toilet seat adapter, sterliser, bed guards, baby baths, stroller, door protector,thermometer and highchairs. |
 | Up to two cots and high chairs can be provided on request. |
 | A babysitting service is available. |
 | There is a daily maid service |
 | There is a pre-bookable meal delivery service available. Alternatively, guests can pre-book bed and breakfast and/or lunches/dinners (see options and extras section of BFB reservations form) |
 | Each house has its own small, private swimming pool (safely fenced) and wrap-around garden with dining and lounging furnishing |
Discount Notes:
Arrivals and Departures:
Check-in time: 14:00
Check-out time: 11:00
Payment:
Reservation Deposit: 50%
Balance: 21 days prior to arrival
Capacity:
Sleeps: 4 + cot sleep infant
If
Baby-Friendly Boltholes could design resort holidays, Martinhal is how they
would look. Having opened in summer 2010, this fabulously well designed villa
and hotel resort boasts both sophistication and family-friendly appeal in
spades. Plus it is pretty reasonably priced too.
The new resort is a smattering of funky cubist villas, a modern take on a
village square, a spa and a hotel set on the edge of a nature reserve near the
charming town of Sagres on Portugal's Algarve coast. It's contemporary but comfortable
feel is, in places, somewhat reminiscent of a Heals catalogue set with high
quality retro-modern furnishings set in front of huge picture windows, often
framing views of the unspoilt coastline.
From tots to teens, there's something for everyone in the wide ranges of
facilities on offer, which are carefully blended into the landscape so it is
easy to holiday in a chic villa by a beach and relax, but also seek out
activity or sociability as and when you want it.
Its heaven
for parents with a fabulously funky kids club and crèche, water sports school,
a football academy, excellent tennis centre and good selection of restaurants.
The chic but family friendly pizza and pasta place also offers take-away,
whilst the glamorous sea front cocktail bar and formal restaurant is perfect
for 'date nights' with the help of on-site babysitters (book 48hrs in advance).
As well as
the brilliantly designed and well-staffed crèche and kids club, there's an
excellent gated play area and a trendy games room stuffed with bean bags, games
consoles, table tennis, air hockey etc. Two of the communal pool areas have
separate toddler pools which are scattered with huge 'Fat Boy' bean bags that
are perfect for snuggling up for a shady snooze, and chests stuffed with kids
toys. Plus there's a long list of baby gear available on request (see grey
box).
The village
square comes alive with families in the evening when parents sip drinks and
nibble on dinner whilst little ones make new friends and play on bikes provided
in the central area. Most evenings there's either live music or the kids club
staff offer impromptu games and face painting, so the usual struggle to keep
kids entertained and relax over dinner is totally absent. Plus, if you feel
like a night in, there's a reasonably priced meal delivery service, take-aways
from the pizzeria or deli, plus handy groceries in the village store.
The stylish
but unfussy spa is the icing on the cake and the perfect way to top off a
holiday that somehow manages to make parents feel like they can enjoy the kind
of sophisticated and chic break they dreamed of before kids, but also take the
little ones along and have fun with them too. Plus there's no need to take out
a second mortgage to do it!
Accommodation Overview:
There are 10 Pinewood Houses at Martinhal Beach Resort, positioned along the edge of a pine forest. Each house has its own private swimming pool and indigenous garden.
Their interiors are by British designer Michael Sodeau who has created an exclusive range of furniture that is contemporary chic yet comfortable and functional. A natural, organic quality prevails with the use of materials like stone, timber and cork.
On the
ground floor there's a fully equipped kitchen complete with dishwasher and
microwave along with more usual facilities.A bright open plan living dining
room has sliding doors towards a terrace, which leads to the garden and pool
area (4x8m2 and 1.2m2 depth) protected by a fence plus outside furniture table,
chairs, sun beds and 'Fat Boy' giant bean bags.
On the first floor, there's a double room (super king/twin convertible) with
balcony and in suite bathroom with shower, and a twin room (convertible to
super king) with bathroom with tub.
Facilities in the house include: beautifully scented 'Voya' toiletries, 32” satellite television with multi-channel selection and video on demand, pay TV, wireless internet access (additional fee), MP3 docking station and telephone. The kitchen/laundry facilities include washing machine with integrated dryer, ironing board and iron, laundry rack, fridge, microwaves, stove, freezer, coffee machine, hob and oven. There's daily maid service and guests can, if they wish, pre-order meals from our home delivery service.
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Martinhal is set just east of the windswept but charming town of Sagres
on the Algarve's westernmost tip. It is an impressive landscape where
the wild Atlantic and the warm calm Mediterranean meet, backed by a
Biogenetic nature reserve and is wonderful in autumn when the winds drop
totally and migrating birds make for spectacular sites. The fact the
region is renowned for wind has the benefit of keeping it unspoilt and
rarely seems to bother the families soaking up the sun around the pool,
many of whom welcome the cool breezes. The nature reserve is largely
flat which invites exploration by bikes, which can be hired, with or
without child seats and trailers, from the hotel, as well as by jeep
safari which can be booked via the 'village square' reception.
The
beach at Martinhal is made up of lovely smooth sand and backed by a
handy beach bar with toilets. There are small dunes that little ones
enjoy rolling down and great opportunities for shell collecting whilst
the sea is handily shallow to some distance. Kite surfing and eco
buggies abound, but there's plenty of space for sandcastle building and
it’s just a short stroll to the hotel's pool, beach bistro and
trampoline area if the wind picks up. A nice alternative beach a short
drive away is Praia Castelejo, which is largely sheltered and offers
lovely rockpooling opportunities, as well as soft golden sands and
shallow seas. Also nearby, Praia da Salema is backed by a pretty fishing
village with restaurants and cafes offering lovely sea views. Just to
the east, in the rocky cliffs, there are 140 million-year old dinosaur
prints, which provide much fascination for little ones.
Sagres
itself is within a 5-10 minute drive/taxi (do book a return as taxi a
few and far between) trip from the hotel and boasts a handy supermarket,
pretty square and a cluster of decent seafood and Italian restaurants.
Getting There: The
airport at Faro is approx. 53 miles (75minutes drive). Taxi transfers
can be arranged for an additional cost ( varies with size of party). Faro is served by low-cost
airlines from most UK regional airports. Try www.skyscanner.net, which BFB finds is a handy reference guide to who flies where and when.
Past Guest Ratings: * ( Not yet rated)
Awards:
Martinhal was totally wonderful and we felt very lucky to be there. Our kids had...
Martinhal was totally wonderful and we felt very lucky to be there. Our kids had as much fun as we did, & they especially loved the home made fish fingers! The Ocean House was so beautiful & the resort is really well designed. Our only regret was that we did not stay longer!
