This was my Guesthouse in 2018. It started out badly. I came by train Wednesday afternoon and took a taxi to the gate after ProPutting Green. My guesthouse last year and my Airbnb in 2016 were close to this gate, My memory was that Casa a Sul was “just up the street”. I tried looking at the laptop map but with the sun and no internet, I got little. The phone was also little help. I walked up the hill to a Guesthouse and tried to get help. I did circles around the area. I came back to the first guesthouse and the owners tried to help me and assured me that it was just “over there”. I went around again and engaged more people. Finally, one man really engaged with me. He stopped another man and they agreed they knew where I was trying to go. The first man walked with me to it. It was just outside my search area. He said he was a real estate agent.
Even then I had to ring the bell a few times before Caterina answered. She had no record of my reservation, was just there to greet other guests. The manager, Sara, was only available by phone but I was able to show Caterina email with the rate, dates etc from Sara. Caterina put me in a room but almost as once came back and said wrong room and put me in one with the bathroom out in the hall. Turned out to be fine. I never met Sara. She and I did have a problem earlier. She wanted me to wire her the money and I tried but it bounced back and cost me $50. Last year I was at Casinha Algarvia. It was wonderful, run by Joana, who was recommend by Valentina. But, Joana said that she was opening a new B&B and the new one would not be open this early and she refereed me to Sara. Valentina said that maybe Joana has moved to Lisboa, I never got to follow up. I had pushed Sara for the “friends” rate and got the room for 450 Euro for 12 nights.
I’ll introduce Caterina first;
I’m obviously just about ready to head out riding and Caterina is fixing up the rooms. She did laundry for me twice and I gave her 10 Euro. I got to meet her younger son and really enjoyed talking to her many mornings.
So here is the Guesthouse. Coming up the street from town.
The actual door:
The entrance way:
The landing on the second floor:
Looking down into a courtyard:
Looking up to the third floow:
Almost on the 3d floor. The door on the right leads into the breakfast room.
The actual breakfast room:
Out on the breakfast room balcany,, looking down into the courtyard again from another floor up.
Items on the balcaney. I thought it was a hot tub.
But it turned out to be a table!
Out over the roofs
And I am having breakfast, my normal strawberries or kiwi,
And another day: I told Caterina that I had noticed that the strawberries had disappeared from a couple stores and a few days later she brought me a container she had purchased!
This is the actual room on the first floor. There is a great “radiator” that is a plug in rack that I use to dry the bike cloths after I wash them in the sink and the towels. I never leave it on when I am not in the room.
This is where the bike lives in the hall outside my room
And the bathroom that is the next door down the hall. Note the extra TP in the rack. Having the bathroom at this distance was never a problem.
