The Alentejo may be completely new to you, as a holiday destination, so please allow me to enlighten you.
The Alentejo has been variously described as 'Europe's last surviving unspoilt wilderness' and 'Portugal's secret paradise, where all Portuguese would choose to live, given the chance'
Both are true.
Geografically, the Alentejo is the largest province in Portugal but with the lowest per head of population. The landscape falls into 2 types - rolling hills and valleys with clusters of cork oaks and holm oaks (known as the Montados), in which Vale da Cegonha is located, and vast open plains, where wheat, olive groves and vineyards are found.
The Montados provide the perfect habitat for a spectacular and colourful array of wildlife and birdlife, including eagles, hawks, kytes and buzzards. On the ground a profussion of wildflowers and herbs carpet the area in Spring and the acorns provide food for the Alentejana Black Pigs (porco preto) bred locally. It is truly a stunning and totally unique environment. The plains, too, have their own unique qualities, providing the perfect habitat for some of Europe's rarest steppe birds - Great Bustards, Lesser Bustards and Lesser Kestrels.
--and please don't forget the storks. Vale da Cegonha means 'valley of the storks' and they nest all around us from November 'til August.
Add to all this natural beauty, pristine white towns and villages like Ourique and nearby Garvao along with a history that dates back before Roman times, you will see that there is much to discover here.
Our Perfect Location
For those who wish to explore, local vineyards including wine tasting and lunch, make a great day out. As does a visit to the historic towns of Beja, Serpa or Mertola. A 45 minute drive will take you to the fabulously unspoilt west coast, all of which is protected as a nature reserve. It is the place to go if you want a perfect beach all to yourself. If you fancy a little more razzmatazz, however, the lively beach resorts of the Algarve are approximately 1hrs drive away. 1 1/2 hrs drive will take you to Lisbon, in one direction, for a day out sightseeing or shopping, or in the other direction, to the world heritage city of Evora or the Alqueva Reservoir (Europe's largest man made lake) and the beautiful Guadiana River Valley.
A holiday here will give you choices, to be adventurous and explore this lovely region of Portugal, or to be totally lazy in beautiful surroundings.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Guest Reviews
I honestly couldn't fault your hospitality and the thinking you had put into the accommodation from an access point of view - certainly for the majority of Independent Spinal Injured visitors I think you have it pretty well covered, difficult for me to comment on other groups. I think the balance you have struck between being a comfortable villa for a holiday but with the thought about requirement for a wheelchair user is superb and I would have no hesitation in recommending you to able bodied or disabled friends alike. An added benefit having a budding engineer on site to fix anything the cobbled streets of Lisbon or other surrounding times may throw at a wheelchair - Greg your bic washer is holding up - I have since had new tyres. You made everything easy great information on service and accommodating requests including car hire so Thank you
Richard and Stephanie - UK
"It is often difficult für handicapped people to find an accomodation which offer calm and relaxation during their holidays. Penny and Greg have built one where also disabled can lean back and enjoy a few marvellous days in Portugal. The house is absolutely wheelchair accessible (there are no thresholds) and offers very much space to move in a wheelchair. Especially the bathroom and the perfectly equipped kitchen have to be emphasized. Last but not least it is certainly the kindness and the heartiness of Penny and Greg (who will always find a solution for every problem which may occur during your holiday, I am sure) which make me judge Casa Aguia as excellent and one of the best accomodation I ever visited before. "
Kerstin from Regensburg, Germany
“We visited Vale da Cegonha, one of us in a wheelchair and one fully mobile and found the accommodation very well designed so that we could be independent. Penny and Greg were very welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful. All areas of the property are accessible including the patio and pool area. Penny and Greg pay great attention to detail and ensured that furniture was the right height and were able to provide equipment for us.”
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