Eating.
The small restaurants here make something out of a handful of ingredients that you couldn't pull off at home. Certainly not for the price. Ask for Medronho (with honey) after dinner, the local spirit, distilled from mulberries.
The region
Monchique. The Algarve behind the Algarve.
On the map
35 minutes to the finest beaches on the west coast. 20 minutes to the supermarket. A five-minute walk to the local café. Beyond that: mountains, goats, nature, wonderfully fresh air, silence.
The drive up is already part of the holiday. Take it slow and enjoy the sweeping views.
The cork oaks
The cork oaks.
Sobreiros, cork oaks, grow everywhere here. Protected across Portugal, because their bark is gold. Once every nine years, it's carefully peeled away to make cork. For the wine, the floors, the insulation, for bags and shoes. You can tell a freshly harvested tree by its rust-red bare lower trunk and the number sprayed on it.
We live under one. The house isn't called Sob o Sobreiro for nothing.
What you do here
Four things, in no particular order.
Drinking.
The water in Monchique comes from the spring. pH 9.5. Pure, mineral-rich, sold across Portugal. We fetch our own drinking water from a spring nearby. For you, too.
Doing things.
Monchique is a beautiful area for hiking, walking, road cycling and mountain biking. In the centre there’s even a spot just for cycling fans, where you can also turn for help if something’s wrong with your bike. And of course we’re happy to suggest other things to do.
Nothing.
This is where you get good at that.
Distances
How far, in minutes.
- Beach (west coast)
- 35 min
- Supermarket
- 20 min
- Local café
- Walking distance (weekends)
- Faro Airport
- ~1.5 h
- Lisbon
- ~2.5 h
Itching to come?
Tell us which dates you have in mind. We're happy to help with tips on car rental, flights, and the area, and we reply personally.
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