What others might not mention

It is our belief that in order for you to enjoy your villa holiday, you should be in possession of as much information as possible. Even with the most careful screening of properties and locations and the most honest evaluation by our staff, sometimes things happen which are beyond our control.

With the best will in the world...

We have very stringent rules when selecting properties and are careful to ensure that the surrounding area is free of any building work or other potential nuisance. However, we have no control over building regulations and occasionally, to our horror, a building site appears overnight, right next to one of our villas. When possible, we will offer an alternative should this happen. Sometimes other people's music and barking dogs can cause offence. Our overseas representatives can tactfully ask the offenders to lower the volume (dogs or music) but may not be met with a positive response!

Inanimate objects...

Inanimate objects have a habit of breaking down at the most inconvenient time. If a piece of equipment stops working during your holiday, we will try to rectify the problem as quickly as possible. To create maximum inconvenience, this usually happens on the Friday evening before a bank holiday when, despite our best efforts it is impossible to repair or replace the offending machine. Hot tubs and Jacuzzis are particularly temperamental; if you book and pay for one which breaks down, please inform your villa manager and we will refund you for the days you were without it.

Safety first...

No swimming pool is ever completely 'child proof' and all children should be supervised when playing on the pool terrace. For toddlers, we strongly recommend the use of arm bands. Always check the pool depths in advance and be aware that some rooms, including bedrooms, have direct access to the swimming pool area. Most of the villas have glass doors so if you have young children, we suggest you arm yourself with a packet of sticking plasters to mark the glass.

Road rage - Villa Agency Style...

The local authorities are constantly striving to improve roads to meet the growing demand. Often a diversion is set up overnight and despite our persistent pleas to be forewarned, regrettably, like everywhere else in the world, local councils are a law unto themselves and to date have yet to give us any advance notice. Our maps and directions are frequently updated but sometimes, to our frustration, we revise a map to show an alternative route and the diversion or road closure is changed yet again. On a positive note, we have never yet mislaid a client! Inclement weather can quickly turn a track into an off road rally course and it is impossible for us to forewarn in every case.

Nature and wildlife...

Please be aware that the Portuguese countryside may not be as you expect! Instead of green fields and hedgerows, constant heat often leaves the landscape brown and barren and instead of frolicking lambs, you are more likely to see the occasional goat meandering along the roadside.

Battling against the elements...

We know how important first impressions are and always ensure that pools and terraces are cleaned and swept before clients arrive. However, within a few minutes, a gust of wind may cover them with leaves and bougainvillea petals.

Power crazy...

Cuts to water and power supplies are not infrequent so we would suggest that you stock up with bottled water and some candles for emergencies. If power cuts occur during the evening or at weekends, it is usually impossible to arrange plumbers and electricians so it is best to be prepared, just in case.

Back to basics...

Portuguese plumbing is very different from ours. Each villa contains a folder of information with details about what should not be flushed down lavatories, but sadly not all clients heed this advice. The systems can take a while to malfunction and it may not be those people who disregard our advice who are affected - it is the clients visiting the house later in the summer who suddenly find themselves without a loo or two!

Better safe than sorry...

It is an unfortunate fact of life that incidents of theft from villas are on the increase and we would recommend that you are as vigilant on holiday as you would be at home. Do not take valuables on holiday with you and remember to close and lock windows, doors and shutters when you go out. It is also advisable to keep the front door locked while you are enjoying the pool.

Bugs and pests - not necessarily of the insect variety...

The growth of tourism in Portugal means that traffic noise is on the increase. It is not always possible to guess from which properties you might hear traffic noise as, if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, even the most remote farmhouse might be affected. Barking dogs have always been a problem but a more modern inconvenience is the increasing number of discos - often with laser shows - and a variety of other attractions, such as clay pigeon shooting and bike rallies, which have appeared in the last few years. Ants, mosquitoes, wasps and flies arrived long before the tourists and even before the Moors. There are certain, sensible precautions but they will never be eradicated altogether.

Do unto others...

If the batteries fail in a remote control or a light bulb blows please be kind enough to leave a note for your villa manager so that the next clients will find everything as it should be on their arrival.

Give us a chance...

If anything is less than perfect during your holiday please, please tell your villa manager straight away. If you are still unhappy, contact our area manager or our UK office. Please give us the opportunity to put things right on the spot as we can almost always rectify a problem, if we know about it. On the rare occasion that we receive a complaint it is generally because our local staff were not informed.

And finally...

If these points paint a rather less than glamorous picture, then we have done our job. We believe that honesty is most definitely the best policy and it would be less than honest to imply that Portugal, like any other country, is without its nasties. Take heart - in 99 out of 100 holidays none of these things cause any problems whatsoever and the huge amount of our clients who return year after year are proof of this.