Family Eco-Retreat

Facilities for Children

Facilities here for children include Wooden outdoor climbing frame Swings and a slide, River-stone paddling pool,                         Easels and painting equipment, Dressing-up box Toys and books Farm animals to watch and feed,  The river to explore,  Nature walks, and trees to climb. For younger children, there are push-chair friendly walks.

Services we can provide here  Washing Machine Potties, high-chairs, small bed, cot with bedding  Baby-sitting service in the evenings  Baby-monitor available between the cottages and                                            outdoor area. Parasols for use here or on the beach Children's films through the projector in our enchanting covered outdoor area, which all children enjoy exploring!

We aim to make your time here as relaxing and inspiring as we can.  Varzea da Gonçala is an active place where there is always a project on the go, and work going on in the vegetable garden, trees being planted, landscaping, and all sorts of permaculture stuff about the place.   We are happy to eat communally and share "pot luck" meals sometimes, or equally, your space is your own.  On Fridays we have regular pizza evenings on Fridays, when we also bake our bread, and you are more than welcome to participate and learn how.

Facilities on hand locally include -  Safe, accessible beaches and estuaries (with free car-parking and without touristic shops!!)  The nearest beach,14km away, has clean white sands in a sheltered estuary with sand dunes and without waves. Lagos zoo is a relaxed and tranquil place, where the animals are treated with an admirable degree of respect.  Horse-riding, donkey-trekking and mountainbike hire, can easily be arranged at any time of the year. 6 km away in picturesque Aljezur, is a Moorish castle ruin, many cafes and restaurants, a swimming pool, banks, pharmacy, post office, health centre, dentist and health food shop.