Casa Armona - Holiday Rental - Vacation Beach Cottage
2 bedrooms, 1 bath (sleeps 4-6)

Casa Armona - Algarve Beach Holidays - Algarve Holiday Rentals

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Are you longing for a quiet, remote island... no cars and 20 kilometers of open, sandy beaches?

Casa Armona is a classic beach cottage: 50 steps from our well-hidden Armona beach & a 3 minute walk from Armona's tiny ferry dock.

We first visited Armona Island in August 2005, staying with our daughter and new son-in-law in a tiny, camping A-frame at €100 a night. The island was perfect. (Ditto the son-in-law.) So we pooled our pennies and bought our own holiday beach cottage: Casa Armona.

This is a beach cottage; a place to get away. There is no PC, no internet, nothing fancy. The little TV only receives eight fuzzy channels: 4 Portuguese, 4 Spanish. If everyone on the island tries to take a shower at the same time, water pressure dwindles. It's cozy. Friendly. Paradise.

Armona Island is reached via a 15-minute walk-on ferry from Olhão, the Algarve's largest fishing port and home to the best daily fish market in Portugal. Olhão also has a city-sponsored internet room (free) and plenty of free street parking.

Upon reaching Armona (aerial photo, below), you'll see that "main street" is a wide, paved sidewalk leading from the dock's busy cluster of cafés and private homes out towards the Atlantic Ocean beaches on the far side of the island.

Armona Island's 20 kilometers of beaches

Casa Armona is 3 minutes from the ferry dock, an easy distance for wheeling your suitcases from the boat to the house -- and for bopping back to the mainland for daytrips to Aqualand (Algarve's largest waterpark), the addictive Olhão daily fish and fruit market, bird-watching in the Ria Formosa Park, or Sevilla, Spain (less than 2 hour drive).

The hidden, shallow inlet beach 50 steps behind Casa Armona is perfect for children, shell collecting, clamming, star-gazing, exploring the ever-changing sandbars and, of course, lounging and swimming. The Atlantic Ocean, with its kilometers of open dunes and sandy beaches, is a 15 minute stroll to the 'far' side of the island.

For detailed information on island living and local activities, click on Intro to Armona Island and Eastern Algarve.

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Beach Cottage Amenities - Inside

Fully-equipped Kitchen: microwave, coffeemaker, refrigerator/freezer, stove; cooking utensils, plates, glasses, cookware, staples (oil, vinegar, sugar, flour, rice, etc), spices and Portuguese cookbooks, in English. No dishwasher.
Comfortable furnishings, local pottery and artwork
Loaner cellphone
Library of books, board games, guidebooks and Portuguese music CDs
Linens: 300-600 threadcount sheets; soft, fluffy towels
Complimentary toiletries and hairdryer
Mini Combo Washer/Dryer, detergents provided. Note - due to septic issues, guests are limited to one load of laundry per day. (This is not the place for a mid-vacation laundry stopover; overflowing septic tanks will ruin the best of vacations.)
Iron & ironing board
VisitingPortugal Tourist Book: ferry schedules, suggested itineraries and restaurants, kid-friendly ideas, emergency information including extensive list of English-speaking doctors and more
Sleeping Arrangements: two double beds and one double sofabed (see floorplan, below)

Beach Cottage Amenities - Outside
Gas BBQ and covered outdoor eating area
Patio Table and chairs for six
Exterior Shower for rinsing sandy bodies and beach toys
Miscellaneous Beach Equipment including beach chairs/umbrella, beach towels, kid's toys, masks, clamming buckets and shovels, cooler and icepacks
Two-wheeled GroceryBag. Like the natives, use it on the ferry for bringing back fresh goodies from the Olhão markets
No Pets. No Smoking. No Handicap Access.

Click on any photo to view larger versions

Walk between these neighboring homes to our little inlet beach...
just 50 steps from Casa Armona to sand between your toes

Here's our beach... empty at mid-morning in August

A neighboring lane

Casa Armona Floor Plan

Please Read This Note: The private homes on the Ilha de Armona are allowed to remain only via the graciousness of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. As such, we ask that you remember that this delightful beach community is, first and foremost, part of an important nature reserve dedicated to protecting southern European water fowl. (Clamming and fishing are acceptable daily activities.)

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Casa Armona Availability Calendar

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Casa Armona - RATES - Algarve Beach Cottage

WEEKLY RATES (Euros)

April & May = €800 per week
June, July, August = €1000 per week
Sept & Oct = €800 per week
OCCUPANCY: Maximum 4 adults and 2 children (under 16 years old)
Flexible Check-in, any day of the week.