A 3-bedroom apartment in Porto Covo with its own heated pool

My daughter is a teenager and the space was more than welcome. The third bedroom worked as an office and let me finish some meetings and some work.

The apartment is decorated as though it were a home, well above anywhere we have stayed. The sunset is really something. It was my Instagram for a week.

I used the restaurants guide and rang every one of them. Everything was correct. I could not get dinner at Ze Inacio because I did not book in time, but I called Lamelas and got a table two days later, and we would clearly go back to Lamelas. In the evening, mother and daughter out in the village, it was faultless: it is full of life and it felt safe for everyone.

Translated from Portuguese

Four people in a three-bedroom was ideal: one room for me and my wife, one for my daughter and one for my son.

We cooked, and to be honest it did not feel different from home. We could do everything. Eating on the terrace at sunset was a very good experience, with the evening breeze and that view.

The pool meant they could be at ease, but they are ten and twelve. If they were younger we would have been watching, as in fact we always were, because even at that age we kept looking over regularly. What I was not expecting, and what turned out to be very useful, was the lawn in the complex: playing football with my son, room to run around and play inside a gated development, that was a bonus we had not counted on.

Translated from Portuguese

We flew into Lisbon and rented a car. We thought about not renting one and just using Ubers, because everything is walking distance from the apartment, but we had too many bags with the little one and we were worried there'd be no easy access to taxis in the village. We were right — there wasn't. Getting one out of Sines took a while.

We thought three bedrooms and three bathrooms was more than we needed, and honestly we could have lived with two. It ended up working really well. One of the kids was unwell one night and I moved into that room to settle him down. We were a bit worried about whether we'd end up at a hospital, and Ivy sent us the link with the contacts and had a plan. We never had to use it, but having the extra room was definitely a good call.

We used the pool all the time. He loved it, and the fact that it's heated made a real difference — he spent long stretches in there, which the 28 degrees definitely made possible. We were always in there with him, mind you. I wouldn't step aside at any pool with a 3-year-old.

The terrace is a relaxing place and we could always see him. The glass is high, so there was no fear of him falling or trying to climb up to peek over. It was perfect.

I let the girls run in the garden of the complex. They ventured off, but I was always within shouting distance. The village felt safe, but there are cars and more people there, so it does not give you the same freedom. The complex is gated, but it is cosy: it has the garden, the buildings are low, it does not look industrial at all.

The pool never let me relax, not least because the five-year-old cannot swim. But I never leave the girls in a pool unsupervised, in any pool. The terrace key, though, let me sleep: I locked the door whenever I was not out there and never had a problem.

We went to the beach every day, but when we were at the apartment we did what we do at home, cooking and television. Plus what the apartment gives you: dinner on the terrace, watching the sunset, relaxing by the pool.

Translated from Portuguese

I came with a friend and, although it is a three-bedroom and looked like more space than we needed, it was the right choice. The alternative was a two-bedroom without the amenities this one has, and the location helped too. The terrace made the difference, and the pool is a good reason to take it slowly in the morning or at the end of the day.

We went fishing at Praia Pequena and at other coves. I do not know the names exactly, but there is always somewhere to go, and when you do not know, you copy where everyone else is. People here are extremely friendly and give you all the tips.

On the days we did not go to the beach or fishing, we stayed by the pool and caught up on the terrace. It also let me clear my email, get some work done at the desk, and use the gym in the complex.

Translated from Portuguese