Casa Utspan

This is the eastern Algarve, the Sotavento, the quieter end of Portugal's south coast, away from the resorts and closer to everyday life. Casa Utspan sits on a small hill in the countryside just beyond Moncarapacho, a calm village of a few shops and restaurants, about half an hour from Faro. The real draw is close by: the Ria Formosa, a protected lagoon of channels, salt pans and sandbars, with island beaches you reach by little ferries from Fuzeta and Olhão. The fishing town of Olhão and its market, the old streets of Tavira and the clifftop hamlet of Cacela Velha are all an easy drive.

The house began as an ordinary 1980s build and was reimagined by its owner, Birgit Sfat, a photographer and creative director who moved with her family from Munich to San Francisco and then to Portugal, collecting the things and stories that now fill its rooms. What they made is handmade and unpretentious: locally made clay tiles, custom ceramic sinks, warm earthy textures, quiet nooks bathed in golden light, and terraces made for lingering. Three bedrooms each have their own bathroom, sleeping six, or seven with children. Outside is a proper playground for a slow holiday: a pool, a yoga shala, a concrete skate bowl and basketball court, a pizza oven and a fireplace for the evenings. It is cool without trying, and refreshingly affordable.