About us. One day we decided to exchange Holland for Portugal. With this our adventure started!

In October 2016 we, Sam Nijssen (cameraman) and Gitta Cupers (event producer), got in the car with our dog Siep and left. On the road to Portugal to search for our new home to be. Despite a good job and an own company this was the right moment for us to change our lives.

Our search started in the Algarve. There, 30 minutes from the busy, touristic south coast we discovered the green and peaceful surroundings of Monchique. Sooner then expected we found the 3 hectare beautiful estate with 2 ruins and within a year after our arrival, we were the proud owners of Garganta da Foia.

In the back of our mind we had a mission: realising accommodations that are private and where we also would like to go to when on holiday. With that in mind we started with renovating the land and the building of the house. Local builder Luis built the house with authentic details and Sam has put many of his creative and practical ideas to work.

We are happy that we now have 2 accommodations for rent and hope to see you here!

 

Sam & Gitta

kikker

SAM & GITTA

THE OLD RUIN

THE NEW HOUSE

Garganta da Foia

Estate

3

HECTARE

4

WATER SOURCES

15

TERRACES

31

CORK OAKS

The Outdoors

The Algarve is known for its pleasant climate. 300 Days sun per year and an average temperature of 25 degrees. Being outdoors is therefore very nice. You can easily spend a week here to enjoy and explore these outdoors. From your accommodation you can make various circular walking routes. As we are situated on the Via Algarviana (www.viaalgarviana.org) you can also walk one of the stages of this long distance path. Cyclists won’t be bored either. There are many beautiful and quiet roads around you and climbing the mountain Foia is a real challenge. For the mountain biker there are several downhill routes nearby. Quite adventurous!

Sustainability

Our aim and wish was to live completely off-grid. We managed to do this! The water comes directly from the mountain and according to the ‘locals’ it tastes nowhere as pure and fresh as here. Warm water is generated by sun collectors and we make use of solar panels and a back-up battery for the electricity.

The Property

Our property consists of many broad terraces, old walls, chairs and pathways. No terrace is the same and the atmosphere changes gradually when you walk downwards to the lowest one. On the upper part there is a real mountain feeling where the lower part feels more subtropical. Therefore we planted most of our fruit trees that are part of our small food forest on the lower terraces. Across the estate are 4 old, romantic waterbassins that luckily are always full of water. Nature goes its way here and we leave it like that. Frogs, watersnakes, birds, emerald lizzards and butterflies all profit from it and it is just lovely to watch.

The Name

Once we received a tip from a B&B owner in the north of Portugal. “Use the name of the area in the name of your business, it makes it easier to locate”. And so it happened. The Serra da Garganta is part of the highest mountain of the Algarve, the Fóia. Our original Fazenda lies on 700 metres height on the south slope of this mountain. Literally Garganta da Foia means ‘the throat of the Foia’ and that is how it exactly feels. It lies hidden in a bowl of the mountain, invisible for the outside world.

slangetje