The adjacent dining room is a picture of relaxed sophistication, its huge modern table and oversized hurricane lamps providing an idyllic setting for relaxed, intimate dinners for up to 14 guests. Keen cooks will find the fully fitted kitchen provides everything needed to rustle up favourite meals, though with the wonderful Algarve climate, it’s hard to resist cooking virtually everything on that terrific barbecue.

Villa Gondra boasts five bedrooms, each with its own en suite bath or shower room. Two twins and a single are located on the ground floor while upstairs are two stunning master suites, spacious and light with patio doors leading out onto a private circular balcony overlooking the garden. Each has a beautifully fitted en suite bathroom with a Jacuzzi bath as well as a dressing area.

For kids, teenagers and fun lovers of all ages, the house’s pièce de résistance is to be found in the lower ground floor, a spectacular games room complete with billiards table, table tennis, surround sound music system and Playstation 3 as well as a play area for younger children. An adjacent bedroom with pull-out beds and a football table make this a perfect choice for teenagers in need of a little space to hang out with their friends.

A short walk from the villa is the smart Quinta shopping plaza with a supermarket and a selection of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. Golfers will be thrilled at having the exclusive Quinta do Lago and Pinheiros Altos courses within a few minutes’ drive and the resort’s beautiful golden beach and crystal clear waters are on hand for those who love to feel the sand between their toes.

Gondra really is an exceptional villa that comes highly recommended for large families or groups of friends in search of a thoroughly relaxing, entertaining holiday.