Just returned from a relaxing fortnight 'way out west', on a family holiday with three children (8yr, 6yr, 18mths). Sunny and almost always windy (pleasantly cooling...heat never stifling). Heated pool was great, secure cover at night. Nearby beach bars/restaurants very friendly and within walking distance. Though not made welcome by main resort (obvious spat with private owners), so just avoided. Sagres itself very laid back. Must see sunset at the lighthouse and cliffs at Cape St Vincent. Car essential with motorway toll tag, as most other attractions 30-60mins to the east in central Algarve, which we did on occasion. Great holiday all round.

This is a big house, with all mod cons (wine cooler, BBQ, ice maker on the fridge, and so on), as well as a nice garden and pool. It is quiet and 100 metres to the beach. Altogether an excellent place for a family holiday.

We have stayed at Martinhal for the past 3 years. This was our first time at number 30 and it was the best villa we have stayed in so far.

Very spacious villa with lovely sized rooms, excellent kitchen with all mod cons and some ultra-mod cons (eg beer keg cooler for cold draught beer) and light and spacious dual aspect living room with access on to terrace and outdoor seating area.

The layout of the villa is:

Ground floor - master bedroom with huge en suite with bath and separate shower and access to terrace/pool/gardens. Bedroom 2 and bedroom 3 are down a corridor and both have their own access to terrace/pool/gardens, and share a large shower-room on other side of corridor.

Lower ground - bedroom 4 with patio door access to front driveway. Separate shower room. Also a large TV room with sofa bed, which room could accomodate a large family in itself!

Upstairs - kitchen and living room / dining area. Access to upstairs terrace (large seating area and separate outside dining area with gas BBQ.)

There is A/C in ground and lower ground floors for sleeping, but not upstairs. You don't however need it upstairs as you simply open the windows and take advantage of the breeze. We didn't see a single mosquito when we were there (June) which is probably due to the windy conditions.

Outside - large terraced area with lots of shade and also large area around swimming pool. Pool has an electric rigid cover, which gives SOME peace of mind with the kids - but also keeps the pool warm. Driveway has it's own electric gate.

Location is v convenient on Martinhal with great views off to the beach and the sea.

Martinhal beach is absolutely lovely. We spent most of our time at the Nortada beach shack - very relaxed atmosphere and lovely food.

Remember that the villa is rented privately, and is independent of the hotel, so some of the facilities are out of bounds. For example, we tried to eat at the Italian restaurant on the square - however the Resort had implemented a new policy the week before we arrived (June 2014) whereby they only allowed payment via a hotel room. They would not accept cash or visa. The same is true of the bar next door and also the shop and the spa. So, as a non-hotel resident you could not buy anything in the shops.... A frankly ridiculous and completely uncommercial policy by the hotel, as the supermarket is a 3 minute drive and 1/2 the price of the resort shop and there is a lovely pizza restaurant in Sagres itself. I would not be surprised if the shops closed down soon, as they are literally forcing customers away. Silly silly decision of the resort owners.

The good news is the other 2 resort restaurants Las Dunas (fish restaurant) and O Terraco (v upmarket restaurant) both allow "walk ins" so you can eat there even though you are not a hotel resident. These are the better restaurants anyway.

Don't worry about not being able to use the hotel spa treatments - Anna will arrange a massage or facial etc from an amazing and v experienced Scottish lady (I think she was Scottish!) in the comfort of the villa. She comes fully equipped with treatment table etc.

All in all a really amazing holiday. We stayed in villa 65 the year before (2013) which had better sea views and was slightly bigger than villa 30, but villa 65 wasn't as convenient as villa 30 nor as well equipped or comfortable. Also, 65 doesn't have A/C anywhere, whereas 30 has it in the bedrooms. We definitely preferred number 30.

If you haven't been to Martinhal resort before, it is definitely worth going to. The wind really helps keep the kids cooler and more relaxed. The price you pay through the resort is astronomical, so we'd recommend going through the private rented villas. It does mean it is essentially a self catering holiday, but there are plenty of reasonable restaurants nearby.

Definitely recommended - and Anna and her husband Jose are great throughout the booking and checking in and general assistance throughout the holiday. .