Casa Lia | Village House with Mezzanine | Budens

The space

Cobbles underfoot, whitewashed walls close on both sides, and someone's dinner drifting out of an open window. Budens is a working village rather than a resort, and the house sits right in the middle of it, a few minutes inland from the coast.

Ninety square metres over two floors. The front door opens straight into the living and dining room, where timber beams run overhead and the walls are left in bare stone, with the stairs to the mezzanine on your left. On the front wall of this room, at shoulder height, is the red control box for the solar hot water system, with visible wiring and warning stickers on the front. It looks more alarming than it is: it is part of the standard installation and safe to be around, as long as nobody opens it or pulls at the wires. Ahead is the bathroom, with a bath and toilet, and next to it the bedroom, which has a bed of 160 by 200 and a pull-out sofa bed of 120 by 200. The kitchen is at the back, fully equipped, with a door straight out to the patio.

Up the stairs, the mezzanine is one open space under the roof with two double beds of 130 by 200, a bamboo screen dividing the sleeping side from the storage side. The staircase is steep and the wooden banister has wide gaps between the beams. There is no door and no wall between the mezzanine and the living room below, so light and sound travel between the two floors. That layout is what lets the house sleep six, and it is the thing to be sure about before you book.

The patio is private and faces north-northwest, so it stays shaded through the hottest hours and catches the sun late in the afternoon and on into the evening. There is a built-in charcoal barbecue under cover, a sink and a table for two, and dinner off the grill is four steps from the kitchen. In summer the thick old walls keep the house cool.

Guest access

This house is entirely yours during your stay:

★ Bedroom with a 160x200 bed and a 120x200 pull-out sofa bed
★ Open mezzanine with two 130x200 double beds
★ Bathroom with bath and toilet
★ Kitchen with oven, hob, fridge, freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster and coffee maker
★ Private patio facing north-northwest, with a covered built-in charcoal barbecue, sink and a table for two
★ Washing machine
★ WiFi
★ Linen and towels provided
★ Travel cot and highchair available, please tell us when booking
★ Free street parking nearby

➤ The mezzanine is open to the living room below. There is no door, the fixed staircase is steep and has no stair gate, and the wooden banister has wide gaps between the beams. If your group needs a fully separate second sleeping space, this is not the right house. Please get in touch before booking if you are unsure.
➤ Small children are welcome, but we would not call this a child-friendly house. The steep open stairs, the open edge of the mezzanine, the gaps in the banister and a solar control box with warning stickers on the living room wall all ask for supervision. Parents who know this in advance and are comfortable with it are very welcome, and we are happy to answer questions before you book.
➤ There is no air conditioning and no dishwasher. Two portable heaters are provided for cooler days.
➤ No pets. No smoking indoors. Smoking on the patio is fine, please put cigarette ends in the bin.

Guest interaction

This home is managed by Rental Valley, a property management company with 15 years of experience in short-term rentals. When you have a question or request, you'll always reach a real person on our guest support team. We speak all major European languages and are available 7 days a week between 08:00 and 22:00 to personally assist you throughout your stay.

Seven days before arrival, you'll receive a link to your personal Rental Valley guide with everything you need: check-in instructions, the location and code of your keybox, and all important details about the property.

The neighborhood

Budens is a small whitewashed village in the western Algarve, in the parish that also covers the coastal villages of Salema and Burgau. It is quiet, lived in all year round, and a few minutes from the protected Costa Vicentina coastline. People come here for the beaches, the walking and the surf, and for a slower pace than Lagos.

The nearest supermarket is the Intermarché on the N125, just outside the village. There is a bakery on Rua Primeiro de Maio, and two places worth a table: O Tiago on Largo da Igreja, a well loved local restaurant, and GoodFellas on Rua Portela do Mato for good Italian, worth booking ahead. Praia da Salema is 2.5 km away, about five minutes by car, inside the Costa Vicentina natural park.

Getting around

A car makes sense here. Public transport in Budens is limited and the beaches and trails are spread along the coast. Faro Airport is around 103 km, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Lagos is 19 km, about 20 minutes, and Sagres around 18 km, also about 20 minutes. Lisbon is roughly 270 km, about 3 hours. Free street parking is available near the house.

Other things to note

➤ Check-in from 16:00. Keybox at the property; code in your Rental Valley guide (sent 7 days before arrival). Early check-in is subject to same-day availability, contact us on arrival day to check, though this is limited in peak season. Arrivals after 22:00 are at the guest's own risk as our support line will be closed.
➤ Check-out by 10:00. Late check-out is subject to next-day availability, contact us the day before departure to check. Limited in peak season.

➤ The large red box at the front of the living room is the control unit for the solar hot water system. It sits at shoulder height, carries warning stickers and has visible wiring. Nothing happens if you brush against it, but please do not open it or pull at the wires, and point it out to children when you arrive.
➤ The staircase to the mezzanine is steep and the gaps in the wooden banister are wide. Together with the open mezzanine and the solar box, this is why we do not consider the house well suited to toddlers. Families who have read this and are comfortable with it are welcome. If you are travelling with a small child, we suggest using the pull-out sofa bed in the downstairs bedroom rather than one of the mezzanine beds.
➤ The roof window above the mezzanine has no blackout cover, so the sleeping area gets light early in summer.
➤ Hot water runs on solar with a gas backup. The switch is in the kitchen.
➤ Stairs throughout, including a fixed staircase to the mezzanine. Not suitable for guests with limited mobility.

ℹ By law, Portuguese property owners must report guest details to the immigration authorities (AIMA). We collect these securely via your Rental Valley guide, sent one week before arrival. Please ensure all details are submitted before your arrival date.