Bird watching Algarve Portugal CASA ROSA  Villa Apartment Holidays

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Casa Rosa Birdwatching Holiday

Date:- 31/03/09 to 07/04/09

Clive & Sharon Jones – Hampshire, UK

Having just returned from our first bird watching holiday staying at the Casa Rosa apartment near Moncarapacho, Portugal we wanted to let other bird enthusiasts know about this amazing place. We arrived at Faro airport, picked up our pre-arranged hire car and set off to Casa Rosa.  The roads were good and with the directions that Jan and Kjersti had given us we were able to find the apartment easily. We arrived mid-morning knowing  that we were very early for  the normal afternoon check in time . We were warmly greeted by Jan and Kjersti who kindly allowed us to settle into our apartment straight away.
   Casa Rosa is an attractive white washed Villa, consisting of 6 apartments with its own beautiful pool and sunbathing/relaxing area. Our apartment was on the ground floor, lots of space, lovely big clean bathroom and a well equipped kitchen.
  During our stay Jan and Kjersti couldn’t have been more helpful regarding local information or answering any questions we had. They were able to put us in touch with a bird guide if we needed one and when we asked Jan about one of the bird areas we wanted to visit but we weren’t sure of which area to go to he immediately said he would find out some information. Sure enough the next morning as we were about to set off he met us giving us the relevant information.
  Kjersti also invited us to an evening home made meal that she organises once/twice a week depending on the time of year. Sadly we had made other plans and we were unable to go, reading the comments other guests had made in the guest book , I think we missed a lovely evening.
 As for the bird watching in this area it was FANTASTIC!. We had planned our trips hoping to visit the Ria Formosa National Park, Castro Marim, Quinta de Largo, Tavira Salt pans and the Alentejo region. We managed to go to all the areas we wanted to and we were never disappointed.  As we are enthusiastic bird watchers but not hugely knowledgeable, we had prearranged for a bird guide to spend the day with us to explore the Alentejo region. It is such a vast area that we felt unless you knew the area well expert help would make the day so much better, Georg, our lovely bird guide met us Casa Rosa  for an 8.00 am start to what turned out to be a truly special day with over 45 different sightings of birds . Amongst which we saw, Great Bustards, Little Bustards, great Spotted Cuckoo, Spanish Imperial  Eagle, Golden Eagle , Black Eared Wheatear, Crag Martins, Bee Eaters and many many more. He was a wonderful guide and we would never had seen the amount of birds, or been able to identify them all, without his  help. His enthusiasm was more than equal to ours and we both had a really great day.

To arrive back at Casa Rosa after a long days birding was lovely and peaceful. There was always a warm shower/bath followed by a cup of tea with local cake to enjoy in the sun by the pool as we made a daily list of our sightings, checking them off in our bird book. When we finally turned in for the night the cosy duvets meant a good nights sleep was had before we faced a new day wondering what bird treats were in store for us.
 
 Olhao, a larger town near by provided all we needed in terms of food as they are well served with supermarkets. The harbour is famous for its fresh fish and is well worth a visit. Tavira is not far away for a bit of street walking, shopping or sitting by the river relaxing.

Casa Rosa is a great place for birdwatchers as it is within easy reach of a number of fantastic hotspots. Not forgetting that Casa Rosa has its own resident Hoopoe’s, Azure Winged Magpie’s, Sardinian Warblers, Woodchat Shrike and subterranean Barn Owl. It was a great week and we would be very happy to revisit Casa Rosa and the area again.