The villa was exactly as described, and was very pleasant and relaxing to stay at. The resort itself will suit some people and not others. It was great for us because we just wanted to lounge around and not do a lot. We also primarily self-catered as it was easier for us. It was easy to get to from Lisbon airport - literally an hour's drive. The beach at the resort was large, beautiful, quiet, and had dramatic waves which was good for teenage boys. It had gorgeous sand. It was a 15-20 min walk to the beach from the villa, or you could park very easily near the beach in the Mariott Hotel kind of area. The villa's pool, garden and conservatory made it very enjoyable to relax and read at the villa. There is little by way of facilities at the resort (which I imagine is why the beach and the resort generally is so quiet - which suited us). This means that you need to drive about 5-10 mins to the nearest small town to use the supermarket, etc. We steered clear of eating/drinking at the Mariott Hotel and the golf clubhouse at the resort - on the grounds that they were likely to be rather pricey and a bit "corporate". The resort is essentially like an upmarket equivalent of a (relatively small) purpose built housing estate - abeit villas and not Wimpey homes. All the properties and grounds seem to be very well kept, with lots of pool and garden maintenance going on. So the environment is pleasant. The villas in this part of the resort are quite close together but we never felt overlooked. You could hear the people behind in their garden but it wasn't a problem - although it might be if it was grown ups having a party late at night (but it doesn't seem that sort of place).