Pride,a deeper love

Dear diary: and just when this little guest house was starting out on the long road to recovery and begin to see enquiries and bookings start to come in again,we find ourselves back to square one and the inability to generate that all important revenue to catch up with all those deferred debts and payment plans.What a short season it was, just 11 days taking in four guests with 4 deferrals to next year.

First came Brexit, then lockdown, then  quarantine and now its make your mind up time. Every two weeks its tease tease tease.You´re  happy when we´re on our knees Johnson, one day it's fine and next it's bleak.Well, come on and let us know. Should we  stay or should we go? With all this instability, people are either postponing or cancelling their trips.The last unexpected reprieve did nothing to restore the confidence of either holidaymakers or the tourism industry. Stranded holidaymakers left at the mercy of those big tall terrible giants in the sky, like British Airways charging them an appalling ninefold on the price of a ticket to return before quarantine set in. The damage had already been done.

"tudo azul"

 

This, "is it on is it off" situation every two weeks finally stopped people gambling  on travelling even if the odds seem favourable. If the Uk government  wanted to allow international travel to resume while prioritising public health, a major reassessment of their approach was needed.

  Until there is some sort of testing in place you might as well forget it. It just isn’t working for Portugal, and it certainly isn´t working much anywhere else. 

In the new dawn of travel, with Johnson having mis-fired the starting gun too many times by mistake, you are all more than ready for a taste of adventure, something exotic or merely different. We are ready too. The East Algarve awaits you, a SAFE and sound destination. It provides that rare thing of being not so far away but with beaches that rival the Caribbean..Just an hour or two from Brexit torn Britain but much further afield mentally. Casa Rosada is that shangri-la you´ve been so yearning for. The East Algarve is foreign, but at the same time feels so familiar. Just as an Englishman might say everything is rosy, here in the Algarve we say "Tudo azul" ( literally the sky is blue) which makes everything alright, and that an Algarve blue sky is something unforgettable.Time here moves slowly, steeped as it is in history. Our idiosyncratic collection of Portuguese knick knacks and artefacts sit silently watching while others more practical are put to good use.

 Memories of past generations and the unrelenting summers bring with them heat that sears everything into clear relief. It is also a world that has no place for formality. There is zero reason to dress up.This is one of those places that is unabashedly come-as-you-are. Stylish travel inspiration,we call it.

"I know the difference between expensive travel and affordable luxury"

Here at casa rosada we have been missing our guests.That hubbub of people coming and going from their rooms, the clinking of glasses as they enjoy a glass of wine or two on one of our terraces. People returning from the beach sunsoaked and ready for a nap. Does any anyone still have a nap? Lounging in their caftans and planning a lunch, another long exhausting day, another holiday, I´ll drink to that. Lets toast to that invincible bunch. Will that be a Pink port and tonic sir/ madam?
From morning through noon ,from twilight to to sundown we take pride in what we do, putting years of practice to the test to ensure our guests receive the best possible service.Throughout the meandering old schoolhouse evidence of our deep love for everything Portuguese is evident.I was even told across the dinner table with Portuguese friends recently that I "have a Portuguese soul"
Waking up swathed in soft 400 thread count Portuguese bed linen, you already have something to look forward to - breakfast in your own secluded area of the garden.But first, morning ablutions are not complete without the fragrant Claus Porto guest soap in each bathroom.(soap houses in Portugal are up there with some of the best in the world).

Once ensconced at your table, your breakfast cups and cereal bowls show our support for the fine Portuguese craftsmanship and the whimsy that is Bordalo Pinheiro. Home made yoghurt is served in miniature glass milk bottles from Depósito da Marinha Grande in Lisbon. Should you require a bica Sir ? it may well be served in one of our Cinema Português cups from the collaboration of Vista Alegre and designer Catarina Pestana. Breakfast is the time for you to quietly peruse guide books and maps and seek our advice and share some of our well kept secrets on helping you plan your day. Maybe a leisurely drive along the banks of the Guadiana river,a shopping trip to Tavira stopping off on your return for a relaxed waterfront lunch of seafood delicacies beside the  lagoon at the little village of Fabrica. If the tide is in your favour perhaps a refreshing dip in the warm waters of the lagoon. Finish off with a sundowner, taking in the spectacular panorama at Guarita terrace, Praia Verde.

If you ordered dinner, chef will have discussed a menu and your dietary requirements at breakfast, and been to the local market while you were out to assemble the mise en place. Time for that well earned nap, a refreshing shower and a transformation from resort wear to casual chic or wherever the mood takes you.Perhaps its time to show off your new Louboutins or Jimmy Choos.

Its dinner time and time to order a bottle of wine, and maitre d will help you choose from our small but carefully selected  list of Portuguese wines ,which include innovative wines created by Rui Virginia´s Quinta do barranco longo label.We have a range of Douro wines and Soalheiro is always a popular choice.Our love of Portuguese products will become evident again throughout your dinner. Your dinner selection may well be served on another fine example of Vista Alegre. We will give you the chance to sample local artesan Flor de sal (Portuguese artesan product of the year 2019) harvested and hand collected a stones throw from our home by our friend Jorge Raiado of salmarim.

Take the chance to reserve a trip down to the salinas to meet Jorge and take a tour of the salt pans.The dinner you have chosen to experience will encompass many elements of traditional Portuguese cuisine, allowing our own modern spin on things A bit like the wines, Portuguese olive oil is one of the country’s best-kept secrets, but once tasted it is never forgotten. Our salads just aren’t the same without it.
The backbone of the Portuguese is their heritage, and a rich vein to tap into while visiting us here at casa rosada. From the epic 16th-century poem, The Luisads by Camões, celebrating the discovery of a sea route to India, to the haunting melody of Fado brought into the twenty first century by Mariza.
Given the punishment the pandemic has put on us we need you to help us bring back health and prosperity, not only to casa rosada, but to all those favourite local restaurants that need the business to get back on track. 

até já