If one of your priorities is to provide independence and privacy for visiting family members and friends, then the lay-out of this beautifully designed and refurbished traditional Algarve property could be your answer. Located just west of the market town of São Brás de Alportel in the peaceful hills of São Romão the property faces south and enjoys magnificent views over the valley and down to the sea. The house is set in carefully designed gardens with numerous mature hedges and trees. The electrically-operated wooden gate opens on to a traditionally designed calçada parking area with ample room for 3 cars. The deliberate use of different textures in the design is immediately apparent: painted white walls, hand-built natural stone walls, biscuity-brown Algarve tiles on terraces set off by off-white ones, wooden latticed panels, tall cypress trees, frondy palms and well-trimmed hedges. Up some steps, under an arch and you enter double doors into the spacious fully-equipped kitchen cum breakfast room. Off this is a sizeable laundry/utility room, complete with large fridge and freezer, washing machine and dryer, with a door giving on to a patio. Beyond the kitchen, under an arch, you come to the big, high and light all-in-one dining and sitting room, off of which are two large double bedrooms. The main bedroom, equipped with beautifully designed wardrobes, has its own good-sized en-suite bathroom. The big back bedroom, surprisingly light with its Velux windows, also boasts similarly designed wardrobes, and has a bathroom immediately next door. Separate from the main house, but joined on, you walk round the corner along designed pathways to two conjoined independent suites, large bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms. They enjoy their own private terrace and a superb patio with raised beds full of flowering shrubs and a delightful fishpond with the tinkling of running water. This area is deliberately designed to allow guests to relax and enjoy their own independent and private space. A highlight of the garden area, immediately in front of the main house, is a spacious covered terrace with an Algarve BBQ and, looking westwards, stunning views over the orchard, with its mature citrus and fig trees, all the way down to the sea. On the other side is the large, heated swimming pool - designed for proper swimming – and with its extensive terrace for relaxing and sunbathing. All the pathways and terraces boast cleverly designed stonework and local Algarve tiles. Under the pool terrace, as well as housing the technical room, storerooms and a separate WC for pool users, there is a large air-conditioned room offering the possibility of an extra bedroom, a study/office or a gym. It has its own shower room with the necessary infrastructure already pre-installed. All of the main house and the two independent suites enjoy underfloor heating and air-conditioning and solar panels are installed to provide domestic hot water. Photovoltaic panels are also installed on the roof to reduce electricity bills. The complete renovation and extension of this property was undertaken in 2016-17. The work was carried out to the highest professional standards and the attention to detail is second to none: every tiled floor is different and attractively designed, the bathroom tiles are eye-catching, and a range of matching textures and colours is used throughout. High-speed fibre optic internet is installed. All in all this is a very special property, and located in São Romão it is away from the main bustling tourist centres but in easy reach of beaches, golf courses, international schools, the main town of Faro, the airport and all the other many facilities the Algarve has to offer.