Villa Extramuros
Villa Extramuros is a strikingly beautiful contemporary guesthouse located in the Alentejo, one of the last wild regions in Europe with kilometers and kilometers of nature and wilderness.
How would you describe Casas Caiadas in a nutshell?
Casas Caiadas is a luxury vacation rental in the unspoiled Alentejo region in central Portugal. It is the perfect place to get away from it all, allowing our vacation guests to truly relax and enjoy the peaceful environment.
What was your inspiration to refurbish the houses and offer them as a vacation rental?
When we started working on the houses about three years ago, our plan was to use them as our own weekend getaway. However, as the renovations progressed, we grew very enthusiastic about the project and decided to prepare the structures so that other guests may rent the houses as well.
The site was originally comprised of four independent houses, former watermills. Trying to interpret how people once lived here, we wanted to preserve all of the original details and through keeping the rest of the place rather simple, provide a more authentic experience for our vacation guests.
How would you describe the architecture and interior design of Casas Caiadas?
The architects, Pereira Miguel Arquitectos, still provide a lot of support and my wife Paula coordinated all the interior design. Together we agreed that we wanted to be respectful of the buildings’ history and to keep them as authentic as possible, including their very cozy atmosphere.
Mixing traditional Portuguese elements with modern amenities, we added a beautiful swimming pool with a beach-like entrance. Our vacation guests really enjoy sitting in the sun by the pool during the day and stargazing at night, which is very relaxing.
We kept the surrounding landscape very natural so that our guests would be immersed in nature and feel outside of their daily routine during their vacation. Our guests’ feedback is that it offers a new experience of being in contact with nature, listening to the sounds of the birds and the stream running through the vacation rental.
To you personally, what’s so special about the experience of renting Casas Caiadas?
The mixture of authentic and modern elements is very special at Casa Caiadas. I really enjoy being immersed in such an historic and tranquil environment while being able to take advantage of the modern amenities and services offered as part of the rental.
And my passion about the Alentejo is its beautiful landscape. It is very flat and you can feel the sky touching the ground, which gives you a sense of peace and tranquility. That is why we chose this location for our vacation villa.
What has been the biggest reward about making Casas Caiadas available for rent?
The biggest reward is always at check out when people are leaving because it feels that even though they’re going, they’ll be taking a piece of Casas Caiadas with them. Our main goal is to provide our guests with a remarkable experience, and when they share their joy of the place it is very rewarding!
