About us
We are the Guerreiro da Silva family; Roberto, Martha, and our two children, Rodrigo and Ricardo.
Roberto, originally from Silves, Portugal, spent nearly 15 years in the Netherlands, where he met Martha, who is Dutch (well she considers herself a real Frisian) For 13 of those years, they built a life and grew a family together in a little village in Friesland. The desire to return to Portugal had always been in their hearts.
Despite having a comfortable life-a beautiful home and fulfilling jobs we yearned for something more. The idea was simple: We envisioned living in the countryside, starting a small-scale tourism venture. And what better place to realize that dream than Portugal?
This beautiful country, with its incredible climate, scenic beaches, and the ocean nearby, offers everything we were looking for. But it’s more than just the landscape. It’s the way of life—where people savor the simple joys, taking time for a cup of coffee or a delicious lunch with friends. Here, we’ve found not just a place to live, but a place that truly brings us closer to what matters most.
After an extensive search across the real estate market, we found our perfect place; our Quinta (Quinta means farm in Portuguese) in 2014. The house had been empty for several years, the land and trees abandoned and although it needed a lot of love, we saw its incredible potential. With a series of DIY projects during our holidays, we began to bring the house back to life.
Building a tourism business in Portugal, however, proved to be a bit more complex than we expected. We sought the expertise of an architect to help us design a guesthouse that would reflect the charm of the property. The journey was long, but exciting—after two years of thoughtful revisions and navigating the necessary paperwork, we finally received approval. In May 2018, we were ready to start bringing our dream to life with the construction of our new guesthouse.
We were promised that construction would be completed within 6 to 8 months, and as soon as the project began, we took the next step in our journey—putting our home in Friesland up for sale. To our delight, it sold quickly, and before we knew it, we were ready to move. We had spent months preparing, carefully selecting second-hand furniture and treasures from various shops, all stored in Martha’s mother’s barn. We even found a second-hand kitchen, which would soon become the heart of our breakfast area.
When the time came to move, we packed a full 60 m3 of items into the moving van—everything from furniture for the guesthouse, a few hundred square meters of wooden decking to personal belongings, all carefully loaded for the journey ahead. With only a small suitcase in hand, and our beloved cat Blacksy snug in her travel case, we were finally ready to embark on this exciting next chapter. After a smooth 3-hour flight, we landed in our new, yet familiar, homeland—eager and excited to begin this fresh, vibrant journey in Portugal.
"Overcoming Challenges: Our Journey to a New Life in Portugal"
The journey wasn't without its challenges, though. The transition was tough for the children, who went from a small village school to larger schools in Silves.
The construction also took a few unexpected turns. When we arrived, progress was far behind what we had anticipated—there was still a lot to be done. Initially, we kept our spirits high, thinking, “We can handle this. Let’s get things on track and everything will fall into place!” But things didn’t go quite as smoothly as we’d hoped.
The project manager wasn’t always present on-site, and there were more hurdles along the way than we expected. But we took it all in stride, realizing that challenges are part of every new journey. We learned a lot about working with local contractors. With persistence and teamwork, we managed to keep moving forward, even when things seemed tough.
After a year and a half of hard work, the construction was finally complete. We were so proud of what we had accomplished. And while the paperwork took a little longer than we expected, we remained focused on the bigger picture. There were moments when we questioned whether we had made the right decision, but every challenge we faced only strengthened our resolve.
New Beginnings: Embracing the Joy of Our Journey
We could finally step back and appreciate the space we had created. Looking around, we felt a sense of pride-our dream had truly come to life.
This journey has taught us invaluable lessons-not just in terms of work, but in embracing challenges and growing stronger as a family. The boys have adapted fully to living in Portugal.
Each season brings new joy and fulfillment as we continue to grow and evolve in this beautiful place. What makes it even more special is the amazing people we meet from all over the world. Their kindness and diverse backgrounds enrich our experience, making every day unique.
Here, we’ve also created a space for Roberto’s true passion: his natural organic vegetable "no till"garden. Not only do we enjoy the harvest ourselves, but we also incorporate these fresh, homegrown vegetables into our breakfast buffet, alongside the nuts, olives, and fruits from our own trees.
Roberto, born and raised in Silves, is happy to share his deep knowledge of the area with our guests. He loves to tell about the stunning beaches, the rich history, and all the hidden gems of Silves and surroundings.
This place is the realization of our dream—a place where we can live, work, and share the beauty of the Algarve. Our greatest joy is creating a welcoming environment for our guests, offering them a truly special stay as they discover all that this wonderful region has to offer.
Are you looking for a stay in the Algarve, check our availability calendar or feel free to contact contact us!