There is a new way to stay in Lagos: visit as a local. Your Lagos Flat is a company that is part of the Your Lisbon Flat Group that since its inception aims to provide the best experiences to its customers when it comes to spending a wonderful holiday in our contry. We are committed to always providing the best service from the time of booking until the time of checkout. We believe that the experience that is carried out during the trip is what matters most and goes beyond offering good conditions to guests. What we seek is to create memories and ensure that our guests feel at home while enjoying their time with us.

Welcome to one of the most traditional and unique restored Portuguese hamlets in the Algarve in southern Portugal, the “Casas da Capela do Monte” at Monte da Charneca near the village of Barão de São João, Lagos. Set in beautiful and peaceful countryside just 10 min. from the beach of Praia da Luz and 15 min. from the city of Lagos, the houses are located in a historical area of the western Algarve that enjoys an average of 300 days of sunshine a year and can be visited all year long. Seven typical houses form the hamlet locally known as Monte da Charneca, a farming community that like many others in the region fell into abandonment and ruin over the decades. The owners have spent the last 30 years sensitively restoring the cottages with a local heritage architect, and currently live in three of the cottages. Four cottages in this unique hamlet are available for holiday renting, all named after traditional trees: Casa da Laranjeira (The Orange Tree House), Casa da Oliveira (The Olive Tree House), Casa da Ameixeira (The Plum Tree House) and Casa da Amendoeira (The Almond Tree House). The most important feature is the unique Hillside Chapel, the “Capela do Monte” designed by Siza.

This exceptional chapel is Siza’s (Álvaro Siza, most famous Portuguese architect) first completed project in the Algarve and has driven significant international media coverage, a regular stream of visitors and interest from all over the world. It is currently open by reservation only, but guests at the houses are welcome to book a visit. The rose-colored Capela do Monte can be reached only by way of a foot path. The one-story structure, with a footprint of 10.34 x 6.34 meters (34 x 21 feet), is built without electricity, heat or running water, relying on natural ventilation and materials (insulated brick, limestone and tiles) to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Siza has designed the chapel’s cross, altar, bench and chairs, all produced by the Oporto-based carpentry and furniture design firm Serafim Pereira Simões Sucessores, and has made drawings for murals depicting scenes from the life of Jesus, realized in tile by the Portuguese company Viúva Lamego. A churchyard (or adro) of roughly the same size as the building extends the chapel to the west.