We (a family of three with a child of 4 1/2 years) had a very pleasant and comfortable stay at the house of João. João is very friendly and helped us in every situation. For us, the apartment was quite big. It was very clean and everything worked quite smooth. We had one issue - but that was immediately resolved by João (Thanks João!). Every morning we had our breakfast in the outdoor kitchen area which we really enjoyed.
There is a surf-camp hostel nearby and of course people there had a party from time to time, but it was not disturbing for us.
From the house it is a 10 minute walk to the beach (Areal Sul) which has a beach bar (Areal Beach Bar) that serves food and drinks the whole day (in good quality and price). The other next beach (which we found more comfortable for our child) is at Areia Branca which is a 15-20 minute walk from the house (along a nice boardwalk along the beach) or a 5 minute drive with the car. The beaches were obviously good for doing a surf course. At the Areia Branca beach there a some bars and restaurants and we especially enjoyed the icecream and the crepes at the Aquarius, the pizza at Pizzeria da Praia (reservation recommended) and the food at the Salty Beach Bar (the last two are perfect for watching the sundown).
People at the bars and shops were very friendly and speaking english worked very good (but starting with a friendly "Hola"/"Bom dia" and "Obrigrado" surely helps).
João suggested to visit the Buddha Eden Park (near Bombarral) and this was indeed a great experience (and not very expensive). We even thought about going there a second time - we really liked it. Another near-by activity is a visit of Obidos which is very touristic. It's a 30 minute drive. But it was a nice visit and we found also some quite places there.
All in all, the house of João was a great home for our vacation and we will remember our stay very well.
We'd like to thanksJoão and his wife very much for their friendly support.
Obrigado!