Roça Atalaia

La villa est exceptionnelle. Tout était parfait et d'une authenticité exemplaire. La vue, la décoration, l'ameublement, les services de Valerio pour les repas apportés chaque jour, sa gentillesse et ses conseils. La route est parfaitement praticable et très belle.

Petit détail négatif : l'éclairage à développer/ à revoir (pas assez d'éclairage et ampoule d'un blanc froid pas très agréable). Mais c'est un détail.

Tout était parfait au point d'avoir ajouté 2 nuits supplémentaires pour rester 1 semaine entière :)

A casa e o sitio são de uma extraordinária beleza. Um local muito especial que está bem apresentado no anúncio. O apoio e organização da estadia funcionaram muito bem. Estadia maravilhosa que guardarei em destaque na minha arca das viagens.

The view is incredible and it’s very private. There are no other houses nearby. There is a close beach you can walk to. The private chef, Valerie, was amazing. The food he provided was delicious, and he was also very helpful for anything else we needed.

The road to the house was very, very difficult because of the rain. We didn’t feel comfortable to drive our 4x4 down the road because of the condition, so we chose to walk most of the time. The solar panels also didn’t work because it was cloudy, so we didn’t have electricity for some days. We also had a problem one day with maggots falling from the ceiling and also the roof leaking during the night when it rained.

This is the kind of place I always dreamed of visiting. A rustic house in the tropics with calm surroundings. It's tastefully decorated and overall tidy. Kitchen is well equipped for cooking. The view from the verandah is stupendous! If you like birds, you can see the majority of the Principe island endemics right from the porch and even catch a glimpse of Tropicbirds and Brown boobies flying by below. People who maintain the place took good care of us and communication with the owners (in Portugal) went smoothly through WhatsApp. The owners are clearly keen to make your stay a memorable one in a positive way and have addressed many of the complaints in previous reviews like adding a mosquito net and fixing the lock.

While this really was a paradise for us, it might not be so for you. First, it's situated about 2 km downhill from the nearest village and you need to walk a couple of hundred meters uphill to even get a mobile phone signal. The road down requires a four wheel drive or a motorbike and might not be passable at all during the rainy season. This doesn't mean it's placed in a jungle though, the surroundings are well maintained farmland of mixed fruit tree plantations and there is another house being built just a few hundred meters above this one. People do pass by occasionally to go fishing on the rocky beach below (5-10min climbing along a steep hill). Second, the house only has solar power which is also used to pump the rain water collected for general use. The system didn't work optimally so there were times when we had neither water nor electricity available. The staff fixed it the best they could, but I don't know how the system works during the rainy season. Third, while the place is overall tidy and we had no issues whatsoever with rats mentioned in previous reviews, there were a lot of ants despite us doing our best to keep our food stuff in boxes. The kitchen would need a thorough cleaning as we found some open bags of stale coffee and sugar in the cutlery box and empty bottles lying around. If bugs are not part of your paradise then it's probably better to stay away from this place. Fourth, we were not impressed with the meals provided and chose to do our own cooking. The usual chef was not around though.

Remote, rural and unique

Amazing location! The view is the highlight. Principe Island is special and Atalaia helped us experience it in a unique way without the sterile resorts. The hosts are very responsive and will help with any arrangements and questions. You need to be independent, self sufficient and understand that this is an off-the-grid establishment with comfort limitations. Rain-water supply, solar power and difficult 4wd roads are part of the adventure. It has a fridge for cold beer though! I personally think you have to have your own 4wd car and have the skill to drive around the island. Arranging multiple trips to and from Atalaia would be impractical.

We were a bit let down with the chef experience. We expected cooking on site, but it was more of a delivery service of a packed meal. I understand the logistics of the operation, but was expecting different. Subjective opinion. Recommendations: A mosquito net and an additional fan. This will not be for everyone. Self sufficient adventurers only! Instagram warriors will be in over their head.

The view from this property is extraordinary, which is the star of the show. The accommodation is comfortable and spacious, in keeping with remote location. Hire the chef to make your life easier (and tastier).

Not a negative for everyone but it feels remote. If you need any assistance, there’s a whistle to blow and hopefully one of the team will be nearby to hear it…