Alto Alentejo, Luz, Portugal

It's seven in the evening. You've carried two glasses up to the roof terrace, the sun is dropping into the Atlantic over Luz bay, and the only sound in Porto Dona Maria is the swifts. Downstairs, the pool is still warm from the afternoon.

This is a two-bedroom villa with a study, on a 600 m² plot in one of the quietest corners above Praia da Luz, with everything you live in on a single level. It has been looked after properly by its owners: no tired corners, nothing waiting to be fixed. You could move in next week.

The living room runs the depth of the house, from the wood burner at one end to wide glass doors at the other that open straight onto the covered terrace and the pool. Whitewashed arches lead through to the dining area and the kitchen, so light comes in from every side, helped by an interior patio at the heart of the house, and the whole space feels calm and airy rather than big for the sake of it. The kitchen is warm wood cabinetry, pale stone-effect worktops, a deep ceramic double sink under the window and built-in double ovens. Cooking here feels like a holiday, not a chore.

Outside is where the house really lives. The covered terrace has a reed ceiling that keeps it shaded in August, with room for a lounge corner and a long dining table a few steps from the pool. There's an outdoor kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven, a mature garden of palms, olive and citrus trees, and gated off-street parking. Then you climb to the roof terrace: a private, open-air space with sea views towards the bay and the hills, made for sunset drinks and slow mornings.

Both bedrooms are bright and quiet, the main one with its own shower room. A separate study gives you a proper place to work from home, and there are three bathrooms in total, plus a pantry and storage.

Porto Dona Maria sits just above Praia da Luz, a few minutes' drive from the beach, the seafront cafés and the village shops. Burgau is a short drive west, Lagos with its marina and old town about 15 minutes east, and Faro airport roughly an hour away.

Key features
2 bedrooms plus a study, 3 bathrooms
Single-storey living, 148.2 m² private area, 167.2 m² gross construction area
Plot of 600 m²
Private swimming pool
Roof terrace with sea views
Covered terrace with outdoor dining and lounge area
Outdoor kitchen with wood-fired pizza oven
Wood burner in the living room
Mature garden and gated off-street parking
Quiet residential setting in Porto Dona Maria, Praia da Luz
Beautifully maintained, ready to move into

Happy to show you around in person, or to talk through life in Luz first if you're still deciding which corner of the Western Algarve suits you.