Alvor Bay · Algarve, Portugal
A working smallholding minutes from Alvor — the Studio and the Wooden Cabin, an Ironman veteran's private gym, and Pina's garden-to-table breakfast, all part of the stay.
Where you'll stay
Both are fully independent, with private entrances and the run of the garden, the gym and the grounds. Choose crisp and modern, or rustic and full of soul.
The Studio · Modern & independent
Freshly renovated and entirely your own — private entrance, full kitchen, a modern bathroom and dedicated parking. Bright, calm and easy, with the garden just outside the door.
The Wooden Cabin · Rustic & atmospheric
A cosy timber retreat tucked into the green. Wooden beams, soft light and the sounds of the garden — an eco-friendly hideaway for those who want to properly slow down.
Our story
From Lisbon to Cascais to the Algarve — Fernando and Pina built a life around movement, food, and open doors. Stay with them, and you're not just booking a room. You're pulling up a chair.
Ironman veteran · Triathlon pioneer
One of Portugal's original triathletes, Fernando has been racing since the sport's earliest days in the 1980s — and he's still at it in his 70s. Ask him about training, local routes, or his next Ironman. He'll pour you a coffee and tell you everything.
Fernando was born in 1953, and by the time triathlon arrived in Portugal in the 1980s, he was one of the very first people in the country racing it. National titles followed across several distances, then the Elite Iberian Championship, then a place on the Portuguese national team — racing at the 1992 ITU Age-Group World Championships in Huntsville, USA, and on elite circuits across Europe.
He never really stopped. In his master years he came back sharper than ever: national Duathlon champion (2015), national Aquathlon champion and Iberian Sprint Triathlon champion (2016), national Triathlon vice-champion (2017). Since 2018 he's been chasing Ironman distances — finishing Ironman Lanzarote, widely considered the toughest Ironman course on the calendar, and earning a start at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France.
Now in his 70s and still racing in the Veteran V5/V6 categories, Fernando likes to say age is just a number — Longevidade Desportiva, sporting longevity, is the whole philosophy. Ask him about any of it over coffee on the terrace and he'll happily walk you through four decades of racing, point you toward his favorite local routes, and probably talk you into an early morning training session before you've finished your first cup.
Master chef · Head gardener
Pina's path ran from the Philippines through Istanbul, where she cooked at master level in one of the city's top kitchens, before settling in the Algarve. Today she runs the garden and the stove — and no one leaves her table hungry.
"Chatting with Fernando and Pina is like opening a secret book on training, nutrition, and global culinary arts."
— what past guests say about staying at Damas Home
The grounds
Organic vegetable beds, fruit trees, chickens, a private gym, and a hammock in the shade — the grounds guests get to wander, and Pina gets to harvest from.
Free, exclusive guest access to a fully equipped gym — weights, machines and kettlebells. Keep your routine, or start one with tips from an Ironman veteran. The Autódromo and the region's best cycling routes start at the gate.
On request, start the day with Pina's homemade breakfast — built on whatever the garden gives that morning. Genuine, nutrient-dense, home-grown food that fuels a good ride and a good mood alike.
Not just "pets allowed" — built for them. A fully fenced garden, space to run, shady trees and hosts who love animals. Quiet countryside walks start right at the door.
Location
Damas Home sits in Mexilhoeira Grande, just off the A22 — deep enough into the countryside to be peaceful, close enough to reach everything the western Algarve offers.