The story of a rebirth · 2022 – 2026
From a forgotten ruin to an exceptional villa
This is the story, in pictures, of the rebirth of Vila Flamingo — a nearly three-hectare estate in the heart of the Algarve, between Ferragudo and the Lagoa countryside. Season after season, façades, roofs, gardens and the pool were patiently restored, blending traditional Portuguese craftsmanship — azulejos, stone arches, a vaulted wine cellar — with the most contemporary comfort. From the earliest visits to the latest aerial photographs of July 2026, here is that transformation, year after year.
May 2022 — the estate as it was found, before any work.
The origins · 1998 – 2021
Originally, there was nothing here but a modest rural dwelling, surrounded by orchards of citrus, almond and carob trees. The land was bought by a Brazilian real-estate investor, who set out to turn it into a true manor house — never quite finishing it before bankruptcy caught up with him. Buried in debt, the owner abandoned the property, which then stood empty for nearly twenty years. Shortly before it was sold, it was flooded by heavy rain, vandalised and looted: the great unfinished building fell into decay as nature reclaimed the grounds. It was finally sold at judicial auction on 3 November 2021 — the beginning of its rebirth.
Why “Flamingo”?
In its heyday, the estate housed a genuine private menagerie. At its centre, a very large pool was home to a colony of pink flamingos — which gave the villa its name. All around, in aviaries and enclosures, lived zebras, birds and rare animals, while the main living room held a saltwater aquarium of lobsters, crayfish and sea fish. The monumental pool could not be preserved, for planning reasons, and the cages have since disappeared — but the spirit of the place lives on in its name: Vila Flamingo.
A constraint, a choice
Current planning regulations no longer allow a house of this size to be rebuilt on this plot: were it to disappear, it could never be rebuilt to the same scale under today’s legislation. It was this constraint that guided every decision — to preserve as many of the original elements as possible, rather than demolish and rebuild.
Year after year
The transformation in five milestones, from ruin to restored estate.
The starting point · May 2022
The original house and its pool, before any work
The shell left as it was, in raw concrete — the nearly three-hectare estate and the old oval pool, just as they were found. The original azulejo sign already bore the name that would endure: Vila Flamingo.
November 2023
Clearing the grounds, replanting the orchards
With the structure secured and the façades rendered, the long work of clearing the nearly three-hectare estate began. The grounds were cleaned and tilled and the first citrus and fruit trees replanted — echoing the orchards that once surrounded the house — while the old pool area was opened up to the landscape.
Structural works · July 2024
Façades rendered, new roof laid
The villa freshly whitened under the Algarve sun, the pergola’s timber frame rising, the new pool taking shape and the villa’s decorative ironwork back in place — the project comes together.
Finishing touches · March 2025
The new pool filled with water
The pool filled at last and the grounds landscaped, the interiors were completed — the living and billiard rooms, the long table seating twenty, the preserved wooden kitchen and the vaulted stone arches all brought back to life.
Today · July 2026
The restored estate, seen from above
Pool and landscaped gardens, the façade and its paved driveway, nearly three hectares of orchard and lawn — Vila Flamingo today, seen from the air.
Read the full story of the restoration
Restoring without betraying
Throughout the project, we sought to preserve the soul of the house wherever it could be kept: the azulejos in the entrances and kitchen, the stone fireplaces and door frames, the wooden doors and the built-in bedroom wardrobes were mostly preserved. The original wooden kitchen was kept too — it had such a distinctive character that it would have been a shame to tear it out. Some details still tell the singular story of the place: the front doors are said to have come from a bank in Portimão, as did the grilles that once protected certain windows, removed to let the light in.
Modernising without losing character
Whatever the old house could not offer was entirely rethought: plumbing, wastewater drainage, water storage and electrics were all completely redone. Originally there was neither air conditioning nor heating — both are now installed throughout, alongside bathrooms and kitchens built to today’s highest standards. Rainwater is systematically collected to feed the property’s water tanks, with any surplus redirected to a well; on the electricity side, solar panels and batteries now provide close to 80% self-sufficiency in renewable energy.
Furniture between past and present
The villa’s furnishings combine modern pieces with antique furniture, in a spirit that is both refined and warm. Most of these antique pieces are of French origin, adding a further European touch to this quintessentially Algarve home.
A garden reborn · an ecological approach
The garden, left wild for two decades, underwent a large-scale replanting as part of a resolutely ecological approach. Fruit trees — citrus, olive and almond — were replanted in a spirit of conservation, echoing the orchards that surrounded the property in its earliest days. The land also held tonnes of debris and waste of every kind, including plastics and asbestos-containing materials, all treated and recycled in accordance with current environmental regulations. The garden was entirely redesigned, as was the pool itself, reshaped to sit harmoniously within its new landscaped setting — making the property today a genuine green haven, respectful of its environment.
Endless potential
Among the rooms available, a vast basement — soundproofed when the house was rebuilt — can host a wedding banquet, or music and dancing late into the evening. The sheer scale of the property leaves room to do — and imagine — almost anything.
A team effort
This extraordinary rebirth owes everything to a small, close-knit team whose dedication and skill, day after day, perfected a renovation as ambitious as it was remarkable. A house a little out of the ordinary, set within such a preserved corner of the Algarve, deserves to be shared and respected — we hope you will enjoy it to the fullest.
