Family Reunion At Mikki’s Place in Pera

We left our hillside retreat to drive down towards the Algarve coast to a site we had heard much about, Mikki’s Place (37.128399, -8.322735).

Alan’s cousin had booked into Mikki’s Place for 4 weeks and this was our chance to catch them up as they had left the UK in their motorhome a month before us. Alan’s uncle had moved from Northern Ireland to Manchester in the early 1960’s so the cousins didn’t get much opportunity to see each other.

Mikki’s Place is an eclectic campsite/aire located near Pera. It is a privately owned site opened by Dutch couple Mikki & Arno. Mikki is also a potter and sculptor and her work is visible around the campsite with many items for sale in a showroom near reception. She also exports many of her pieces back to Holland for sale.

There are a few showers and toilets on site. There are standard and premium pitches. The larger premium pitches cost €12 per night and electricity is metered if you want it. We were just able to squeeze on to a normal pitch for our 9m length which only cost €5.50 per night if staying a week. Longer stays attract even more discount. If you want electricity it is an extra €2 per night but as the weather was starting to warm up our solar panel was sufficient to keep us going, so the cost of staying is a real bargain.

The site was based around an ecological ethos. The bar had been made from recycled materials, the toilets and showers lined with Mikki’s handmade tiles and as much water as possible was reused for watering garden areas. At the side of each pitch is an area of AstroTurf to sit on which had been reclaimed from old all-weather football pitches. Some of these even still had the white lines on!

Around the site as well as numerous ornaments made by Mikki, there is a herb garden and a make shift swimming pool. There is a central area housing reception and also a large bar. Arno also does special meal evenings at a very reasonable price. His Peri Peri chicken is delicious and we found it to be much nicer than the restaurant reputed to have invented the dish just up the road in Guia. Save your money by avoiding the restaurant in Guia and instead feast on Arno’s chicken.

The whole site has a very friendly feeling to it and some long-termers from the UK even help out with gardening and bar duties. Needless to stay our 1 week stay drifted into 3 weeks with many a great night with family and new friends in the bar!

Before we had arrived, Alan’s cousin Roy had hired a car for 3 weeks. With still 2 weeks hire remaining we were able to use Mikki’s as a base taking day trips in the car to some of the surrounding towns and areas. We visited Faro, Evora, Monchique and some of the Algarve coastal towns of Albufeira, Alvor and down to the southwestern point of Sagres.