The Quinta is totally off-grid and solar-run. It's taken a long time and a huge investment, both in terms of time and money, to make it so, but we're proud to have done it and doubly proud to have done it without any "aid" from any entity either national or international. We grow a fair amount of our own produce and the garden is full of fruit trees and flowering shrubs. We're constantly improving both the garden and the Quinta as a whole, and every winter we have a project or two to keep us busy while we're closed, but the main bonus of staying here is the warmth of welcome and service throughout. We don't have TVs or mini-bars in the rooms, (in fact we don't have a TV at all), as the Quinta's the sort of place where you can get away from all that. If you need to have a TV constantly on to keep you happy, well, there are plenty of other places that will cater to your wishes, but the Quinta's not one of them. On the other hand we're not Luddites either and we have a relatively good satellite internet connection, so there's wifi throughout the property.

I have a dream of writing a book one day that'll be titled, "Birds, Bikes & Battlefields" as those three are some of the joys in my life. "Birds" as the Quinta is run as much for the benefit of our avian friends as for anyone else, "Bikes" because I've been in love with motorcycles since I was knee-high to a grasshopper and some of the happiest times of my life, (through rose-tinted specs of course), were the six years I was a Despatch rider in London, and "Battlefields" as I'm an avid history nerd. Having said that, there are plenty of other things that ring my bell, like healthy eating and having a good time! Emigrated here in '87, bought some land and built the place pretty well from scratch, including the 2 acres of garden, even down to the 4 kms access road. Daniela, my wife, and I have had a great time making something out of nothing too, and we've made some wonderful friends from all around the world doing so.

The lake the Quinta overlooks is often described as being both one of the largest and cleanest in Europe and has a circumference of 250 kms. With a busy day being the sight of more than five boats it is never crowded and the average water temperature between April and October is 82ºF, (28ºC), so warm enough to suit most tastes. The Quinta's isolated - don't make the mistake of coming to stay here if you need a disco on your doorstep - and there's plenty of space to get away from it all in the many nooks and crannies in the garden or in the surrounding countryside, but many of our guests appreciate it for the convivial mealtimes just as much as for its peace and quiet. Most meals are eaten together with your hosts and other guests, and though this might seem strange at first it is often remarked upon as being the highlight of anyone's stay with us. Further afield there are several small, sleepy villages within half an hour's drive with the nearest towns being 45 minutes away, and if you want beaches the sea is an hour distant. The surrounding countryside is a mixture of wilderness, cork forests, eucalyptus and self-sufficient homesteads where the locals are always friendly.