Rare riverfront property with AL license: Ready-to-inhabit retreat with 8 suites near Silves

Eight bedroom suites, a watercourse running through the land and licensed accommodation in its second year of operation. Ideal as a retreat space or for small events, this exclusive property is sold fully equipped, with bookings for 2027 already in the portfolio. It's almost seven in the morning and mist still settles over the water. You descend through orange groves to the yoga deck, close enough to the river to hear the current, and for twenty minutes nothing else exists in the Algarve. Guests say almost the same thing upon arrival: it feels like Bali. Green, wood, water everywhere, and a silence the coast doesn't have. By eleven o'clock there will be sixteen people around the pool and the house will have another sound. By late afternoon there's space to gather fifty people in the same spot, with the outdoor bar open and the barbecue lit, on an evening that guests still remember long after returning home. The property occupies one of the rarest plots ever licensed right beside the Arade River, between the historic city of Silves and the Arade Dam. The watercourse runs through the property itself, and that's what gives it privacy: valleys on all sides, no through traffic, no neighbours within earshot. Built in 2007 and completely renovated, with work completed in 2024, it operates today as a licensed Short-Term Rental, leased in full to groups of up to sixteen people. Interior Eight double bedrooms, all en-suite, with air conditioning and heating, most with private balcony. A ninth versatile room adds a treatment room, office or staff accommodation, depending on how you wish to manage the house. Nine bathrooms in total, in 450 m² of built area, with finishes designed to welcome guests week after week. Behind the guest area is what most retreat houses lack: a professional kitchen prepared to serve a full house and an independent laundry room sized for rotation. Whoever takes on this property can receive without improvising. The common room is the meeting point at the end of the day and comfortably seats sixteen people. Exterior This is where the Bali comparison comes from. The land is organized as a collection of distinct spaces rather than a single garden, with wood, vegetation and water instead of lawn and pavement. Heated pool with surrounding deck. Outdoor sauna and jacuzzi for the wellness component. Outdoor kitchen with barbecue for long evenings. Decks distributed across zones, so a yoga session, a family lunch and someone reading alone can happen at the same time. And the yoga deck, right above the river, which is the most photographed element by guests. The orange grove descends to the water. The urban plot is 700 m², plus 4,470 m² of rustic land with a citrus orchard, arable cultivation and the watercourse bed, totaling 5,170 m². Live and operate at the same time One of the floors can be reserved as private accommodation for the owner, keeping the rest of the house in operation. This appeals to those who want the income without handing the entire property to guests, or to those who want to be present and personally host retreats instead of hiring someone to do so. Location Silves and its castle are about ten minutes away, close enough for an evening in the historic center and far enough to hear nothing. The Arade Dam, with river beach and canoeing, is just a few minutes up the valley. The coast is what surprises: Ferragudo, Carvoeiro and the beaches of the center and windward side are less than half an hour away. Faro Airport is about fifty minutes away. Wine estates, the Monchique mountains and four golf courses are within short distance, and already part of the property's offering. Features 8 double bedrooms, all en-suite, with air conditioning and heating, most with private balcony, plus a ninth versatile bedroom 9 bathrooms, 450 m² of built area (395 m² private, 55 m² service area) Urban plot of 700 m² and rustic parcel of 4,470 m², 5,170 m² total Frontage on the Arade River, with watercourse running through the land Yoga deck over the river, heated pool, outdoor sauna, jacuzzi, wooden decks Professional kitchen and independent laundry room, sized for full capacity Outdoor kitchen with barbecue, decks distributed across zones Common room, citrus orchard, open valley views Construction from 2007, complete renovation finished in 2024 Licensed Short-Term Rental, operating as private group rental and retreat space, capacity for 16 people Possibility to privatize one floor as owner's residence while maintaining operations Energy Certificate C Sale as operating unit, fully equipped, with 2027 bookings already in portfolio Business Note This is an operating unit, in its second year of operations, not an empty house with an attached license. Occupancy rates, operational history and future booking data are available to qualified buyers, under NDA. The Short-Term Rental registration is held by the operating company, and the structure of the transaction, asset or share sale, remains open for discussion with respective advisors. Riverfront land on the Arade doesn't appear on the market often. A licensed, renovated and operational version appears even less frequently. Schedule a visit.