Welcoming guests to a cosy and family home, filled with stories and wisdom, Colégio Charm House opened its doors in the summer of 2021, in the center of Tavira.
Thus, another family project was born, in the hands of Cristina Guevara and José Carlos Gonçalves.

But the family’s story doesn’t just start here…
From a busy life to one of the most charming places in the Eastern Algarve, Cristina and José Carlos had their own ideas of how life should be lived.
They had the desire to find the perfect place to bring family and friends together, where comfort and privacy are predominant, this quickly became a family’s goal.
In 2016, their daughter Marta and her partner Tiago, both decided to change their lives after the birth of their son Francisco by pursuing a dream, that is how Conversas de Alpendre was turned into reality, a rural tourism in Vila Nova de Cacela.
After a while, Cristina and José left their careers behind and headed down to the Algarve to devote themselves to their family and business.

On the lookout, they were interested in the “charming” building in Tavira, watching it go through several states of conservation but never completed. The building shortly became a new target for the family. Three years ago, they embraced the challenge and continued to do work on the old palace turning it into a unique and charming space, guided by the well-known elegance and good taste of the family.

The history of this charming building goes back to the mid-18th century, when the king of Portugal D. João V offered a large part of land around Tavira to his cook, a native of Tavira, as a token of gratitude for his loyalty and service to the court. The cook wanted his newly acquired wealth to be reflected in the construction of a palace.

The palace was a typical manor house at the time, adding a very typical architectural trend of the Algarve – the scissor truss. Inside there is a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception).

The palace was a typical manor house at the time, adding a very typical architectural trend of the Algarve – the scissor truss. Inside there is a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception).
After several generations over the decades, in 1957 the palace was transformed into an only boy catholic college of Nossa Senhora das Mercês (Our Lady of Mercy) and later in 1971 it served as a local section of a college in Faro. Many of the citizens of Tavira who attended the college still remember their recreational days.
With the construction of schools in the southwestern part of the city, the building was abandoned, empty and degraded for about thirty years. After a few years of rehabilitation, Colégio Charm House finally appeared. Comfort was added to the story. The architecture and the original walls and stones were honored and modernity was added. A space for details and stories was created. With Tavira in the center and in the center of Tavira. Along the river Séqua and the Ria Formosa. A place to create special and unique memories. A space to enjoy friends and family.

Colégio is a space to experience, learn and remember. We want you to experience Tavira and Ria Formosa and their spaces, history and delicacies. We want you to learn to live slowly, with quality and to enjoy life in the company of those who give you pleasure. And we want you to remember the Algarve, the past, the new and found friends, the long conversations under the Algarve moonlight. Memories for a lifetime…

Try it. Learn it. Remember it.