Wayne Rostron
April 26, 2012

On 15th of April we arrived at Spokes not really knowing what to expect . The very first sight of the villa was a perfect ramp to get into the building (always a issue going to new places) there is plenty of room to maneuver in my wheelchair and there was nowhere I couldn’t get to even the pool has an hoist. Within two days I was confident to have a good look about without having to worry about my wheelchair fitting etc.

The hosts Simon & Lesley are two of the nicest people I have met and had a good understanding of what people in chair need or want on a holiday we were so relaxed we didn’t want to leave the place ,the views were great anyway,even my care-giver got to relax and felt confident enough in my safety to get about.I would as a wheelchair user without any doubt that Spokes IS wheelchair inspired try it yourself you will agree.

We had a great week We will definitely go again. Wayne & Joyce Rostron

Andy Dernie
April 27, 2012

I have just spent a week at Spokes Algarve with my son Ben, who is currently a wheelchair user. The villa and the location could not have been more perfect for him, or for me as his carer.
Everything about the villa had been thought out to make wheelchair access natural and easy.
Whist we were in a small group, it is easy to see that the villa would suit a large group – plenty of space and fantastic accommodation, or singles / couples, with every room having its own garden or terrace with direct access to the pool.

A perfectly relaxing holiday for both of us, with Ben needing minimal assistance due to every possible requirement having been thought of.

Wonderful hosts and a perfect location.


Mayo Family, 2015/2016/2017

If you are looking for a holiday for someone with complex and or high dependency needs, you won't find anything better than Spokes.

Our 11 year old daughter has multiple, complex needs due to profound brain injury at birth. She is totally dependent on others for every aspect of her life and a nurse / carer team looks after her every minute of every hour, 24 hours per day. After accepting compromises for years, whilst our daughter was younger and smaller, we decided we needed to find a luxury holiday destination suitable for the whole family whose facilities, service and management would reliably meet not just our daughters needs but also that of the team that look after her.

From the first point of contact with Simon and Lesley at Spokes in 2013, in preparation for our 2014 summer holiday, it became clear that Spokes was perfect in every way. We found our experience of Spokes so positive in the summer that we returned for a further week in the October half term and we also booked our 2015 holiday too! Simon, Lesley and the team at Spokes have risen to the challenges time and time again of preparing everything needed in accordance with our requirements and ensuring that our holidays with our daughter are safe and successful including:

• Managing the rental of disabled equipment from local suppliers on our behalf.
• Providing Spokes own specialist disabled equipment.
• Arranging, installing and removing furniture according to our requirements prior to our arrival.
• Managing the adaption of Spokes own disabled equipment to our specification and requirements.
• Storing our own disabled equipment and assembling and preparing it ready for our arrival.
• Managing the adaption of our own disabled equipment to our specification and requirements ready for our arrival.
• Liaison and coordination with local holiday accommodation rentals to ensure the needs of our care team are met.
• Providing support to the care team, including transport, as required.
• Arranging specialist disabled wheelchair transport from and to the airport and locally as required.
• Providing a constant presence on site to advise as required and to ensure any issues arising are quickly and easily resolved.

You can depend upon Simon, Lesley and the team at Spokes to remove the uncertainty and reduce the risks of taking someone with complex and or high dependency needs on a foreign holiday allowing everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. Just how it should be!

Neil & Iona Mayo
Nottingham

I was lucky enough to be an assistant on our groups recent trip to “Spokes”.
We visited in May 2012 with one wheelchair bound disabled person, two carers and two others. Simon and Lesley pulled out all the stops to make us feels as welcome as possible, laying on great food and drinks, plus great conversation.

Our disabled client responded immediately to the great care and attention that we all received, but was particularly happy with the bright, happy and friendly nature of the location itself, and its owners.
The villa is absolute height of luxury and quality, with top notch fixtures and fittings throughout. Also immaculately finished and maintained throughout. It reminded me of one of those high-end villas or apartments that you see in travel magazines and brochures that you think that you’ll never get chance to stay. I cannot see why Spokes wouldn’t be able to cope with any disability. The other disabled villa that we visited in the Algarve was nowhere near as well thought out or designed.

Every possible type of equipment to assist the disabled visitors or carers is either onsite already, or is available upon request. Simons very clever, unobtrusive and flexible pool lift design is excellent, as are all the disabled fittings, hoists, beds and toilets. As an able-bodied “assistant” I hardly noticed the specialised equipment as it blended in very well.

Simon and Lesley did everything in their power to provide whatever we wanted, whether it was food or drink, or just a good long chat on any subject. All the food and drink, which was freely available, reminded me more of a luxury spa weekend instead of an Algarve holiday villa. Make sure that you talk Simon into getting you some of the local “hooch” called Medronho and some of the local light cream cake. Awesome!

The villa location within the Algarve is great for visiting Silves, Portimao, Vilamoura with the “Aquashow” waterpark nearby. The next time we are there in October 2012, we should be getting the use of a converted, wheelchair ready van, which will allow us to visit the area properly.

Again, thanks to the whole family for making us so welcome…

Praveen and Ouida  2016

A very BIG thank you to Simon and Lesley for all your help to make our summer holiday at Spokes one that we will remember with happiness. We have really enjoed time just relaxing in the villa and making use of all the great facilities that you have provided to allow my son to access the property and pool. Thank you again as your help, care, and support has really made a difference and we look forward to planning another holiday at Spokes
God Bless you both
Praveen, Ouida, Rachel, Daniel, Jeremy and Jessica
Reply
SAM and RosieJanuary 27, 2016 at 3:45 AM

Sept 2015
Wonderful stay,FAB villa, Ideal for 2 wheelchair users. Lesley was wonderful throughout. Would highly recommend this villa to any fellow wheelchair users...5 STAR all the way
Thank you from SAM ROSIE AND TEAM

First Accessible Holiday accommodation that delivered 100%”

My family including my 21 year old son is is a wheelchair user who cannot weight bear or self transfer visited this wonderful home for 10 days in June. We have had some nightmares with locations in the past and therefore a new holiday destination is looked upon with some trepidation. We found the villa an absolute delight. All amenities were provided as promised by our wonderful hosts and they could not have been more helpful. My son was so happy that we have booked to return next year for a longer visit.
The facilities on site for all the family both indoor and outdoor are spacious, well maintained and of a very high standard. We look forward to many more visits to Simon and Leslie and would recommend this location without reservation.
Stayed June 2016, travelled with family

Barry Kavanagh

Local Guide · 11 reviews · 11 photos

a week ago 19th July 2018

Just departing from our third holiday in Spokes Algarve. Once again all our requirements for our 23 year old son were fully met without fuss or bother. We were joined by friends as a group of 9 people. Everyone fully enjoyed the relaxed, tranquil, spacious and well equipped villa. The level of equipment and facilities for wheelchair users are excellent. Our son who cannot self support or transfer was easily able to access enjoy the pool and hot tub and all tables were of a height that he could roll under the in his chair. The bedrooms and wet rooms are fully equipped with hoist, change beds, and all you might need for the needs of even the most challenged guest. We look forward to returning soon. Thanks to our hosts Simon and Leslie.

In August this year my family and I rented Spokes Villa. My Dad has a high level spinal injury which leaves him Tetraplegic. It was our first family holiday since Dad's accident over 2 years ago. To say we were a little nervous was an understatement!
Right from the word go from being collected by the Taxi that our wonderful host Simon Barron arranged for Dad we were put at ease. On arrival at Spokes Villa we were thrilled. A very warm welcome met us from Simon. The Villa is beautiful and the ground floor fully accessible for wheelchair use. Dad finally had some independence as he could steer his electric wheelchair around the Villa grounds. All rooms are spacious and were very clean on our arrival.
The pool provided the best therapy for Dad, with transfer by hoist easily done. It was wonderful to see Dads Grandchildren spend quality time with him in the beautiful pool and many happy memories were made.
There were 12 of us in total but the Villa is so spacious you wouldn't have known. Simon and wife Lesley couldn't have done enough. They were always on hand to help but never intrusive. This was very welcome and comforting to know we had support if needed.
We will be back!!! Lloyd family 2019

“We can’t recommend Spokes enough. Upon arriving at the villa, all we could say was wow. It was late at night and the whole place looked simply breathtaking all lit up with fairy lights. The house is spotless and so well appointed. The pool is perfect and partially shaded and the gardens are stunning. There are lots of little nooks where you can escape the sun for a while and a hot tub with a back massage to die for. Our daughter is 13 and is ‘our wheelchair user’ and is totally reliant on us for everything but this was like a home away from home. Every piece of equipment we needed was there plus Simon was on hand should we have needed anything else. However, Spokes is so tastefully thought out it does not scream disability at you. Some places can seem a bit medical but Spokes is not obviously adapted by any means. It’s beautiful even if you don’t need accessible accommodation The use of the car was so appreciated and Simon was very helpful in showing us where everything was in the local area. We went on holiday thinking we would do lots of days out and evening meals but to be honest the house was just so lovely we ended up staying there for most of the time. It was hard to leave the peace and quiet and balmy evenings and to be honest I was quite grumpy on the journey home! I wouldn’t hesitate to book again as Spokes was everything we thought it would be and more.”

Ronson Family  July 2019

“Spokes Villa is beautiful, spacious and clean. We have found it very difficult in the past to find suitable accommodation for my son who uses a wheelchair and requires a hoist to transfer etc. Simon and Lesley have thought of everything you could possibly need and were so welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. The location is very private and peaceful and the music night at the local bar was good fun. Thank you so much Simon and Lesley for creating such a fantastic adapted holiday home! “

 Noble Family June 2019

When we booked the Spokes Villa, we really didn’t know what to expect but we couldn’t have been more pleased on arrival. Simon was waiting at the door with the kettle on and talked us through everything we needed to know about the villa, the local area, shopping, etc.

He and Lesley couldn’t have been more helpful and we’re always on hand to help when we needed it. They also left us to get on with our holiday, which meant the perfect balance of having someone close by without being in your face.

The villa was superb and very well kitted out for all our needs. The locals were so friendly and with the beach a short drive away, this was the best family holiday we’ve ever had.