This is the posh Portuguese bolthole of under-fire ex SNP chief executive Peter Murrell.
The whitewashed home, just a few hundred yards from one of Algarve’s most beautiful beaches, is where Murrell and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon escape to enjoy the sun.
The personal lives of Murrell and and Sturgeon have come into increased focus since his arrest – and later release – amid the police investigation in alleged fraud relating to more than £600,000 of donations to the party.
A police source told the Sunday Mail they detectives were aware of Murrell’s part ownership of the villa but that it was unlikely to be of interest to them.
Their idyllic home away from the pressures of Scottish politics can now be revealed.
The two-bedroom property is contained within an exclusive gated village near Albufeira of around 150 serviced properties which includes access to a swimming pool and tennis courts.
The Sunday Mail tracked down the site last Thursday and found a painter on the roof of the villa which is understood to be owned by Peter and his sister, Lynn Murrell.
When we arrived, the worker, called Santos, said: “Do you know who owns this house? It’s the prime minister of Scotland.”
Nobody was in the property and most of the village was quiet with it being outwith peak holiday season.
But just on the edge of the village was a busy local restaurant where the Murrell family and Sturgeon are regulars.
The manager, Rui, said Nicola and Peter are regular customers and started coming to the area many years ago but he only found out who she was through an English speaking customer.
Nearby is cliff top bar with tables overlooking the beach and sea.
Peter and Nicola are regulars in there as well. A member of staff said: “They’re very low-key, good people, typical Scottish tourists.
“It is normal to see them sitting at the terrace and she sometimes drinks a gin and tonic before and after some of their meals.
“The customers on the terrace don’t mess with her because Nicola is super discreet.
“Neither she or her husband have ever done anything weird, they don’t order champagne or anything special, they are super normal, super quiet.”
He added: “Nicola is fun, it’s good vibes. She always comes to the area for one or two weeks a year.”
A customer in the bar even asked us about the controversy surrounded trans rapist Isla Bryson who was identified as a woman after carrying out sex attacks on two woman while a man called Adam Graham. Sturgeon, while first minister, faced anger in Holyrood because Bryson was initially sent to a women’s prison.
A source at the holiday village said: “Nicola and Peter haven’t been here for a while, neither has Lynn or her kids.
“They usually come quite often but it’s not common for them all to be here at the same time.
“Lynn and Peter have been coming her for a long, long time, since they were very young, because their parents owned the villa but I think it is now in their names.
“Lots of the villas in the village are timeshares or rentals but theirs is private and only used by them and anyone else they allow to go. They are very plain people, nothing fancy or lavish about their holidays, but they seem to have a relaxing time.
“Lynn’s children have been coming all their lives and love it as well, I think one of them brings their partner as well.
“It’s a lovely place to come and a very quiet area of the Algarve.”
Lynn’s son Cameron Coyne, who is SNP MP Anum Qaisar’s parliamentary staffer, is a regular visitor.
In March an unpublished ministerial register of interests from Sturgeon revealed that her husband had a half-share of a house in Portugal.
She stated: “A share of a house in Portugal is owned by my husband but is not leased or rented out and so I would
not consider it relevant to ministerial interests.” In August 2015, Murrell was at a restaurant in Albufeira where he tweeted a picture of his coffee had a “Nicola” stirrer.
And in 2016, in a profile in Holyrood magazine of Sturgeon it was described how they “spend their holidays alone at his parents’ time-share apartment in the Algarve in Portugal.”
It’s thought the villa was previously owned by his parents before being passed onto him and his sister.
Brits who own a home there can get a Portuguese Golden Visa.
It’s also one of the easiest places in the EU to retire to.
Investing there allows you to acquire a Portugal residence permit as long as you stay in the country for a minimum of 14 days each two years. Most people who buy a property over there have a Portuguese bank account which is used to pay the county’s equivalent of council tax and property management views.
It’s not known if the villa is owned outright or has a mortgage.
Lynn Murrell, Peter Murrell or Nicola Sturgeon did not respond to requests for comment about the villa situation.
The SNP last night would not comment on our story.
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