This house is absolutely incredible and the photos on here do not do it justice in any way. It's in a different league to the way it looks in the photos. We had a wonderful 10 days here and felt so lucky and fortunate to have the opportunity to stay in such a wonderful place. The house is truly surrounded by nature and has uninterrupted views over miles and miles of mountains. The village itself is so pretty and quaint - it's like stepping back in time - it's full of character and there are no cars. We loved walking through the village down to the beautiful river where we swam. Seeing our 2 year old swim in a river for the first time was so special. There's also a tiny little café down there which is such a bonus. It sells drinks and hot dogs and is a lovely asset in place so small and remote. Everyone is very friendly, despite speaking no English and us no Portuguese.
The swimming pool is wonderful and there was always a gentle breeze with it being in the mountains. We also loved eating under the kiwi terrace which was always shady and cool. And we picked fresh raspberries and blackberries every day!
Patricia was an incredible host and couldn't do enough to make us feel welcome and comfortable. We are so grateful to her, especially for telling us to give our daughter a lemon to help with car sickness. It worked!
We also loved meeting Helena and Herlander. They are absolutely charming and their energy and zest for life shines through in the energy of their house. They are some of life's wonderful people.
Really, we can't recommend this place enough. It's a hidden gem and if you are looking for tranquility and a place to get away from everything, this is it! It's also easy to get to, being just 90 minutes from Porto and the local village of Alvarenga has everything you need. We had an amazing steak there in the restaurant next to the supermarket. My husband said it was the best he has ever eaten and he has eaten a lot of steak!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! We have family memories that we will treasure always and we are leaving feeling re-balanced and refreshed!