What an amazing grand house and such a lovely hostess. Maria was all warmth and charm. She thoughtfully bought a few provisions so we wouldn't starve the first night; including a chocolate egg each for the kids and wine for the adults!
We were a group of three mums and six kids; ages ranging between 4yrs and 7yrs. The house worked perfectly for us, as it had a large private enclosed garden, plenty of room in the house for the kids to spread out and only a short stroll to the beach and local amenities. Maria also kindly dropped off 6 large boxes of Lego, which the kids LOVED.
We were aware from the reviews about the train noise, so this came as no surprise. The trains did seem noisier at night, probably because the six shouting kids were finally silent but also possibly because they move freight during the night. However we quickly got used to the trains and none of us were kept awake by the noise so it wasn't a problem.
We stayed at Maria's for 5 nights and didn't feel the need to hire cars. It's very conveniently located. We used Uber from Porto airport and Maria kindly booked us cabs for the return trip. Otherwise we walked and used the train to get around.
All in all we had a beautifully relaxing holiday in Maria's gorgeous house. Thanks so much Maria!