My family of 6 (four children) stayed at Filomena's house for a week. It was the perfect base to use to relax, explore the area, and day trip into Porto.
Filomena is the Portuguese grandma we never knew we needed. She is warm, welcoming, loves children, and is a fantastic cook. We felt like we were staying with family the entire time we were there.
We speak no Portuguese, and Filomena speaks very little English. We used Google translate to make communication work and it was a fun part of the experience. Filomena's son in law pops into the house occasionally and he speaks English well, so we would occasionally clarify fine points with him.
The farm is quaint and functional. They took us on a little tour to see the animals and pick some berries. There were occasional deliveries of fresh vegetables. The house and farm portions are separated by a road and a gate, so we could allow our 2 year old to roam freely around the garden without worrying about her harassing the goats. The guest apartment upstairs is ideal so you can hang out in the garden and be social, or retreat to the apartment and have privacy.
We took advantage of the option of having Filomena cook us traditional Portuguese meals every other day. She prepared delicious traditional food served family style. Most of the ingredients, including things like chickens, come straight from the farm. It brought back fond memories of visiting my grandmother as a child, so it was fun to see my children have a similar experience. A word of caution: it can be a lot of food, so bring your hunger. Filomena listed 3 dessert options and we thought we were picking one. Nope, it was all 3! My kids were in heaven.
There are plenty of activities to do in the area. We spent a couple of days in Porto, went to the beach on the river, and hiked in the surrounding mountains.
I saw that other reviewers didn't always have a car. While I think it's possible to make it work, I'd recommend renting a car so you can see the countryside. The beautiful hiking park is a 10 minute drive up the mountain. It's also probably possible to get a bus in to Porto, but with 4 kids we appreciated the flexibility of throwing them into the car when we finally got everyone ready.
We will have fond memories of our time in Portugal, largely because of this experience. The next time we're in Portugal, we will certainly stay with Filomena again.