The Pool House, with its own large salt-water private pool, is a wonderful place to have a holiday break. The house is modern, with high sloping ceilings and pine doors. As the view is beautiful, over the distant mountains and villages, windows abound. It is difficult to say if the view is better by day or by night, with the pool illuminated and up-lighting onto the stone walls and the olive trees! There is a fire pit where you can sit in the garden, warm your hands and roast marshmallows, enjoyed with a glass of port.
The front of the house has bi-fold doors, opening onto the lawn, with a completely private 12m x 6m azure blue tiled salt-water pool, with a walled-in garden. The depth of the pool rises from 1m next to the house (4 steps in) to 1m75 at the far end. There is a solar shower next to the pool, sun loungers, parasols, with various tables and chairs throughout the garden. At the end of the garden there is a private car-park, for guests' use only. The house is surrounded by flowers, fruit trees, vines and olive trees. The house is set in the mountains but is only 15 minutes from Portugal's 3rd largest city, Braga and it is 5 minutes from the village of Longos, with several cafés and restaurants.
Right behind the house are woodland paths through the eucalyptus and cork trees - so you can walk to the parks and gardens of Sameiro and then, if you're feeling energetic, walk on to Bom Jesus, with its World Heritage status.
The owners have just bought a little flock of Cameroon lambs - guests are welcome to go and visit them or just watch them ambling along, one behind the other, from the Pool House garden.
In the morning pop out and pick oranges to make your fresh orange juice and every morning you'll find a bag of freshly baked bread rolls hanging from the gate - paid for by the owners.
There are various patios and terraces where you can escape to - with a glass of the house vinho verde (offered by the owners).
The house feels totally off the beaten path but in fact it is close to Braga and Guimarães. Taipas, with its weekly market, thermal spa, cafés, supermarkets, banks and shops is 7 minutes drive away and the village of Longos, 3 minutes away, boasts several cafés, excellent local restaurants and a mini-market.
Other amazing daily markets are the Municipal Braga market and the Bolhão market in Porto - hop on the train and get off at São Bento station. You could even book yourself in for a Food and Wine tour of Porto.
Fruit trees at the property abound - figs in the autumn, oranges, lemons, kiwis in the Winter, plums in the Summer. Guests are invited to help themselves. No extra cost whatsoever!
Guests arrive to a welcoming snack and wine/eggs/fruit from the farm.
Detailed description of the interior of the house:
The Pool House has 2 good sized bedrooms. The front bedroom has sliding doors onto the garden. The bed is Queen-sized (1.60mx2m). It has a large wardrobe, table, chairs, bedside lockers etc.
The back bedroom has twin beds (each is 1m x 2m), a large wardrobe, table, chairs etc. All the windows have electric blinds as well as white voile curtains.
The kitchen is fully equipped - dishwasher, washing machine, an electric built-in oven and an induction cooker, a built-in microwave. Hand painted crockery and cups, a large array of wine glasses and tumblers. A Nespresso coffee machine and a Coffee Plunger, lots of pots and pans. The kitchen has a table and chairs for 4. Also, a TV (with all the British channels) and snug area with comfortable chairs. Large sliding doors open from the kitchen onto the veranda, with a dining room table and another sitting area, with wall-mounted TV, sofa and chairs.
The veranda/sitting room has the dining area to one side, next to the BBQ and the sitting area to the other side, with the view - the 2 TVs show all the Portuguese and British channels (through satellite TV). The veranda TV also has Netflix.
The bi-fold doors can be kept shut on chilly days and open on hot summer days. There is a wood burner on the veranda, so guests can enjoy a room with a view (over the valley and the pool) as well as enjoying the atmosphere of a wood burning stove - only necessary in the winter.
All the rooms have central heating.
The bathroom has a large shower, heavy glass wash-hand basin and WC. Wake up to a hot shower using the beautiful fluffy bath and face towels, bearing the Pool House logo.
There is another bathroom near the pool, down a small flights of steps. It has a shower, WC, wash hand basin and is set on its own terrace, with a table and chairs - to enjoy a moment of quiet and calm, watching the setting sun in the evenings, over a glass of wine.
Nearby:
The seaside at Esposende is a 35 minute drive away. Porto is 1 hour away and it is possible to drive to the Douro valley and be back in time for afternoon tea.
If you like to feel you're in the country, but near shops, restaurants, wine bars, cinemas - this is the perfect place for you.
It is also the ideal place for the health conscious - in the Winter there is an abundance of oranges, lemons and kiwis.
5 minutes away is the spa town of Taipas - it's possible to spoil yourself at the 18 Century thermal spa. Lots of choice: indoor heated pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, Vichy shower, facials, massages etc.
There are many walks from the house itself - to arrive at Sameiro/Bom Jesus or, if you like to feel you're reliving the past, you could do part of the Santiago de Compostela trail, or drive to the nearby Celtic settlement of Citânia de Briteiros - and feel how life used to be over 2000 years ago.
The owner, Virginia, takes her two dogs out for a short walk through the forest most mornings - if you'd like to come along for the walk, just let her know. There are lots of forest trails with good views and she's happy to tailor the choice of walk to the individual.
If you enjoy cycling - a good idea is to rent bikes in Ponte de Lima and follow the river. The path goes as far as Viana do Castelo - maybe do part of the track and then come back and eat out in Ponte de Lima, which is a beautiful small Roman town.
For nature lovers, the Peneda Gerês national park is only 45 minutes away - and it has some breathtaking scenery.
This is the ideal place to be busy and see the north of Portugal or just sit back and admire the view.