Set on a south-facing hillside overlooking the Lima valley, less than half an hour from the Costa Verde, this newly-restored hideaway snuggles between two immense granite boulders. The 130m2 split level bungalow comprises 2 bedrooms, with the possibility of a third, a large living-room/dining-room with galley kitchen and 2 bathrooms. It has a fully equipped kitchen, satellite TV, a woodburning stove and gas central-heating. The living-room leads to a terrace (framed by olives, wisteria, and bougainvillea) and terraced gardens, with views towards the historic town of Ponte de Lima. The house has its own well with fresh mountain spring water. It's a very stylish house, with polished wooden floors and antiques, and has been very tastefully decorated to make a truly comfortable holiday home. The particularly charming garden is in perfect harmony with its delightful surroundings.
This house is immaculately presented, fully equipped, and with linen and towels provided. It has full central heating for winter guests and logs for the wood burning stove, and is an ideal haven for out of season and long-stay guests. The garden is enchanting and has everything to enhance your visit - BBQ, outdoor furniture and little hideaway places in the garden to savour and really get away from it all. There's plenty of shade in the garden with a wealth of mature olive trees, seating in the form of a fairy ring of granite stones or you can take the wooden steps down a terrace to yet another corner of this fairytale paradise. It's the perfect setting for a totally relaxing holiday.
The secluded, private location making it the perfect choice for total repose but convenient too, and its location makes it easy to discover all the treasures of this unspoilt, friendly region. For those who enjoy rural sightseeing, just touring around, or taking some long walks, there's the rugged, wild countryside of Peneda-Gerês National Park, and further away the Douro Valley provides plenty of opportunity. The villages and country lanes of Alto Minho offer a landscape from an earlier era, rising to more than 1000 metres, and providing great views in all directions. There's plenty of history, culture and night-life in a dozen towns within a short drive. There's karting, canoeing, surfing and fishing, and the World Heritage City of Porto. The traditional Romarias, folklore, singing, dancing and decorative crafts and costumes provide an unusual taste of the local culture. And the famed cuisine of the Minho region can be found in restaurants galore, accompanied by Portuguese wine - one of the world's best kept secrets!
The 100 km stretch of the Costa Verde offers many safe, clean beaches - international competition surf beaches, sandy, rocky, wide, discreet, family, romantic beaches - you can go to a different one each day to suit your mood. The variety is amazing and though the Atlantic water is never very warm, the summer sun is guaranteed to be scorching. The local hills also have many mountain pools and waterfalls that are good for bathing, and there are also warm, sheltered river beaches on the River Lima a few kilometres away.
For golfers, the excellent Ponte de Lima course is very nearby. With its a bucolic scenery of mountains, vineyards and fruit gardens, it's a course typical of the Minho region. Par 71, 6005m, including Portugal's longest hole at 622m (par 5).
The village of Calheiros (walking distance from the cottage) has two mini supermarkets, cafes and bars. From the cottage, the River Lima with it's famous 16 arched Mediaeval/Roman bridge can be seen glistening in the distance, and Ponte de Lima, Portugal's oldest town, is well worth a visit. It's famous for its Monday market held twice a month since 1125, and has a comprehensive selection of locally made embroidered linen, carved wooden furniture and knick-knacks, blankets, rugs and wicker work. In May there's a famous bull run through the town; in September there's a lively fiesta with colourful processions, singing and folk dancing. There's a host of other events through out the year, including show jumping /dressage in June, a Medieval Fair in May, an International Festival of Folklore in August, a Wine Festival in June and a Garden Festival throughout the summer. Basically, a week here, at any time of the year, simply isn't long enough.
