The Pool House, with a large salt-water private pool, is a wonderful place to have a holiday break. The house is modern, with pine 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 secluded 12m x 6m 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, just for the Pool House. The house is surrounded by flowers, fruit trees, vines and olive trees. Whilst nestling in the mountains, it 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 sheep - guests are welcome to go and visit them or just watch them ambling along.
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.
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.
Guests always arrive to a welcoming snack.
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 and overlooks the pool. 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 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 (Netflix here), sofa and chairs.
There is a wood burner on the veranda, and wood is provided.
All the rooms, including the veranda, have central heating.
The bathroom has a large shower, a heavy glass wash-hand basin and a WC.
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 45 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. A juicer is provided!
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.
In Taipas, walk along the river and you'll pass many old abandoned water mills. It's also interesting to spot the cormorants dipping in and out of the river, looking for their next meal.
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.
