Favourite Places: The Too-good-to-be-true Portuguese Villa
How taking a risk on a new rental with no reviews made for a perfect stay in Portugal and why you need to visit too.
The villa holiday can prove to be an elusive beast. Almost always exceedingly expensive where a swimming pool is involved, for many of us it’s a holiday accommodation genre that feels a little out of reach, unless you club together with friends or travel off season.
A few years ago we decided to try and find out if an affordable villa holiday with a pool in August really was the unicorn it appeared to be. First we identified the cheapest places we could fly to as a family that summer - which were Zaragoza, Genoa, Marseille, Porto and Lisbon - then we started researching villa stays in the area surrounding each.
It quickly emerged that bargain flights didn’t generally mean bargain accommodation, but one area surfaced as a potential winner - the coastal stretch north of Porto. Accommodation in the region appeared to be below average for Europe overall and one place on booking.com stood out, a sprawling hillside property called Casa da Serra.
Close to the town of Viana do Castelo the property pictures looked too good to be true. Tiered pretty gardens led up from a vast villa to a BBQ area and onto an idyllic pool surrounded by seats and sun loungers, all with an amazing view. We scanned the listing for any suggestion that any of the grounds or facilities were shared and even asked directly. But no, the property was totally for the private use of villa guests.
As the accommodation was new to the website there were no reviews, but we broke our own rules and booked it anyway, hoping it would be as good as it looked. The great news was it was even better.
The Space
As a three double bedroom, two bathroom, two-storey villa, Casa da Serra felt like a total luxury for a family of four used to cramming into hotel rooms or small chalets.
While the house is beautifully renovated and decorated, it’s the grounds and pool that really stole our hearts.
As well as the handy built in BBQ and multiple sunny seating areas there’s a small swing for children, a separate laundry building and lots of sunny seating spots.
The Hosts
Casa da Serra isn’t just a holiday rental, it’s a former family home. As such it’s been renovated and is rented with the utmost care and attention.
Hosts Paulo and his daughter Patrícia speak great English and are on hand at check in to share their amazing knowledge about the region - including the area’s excellent wines and port. While they are quick to respond to any queries and live close by, they are also very discreet hosts - the dream combination.
The Town
The traditional town of Viana do Castelo is less than 15 minutes away by car (a car is essential for this one).
As well as shops and restaurants, the town boasts a stunning tiled church, Igreja da Misericórdia, as well as the Santa Luzia Elevator, a funicular type affair that takes you up to Santuário do Sagrado Coração, another incredible church with views over the town and beyond to the coast and the River Lima.
The Beaches
There are several sandy beaches within an easy drive. The closest is Paris do Cabadelo 15 minutes away, a vast stretch with a couple of good beach bars. A little further along 25 minutes away is Praia do Paçô - a quiet beach on a surfier stretch with one small beach bar selling essentials like drinks, sandwiches, ice creams and local custard doughnuts - and Praia do Carreço, a pretty, more remote spot accessed via sunflower fields and sand dunes.
While the beaches are beautiful they can suffer from sea mist on occasional days. The good news is when that happened during our stay it was always sunny back by the pool at Casa da Serra thanks to its hillside location slightly in land.
The Food
Viana is known for its delicious custard doughnuts, best bought from the town’s traditional pastry shop Manuel Natário, but available all over. Another local speciality to enjoy is the Francesinha, introduced close by in Porto in the 1950s. Available in most casual local restaurants here, this dish is thought to have been inspired by the French Croque Monsieur and features layers of toasted bread and meat topped with cheese and egg and covered in a hot gravy-like sauce made of tomato and beer. Local seafood restaurants all serve another regional delicacy, goose barnacles or “percebes”.
You can find more details about Casa da Serra on their website www.racialodges.com and book via booking.com.
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Thanks for reading and happy travels!