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Travel
The nearest airport is Oporto, which is an hour's drive along an almost deserted motorway. Although we are willing to transport visitors from the airport, car hire is highly recommended as the village itself is quite isolated.
Distances
We are 4 kms. from the A3 motorway and 110 kms. from Porto. The nearest town is Vila Nova de Cerveira, which is 4km. The Atlantic Ocean is 10 kms. away but there are beaches all along the river from Vila Nova de Cerveira onwards. The tourist town of Caminha is 10 km. and Valença is 7 km. The town of Viana do Castelo is 41 km. and Braga,and Vigo, in Spain, are both 50 km.
Ponte de Lima is 30 km. The beautiful Peneda-Gêres National Park is 40 km.
Further details
There is only one small shop and café in the village but there are excellent restaurants and opportunities for shopping and sight-seeing in the surrounding towns of Valença, Viana do Costelo and Ponte-de-Lima. You may even catch one of the many festivals.
Banking is available in all these towns and cash-point machines are abundant. They all give information in your chosen language when you insert your card. Valença has a fortified city which has been turned into a tourist attraction where you will find shops selling all the local handicrafts. Towels and linen are particularly cheap. Every town also has a weekly market where these items are also available. An hour’s drive away is, of course, the city of Porto where you can visit the port wine lodges and take a trip down the Douro valley.
Booking notes
A deposit of 25% is required on booking and the remainder is payable on arrival. We will accept cheques in Sterling and/or you can pay in euros or travellers cheques. Please quote Direct Holiday Bookings when contacting us.
Changeover day
Arrival and departure times are at your convenience.
Golf
We offer special golf packages, which include transport to and from Oporto airport and the golf courses for up to 4 people, B&B, all golf fees and an evening meal in a local restaurant, or you can mix and match your golf with a family holiday.
We use two golf courses – Ponte de Lima, a 6605yd. par 71 woodland course, in Portugal and Mondariz, a 6369 yd. par 71 parkland course, in Spain. Ponte de Lima is a beautiful, well laid out undulating course. The 3rd hole, a 684 yd. dog-leg right is the longest hole in Portugal and one of the longest in Europe. The Mondariz course runs alongside the river Tea and is reasonably flat with elevated tees and wide fairways, with well-protected greens. The signature hole 17, Par 3 has water on the right and a ten foot high sheer faced bunker on the left. The 7 night package includes 5 rounds of golf and costs £466 p.p and the 4 night package includes 3 rounds of golf and costs £266 p.p.
Beach
The nearest coastal beach is at Caminha, 10 km. away, at the estuary to the Minho and there are several more to choose from along the coastal road to Viana do Castelo, 40 km away. There are also several small river beaches at Cerveira, 4 km, and beyond. All the beaches are very large and sandy and almost deserted for most of the year. There are also several areas with rock pools. There is also a beautiful river beach at Ponte de Lima, 30 km.
Accessibility
Although our property has not been specifically adapted for wheelchairs, our property is on the level and the ground-floor rooms are easily accessible for wheelchairs. There is one small step from the car park to the patio area and another into the house itself. There is a further step down and up again to the corridor leading to the bedrooms. The garden area is fairly flat, although we are in a mountainous region and the surrounding countryside is fairly hilly.
Outside
You will enter The English House via the car park, which can accommodate six cars.
To your left is the house and secluded swimming pool area and to your right is a short path to the orchard. The swimming pool is 6m x 11m, 1m – 3m deep. It is surrounded by a patio area, covered on two sides by the house porch. The other two sides are hedged. The acre of orchard has plenty of room for the playing of ball games or for just relaxing with a book or chatting to friends. There is a round stone table with sunshade and chairs and also a rustic bench. Other chairs can be provided if necessary. Between the car park and the swimming pool there is a small courtyard with table and chairs. On the patio by the swimming pool there is a large table, which can seat up to ten people, where breakfast can be served if required. There is a small BBQ which we are happy to man if requested. Two other tables and loungers are also available in this area, as well as a comfortable sofa.
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