Ethical Accommodation Paredes de Coura, Portugal - Responsible tourism, ecoaccomodation, sustainable holidays/places to stay

quinta da chanca

property description: Quinta da Chanca is a 5 acre farm on the eastern slope of a small valley running north from the River Coura. Most of the property is used as grazing land, guests are of course welcome to stroll in the pastures. The remaining area is used as gardens and, in addition to a wide range of kitchen garden vegetables, we grow vines and have planted several new citrus trees to accompany the existing orange tree and the mature olive tree which overhangs the swimming pool. The three houses of the property are located on the uppermost terrace and the middle house is used as a holiday cottage.

Reiki treatment/tuition and printmaking/painting tuition are also available. Rebecca has an art degree in painting and printmaking and is also qualified as a reiki master.

accommodation: comprises two double-bedded bedrooms and a lounge/dining room/kitchen upstairs. Both double-bedded bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms (washbasin, bidet, toilet, bath with shower attachment).

Further equipment/facilities in and for the cottage include:

Kitchenette with full facilities (oven, hob, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave, washing machine, tumble dryer).
Complete set of equipment for guests with babies (cot, potty, high chair etc.).
TV (satellite reception for full range of BBC TV and radio programs), also Portuguese and German/French free-to-air programs.
DVD player (we have many discs we can lend you – especially children’s films).
Wide selection of board games.
Central heating (radiators in all rooms) hot water powered by solar panels and also a solid fuel stove in the lounge (firewood supplied).
Outdoor dining area in courtyard with BBQ for free use by guests. This courtyard has been newly paved for this season, with cubed cobbles replacing the former gravel surface.
Swimming pool (open air, heated using newly installed state of the art environmentally friendly air source heat pump).
Cleaning/changing of bed linen and bath towels at the end of each week.

Other features we provide are:

Welcome hamper with bread, butter, milk, juice etc. for your first breakfast, also complimentary wine for you to celebrate your arrival on holiday.
Guests are welcome to pick vegetables and fruit for their own use, subject of course to what we currently have available and in season.
Complimentary shampoo and bath/shower gel.
Bath towels and pool towels are provided.

location: The property offers attractive views over terraced fields. The hills behind the house provide extensive scope for walking (we have 4 cm to 1 km (1:25,000) maps available to help you with the tracks). There is a small shop in the village for basic provisions and bread can be bought every morning from the bread van. Should you choose to hire a car, you will find the local town (Paredes de Coura) offers various restaurants and an adequate selection of shops. The A3 motorway (Porto – Valença) is about 10 – 15 minutes drive away. Larger towns include the Vauban fortress at Valença (20 mins.), the regional centre and port of Viana do Costello (45 mins.), the gateway to the Peneda Geres National Park at Arcos de Valdevez (35 mins.), and Braga with the magnificent Bom Jesus shrine (45 mins.). Other towns you may be interested in visiting are Porto (just over 1 hour), Coimbra and Santiago de Compostela (both around 2 hours). The beaches around Vila Praia Ancora are just about 50 minutes drive away.

pricing and contact details: please contact owner for further details:

Simon or Rebecca Dixon

Quinta da Chanca

Val – Ferreira

4940-261

Paredes de Coura

Portugal

Tel.: 00351 251 788 201

Fax: 00351 251 788 202

E-Mail: davis.rebecca77@gmail.com or simdix@fastmail.fm

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