Perfectly rustic and delightfully elegant, this fantastic villa in the vibrant landscape of the Minho province is the ideal home for a nature-loving, active group, able to accommodate up to 12 guests.
As you approach Casa Benedita through the rolling hills of the famous wine region, along with the winding roads dissecting vineyards and olive groves, you will delight in the mounting face of a most traditional and charming building on the horizon.
Beautiful stone windows, terracotta roofs and soft white walls create the most welcoming exterior of this grand manor house. Within, you are in for a real treat. You are immediately met with a charming, colourful hallway with an elegant stairway and complementary furniture all in a royal blue.
An ornate and intricate dining room offers a formal setting for group meals, while the living rooms provide a perfectly casual seating area, in front of the Satellite TV, ideal for a relaxed evening in.
A piano completes the larger living room, adding to the entertainment facilities on offer. The fully-equipped kitchen is spacious, with a large central island and direct access to the garden beyond, with room for everyone to contribute to the preparation of all kinds of feasts. There is also a utility room on this floor.
To ensure your total comfort, there is free WiFi, central heating and cleaning are offered twice a week free of charge. The bedrooms are a sight to behold. With three doubles and three twins, there is room for all the group to indulge in pure luxury.
Elegant four-poster beds, intricately designed wardrobes, drawers and bedside tables sit below beautiful ornate chandeliers, while colourful wooden pieces with brightly painted floral designs adorn the walls.
Two doubles and two twin rooms are found on the ground floor, while the other two rooms are on the first floor, alongside the main living areas. All six bedrooms are bright, spacious and utterly full of character, and all enjoy fantastic ensuite facilities.
The grounds are every bit as beautiful and exciting as the interior. With a private tennis court and huge, inviting swimming pool and beautifully landscaped terraced lawns and flowerbeds, there’s indeed something for everyone to enjoy whatever the weather, and whatever your mood.
Lie back in one of the pool-side sun-loungers, nestled under the great oaks and pine trees, and enjoy the perfect calm and quiet of the country!
What Oliver loves...
The panoramic views over the beautiful River Cávado Valley and the rising hills of the region, a deep green punctuated by the delightful terracotta roofs of nearby homes
Casa Benedita was built to honour and appreciate the tranquil lifestyle of rural Portugal, and as a result is full of charm and character
The grounds are varied and exciting, with fascinating ornaments and water features, and comfortable terrace areas complete with spacious seating areas and dining tables
While you will enjoy the scents and soothing sounds of the quaint countryside, there are still a few amenities, including several cafes and restaurants, within walking distance!
What you should know
The villa is about appreciating the tranquillity of the natural landscape and the character of rural Portugal – so naturally, it is relatively remote and might not suit those who like to be in the thick of it, with a 3km walk to the nearest amenities
The bedrooms are on the ground floor, and the living areas are on the first floor, so it is not suitable for wheelchair users, but for those with limited mobility there are two bedrooms on the same level as the living areas
While there is central heating, there is no air condition available – but the pool offers an excellent opportunity to cool off!
This home is a part of our Great Value Collection!
Our great value homes:
may be traditionally styled for a laid back feeling
may have some simple amenities and features
mean that you can enjoy top holiday destinations for less!
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The Local Area
About the surrounding area of Casa Benedita
<1hr to Airport
Rural Location
Outstanding Landscapes
Enveloped in vineyards and rolling hills of green, Casa Benedita is located in the beautiful Barcelos area of the Minho province, famous for its delicious wines.
At just 4km from Barcelo's city, you are ideally located to enjoy the quaint communities, local culture and the slow pace of life of rural Portugal. The town of Braga, the capital of the district, is about 25 minutes away and hosts many relics of the region’s diverse history.
The thriving town of Porto is about a 45-minute drive away and is a UNESCO World Heritage city, built along the hills overlooking the Douro river estuary, with a busy historical and commercial centre.
Porto is, of course, famous for its eponymous Port wine, a 40% sweet, fortified wine, and you can enjoy many a port tour, and we would highly recommend a visit to the various wine caves, both of which are thoroughly affordable and excellent value.
Minho is a fantastic, mostly rural region on the northernmost Atlantic tip of Portugal, bordering the Spanish region of Galiza, with which it shares many attributes. Minho is perhaps most famous as the home of the Vinho Verde, a crisp, dry white wine (although as the name suggests, it is, in fact, green!) best enjoyed with a local fish dish. Very lovely, and very affordable.
Minho is particularly special as it features the country's only National Park, the Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, which is less than half an hour from Casa Benedita, with around 72,000 ha of land. It is a mountainous nature reserve that includes prehistoric remains, walking trails, rugged hills as well as deer, wolves and golden eagles!
Portugal itself is a small, fascinating country at the most Western point of mainland Europe. The capital, Lisbon, is known for its lively nightlife, with endless bars and clubs full of fun-loving locals and tourists alike, but also has plenty of fascinating history (check out Belém, jam-packed with monuments!) and undulating terrain, famously termed the ‘city of the seven hills’.
From Lisbon, it is very quick to travel by the domestic high-speed train line to the city of Braga, which will connect you reasonably quickly to Casa Benedita.
With a vast coastline with the mighty Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is a real paradise for the keen surfer, or indeed even those looking to try it for the first time. And for those less keen on surfing, the beaches of Portugal are still well worth a visit for their beautifully clear waters.
The Region
Please be aware that the location tab shown on the website is not based on the property's exact location; therefore, all location amenities are an approx of facilities, restaurants, and villages/towns you might find around the property. The property's exact location will be provided to you before arrival and might come along with some recommendations about the area and what to visit.
ABOUT MINHO
The areas of Minho extend from the Spanish border in the north, south to Porto and east to the mountains of Vila Real. It is a green and fertile area of rolling hills encompassing the great rivers Minho, Lima and Douro, and the National Park of Peneda Geres. The countryside of the region is typified by long, sandy beaches bordered by pine woods, picturesque villages nestling among vine-covered hills, and historic towns such as Amarante, Guimaraes, Barcelos, Ponte de Lima, and Viana do Castelo.
The area encompasses a range of postcard-worthy landscapes and features that could almost be Portugal in microcosm: dreamy river scenes, high mountains, rolling vineyards, beautiful historic towns, dramatic Atlantic beaches, ancient religious foundations and mysterious archaeological sites.
Then there's the bold, sharp and fruity Vinho Verde to consider. This young wine is fashioned from the fruit of kilometres of vineyards that wind along rivers, over foothills and into Minho mountain villages.
But while you're enjoying one of our fantastic villas in Minho, you may well want to take some time out from all that sun worship to explore everything else the region has to offer – so we've put together this handy travel guide to give you a little help and inspiration!
