Refugio dos moinhos

Just Awesome. Great and lovely owner. The houses have alot of style and character. We had an excellent time.

This is our third stay in this property. We love both the location and the owners' professionalism. A highly recommended spot to relax and enjoy what the nature has to offer.

I'm not giving this rental two stars to negatively impact it, but to draw the attention of future renters of these cabins. I've only read glowing reviews, which aren't wrong, but they could have been more detailed. The location is quite nice, close to Porto and the ocean. The owners are a very friendly, welcoming, helpful, and truly endearing couple. I wanted to add a review explaining a bit more how a French couple in their fifties, more into hiking, the countryside, and finding great deals, ended up in this place with the woodhouse as their little nest. We wanted to hike, explore, and get away from it all in Portugal, and if possible, spend our evenings for a week in a quiet, simple, and natural setting. I should mention that I've always lived in the countryside and have a background in agriculture, so I have no judgment on the location. Alright, let's go! We arrived with GPS, or rather, without it, by the grace of God 😁. Diogo greeted us; we had rented a Seat Ibiza FR (yes, you'll see, it's important). We each had a large rolling suitcase (well, for a week...). He suggested we park somewhere in the village, which I think was about 600 meters from his rental. We climbed into a beat-up 4x4 so he could drive us there. A rutted track plunged into the forest. We were rescued like Orangina, and I checked if it would be possible to get through with the rental car. We finally arrived at a long, electric wooden gate in the middle of the woods. A house straight out of a Netflix series was to our right, and a road that climbed like Mont Ventoux 😱. He drove us to the very top of his property, where the pool was (the best feature for the summer; frankly, it was quite beautiful and well-positioned). Then he drove us back down to our cabin. The area is really lovely for people like us. We visited the cabin, and he explained that the cats sleeping on the terrace were there. I think that's fine if it's moderate, but it's more complicated here. If you eat on the terrace, it quickly becomes cat country. It's late May, and the weather is beautiful. I decided to arrange to come by car to unload our luggage. He gave us a parking spot under his house. That's when I realized that the Seat is really only suitable if you've already driven in truly challenging terrain; otherwise, forget it. We only carried our suitcases down. The other days, we left the car in the village and walked back, so it worked out fine. We carried the suitcases down, and you're immediately immersed in the atmosphere: hiking boots are a must, and you have to push with your thighs. Once inside the cabin, we had two suitcases, but 🤔 there was no storage space. One suitcase was on the coffee table, the other on the sofa; the living room was completely full. Then, since we were settling in, we took a closer look. There was a table and two chairs on the small terrace for eating, neither cleaned nor maintained—not a great start. We checked what was available for eating: two large water glasses, and cutlery that was, well, not enough, and not suitable. Okay. Then there was the bed. Well, you really had to be prepared to sleep on the mezzanine. We'd seen that in the photos. However, the smell in the cabin was really unpleasant and it only got worse as our stay progressed. On the other hand, while we were freezing in the morning, it was incredibly warm in the evening. The bedding was actually quite comfortable. A small fridge downstairs plays the sound of light rain on the cabin all night. And on our first night, we ate on the terrace after cleaning up, only to find ourselves under several flight paths 😱. Planes fly back and forth between 5 a.m. and midnight 🫣 The pros: location, hosts, nature, pool. The cons: comfort, condition of the premises and equipment, cleanliness, the shower, the wastewater draining under the cabin, the airplanes. I'm including the least unflattering photos to help you understand my description. You might really like it, but ask questions beforehand to avoid being surprised like we were.

A great place to spend a lovely holiday, with a nice host in the middle of nature and not far from the sea and Porto.

A very special place on the hillside above the river, nestled among the trees where the birds chirp and the stream rushes.