Beautiful historic villa in Porto

My family of four had an amazing time at this fabulous villa in central Porto. The owners were very gracious hosts. They helped us plan our trip and made us feel at home. The villa is located only 15 minutes from downtown Porto. You can walk to cafes and grocery stores. There are family restaurants within 5 minutes from the villa. It was the prefect location to explore Porto and the fabulous north of Portugal.”

Total relaxation in Portugal

What a lovely place! Our group of six had a comfortable week long stay at Solar .Piedade. The converted convent, circa 1740, was once surrounded by enormous agricultural fields. Enough of that land still remains to give the guest a feeling of total privacy in this walled compound. The house is comfortable and very well equipped. The pool is set in a tranquil back yard, right next to the tennis court. We barbecued one night, and had a delicious dinner catered by our host family for a very reasonable price. Other nights we walked to a nearby restaurant or drove into Porto for Michelin starred gourmet meals. One huge advantage is that the property is not in downtown Porto, but a twenty minute Uber ride away. This location allows one to easily spoke out to Guimares and Braga, or the many seaside resorts, each within a thirty minute drive.”

Solar Piedade

a beautiful property in a quasi commercial area, we felt like we were on a fabulous island, and would stay there again. we had excellent access to many of the highlights of the Porto region, and with a rental car chose to travel daily. we used taxis to travel to evening dinners in Porto. the owner's staff could not have been more supportive. ”

Looks are deceiving

This is a classic old-world home on the outskirts of Porto. The home was likely a cornerstone of a regional estancia. Unfortunately, the land has been sold off and the surrounding neighborhood is no longer residential, but instead filled with light industrial related companies. The hosts were very nice to work with, but we had perhaps unrealistic expectations based on the photos and what we had read about the Porto area. ”

A beautiful estate near Porto

We arranged our stay with the owner Helder and he and his family could not be more welcoming and helpful. Header helped us arrange a special van & tour to get us from Alfena to Madrid for the last part of our vacation. He also arranged for his sister-in-law to cook us a wonderful, traditional meal at the villa. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best meals of the entire trip. Header's parents live in a separate wing of the estate and they were available if we needed them but, in truth, we rarely ever saw them. That is how private the estate is. The location is in Alfena, a suburb of Porto - I won't lie, Alfena is not a vacation spot, it's a working town. The villa is like the jewel or oasis in the middle of the town with electronic gates. There is a big dog who we called Joko and a couple of cats that stay outside but are very friendly. Getting into Porto by van/car takes about 20 minutes. The villa bathrooms were well appointed and modern. The kitchen included all the spices we needed for cooking. There are 2 refrigerators which was great and all the modern amenities to make your stay comfortable. There was a complimentary bottle of white in the fridge & red on the counter too. Great property, great hosts!”