Delightful, cosy, family friendly house & pool in the heart of Central Portugal

Casa da Bezerro is a cozy and private granite cottage situated in a quiet valley surrounded by woodland and located close to the lively village of Lagares da Beira. The house in unique being partly built into a huge rock, sensitively renovated and retaining its original character. Casa da Bezerro is totally off grid, solar energy provides power and the water supply comes from an underground bore hole, we offer modern comforts with low carbon use. The toiletries provided are completely chemical free and we supply seasonal fresh fruit & vegetables from our garden as well as free range eggs. On arrival you will find that food for your first breakfast is already supplied and guests are welcome to prepare their own meals in the fully equipped kitchen. Daily breakfasts are available on request and consists of fresh bread, fruit, yoghourt, eggs and homemade preserves. Evening meals can also be served if required, we have a lovely outdoor kitchen and dining area with a massive pizza oven and grill and offer a range of main meals using our own seasonal produce, evening meals include wine and a desert/cheese board. Additionally there are plenty of good restaurants in the area. Sheets & indoor bath towels are provided and a high chair and cot can also be booked at no extra cost. Well behaved pets are welcome, please check with us first. The house is comfortable for a family of 4 (with 2 children). It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom an open plan living room/kitchen and a wood burning stove makes the house lovely and warm in the winter. Outside there is a large covered terrace for dining, reading, sunbathing and relaxing, a barbecue is also available. Guests will receive their first breakfast hamper supplied free of charge, guests are welcome to prepare their own meals in the fully equipped kitchen. The views from Casa da Bezerro are lovely looking out over the terrace towards the gardens, a beautiful salt water pool, the River Cobral and the Serra da Estrella Mountains. Very little light pollution means that the starry nights are beautiful and the days are long and sunny. Wildlife is everywhere, birds, flowers, butterflies and mushroom hunting, it is possible to enjoy all this on walks directly from the Farm, we can guarantee you need never cross a tarmac road! There are many other attractions in the area. Swimming in the beautiful local rivers, horse riding, hiking as well as cultural sites, numerous festivals and produce markets to visit. Adventurous types are also catered for with off road experiences, mountain biking, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, paragliding and sailing, all within just a few kilometres. Only 1.5 hours away is the Silver Coast, famous for surfing with some of the best waves in the world as well as lovely white sandy beaches with fabulous seafood restaurants, of course. Then in the winter months it is possible to ski on the Serras, daily and weekly equipment hire and lift passes are very reasonable, the resort is only 40 mins drive away. Kids love our Quinta! Casa da Bezerra is a kids paradise. There is endless space to run and play with no roads, a small, cool and clear river with waterfalls and little beach areas to explore. In the summer months the water levels drop and exploring by hopping from stone to sandy patch to tree roots is exciting and totally absorbing. The river is cool and shady and teaming with wildlife, fish, frogs and water boatmen, take a bucket and net and see what you can find. If its hot and you are feeling lazy why not just get into a small inflatable boat and float down under the trees? For the more adventurous there are waterfalls and deep pools to play in, clamber down old weir walls built in Roman times and sit under the warm water cascades - bliss! We also have a glorious NEW salt water pool ready to use from March. The pool is 9 meters long, 4m wide with a lovely shallow end of 1m so its great for splashing, swimming and playing. This pool is situated just below the private terrace so you can watch the kids play safely while relaxing yourselves. If you want to sit closer we have sun loungers, hammocks and a cool shaded arbour right next to the pool. Wild camping - We can provide tents, sleeping bags and roll mats or you can bring your own camping equipment.  If renting our equipment we can set it all up for your arrival or if you want a full camping experience you can pick your spot and put up the tent yourself. Art and craft activities Throughout the year we can organise a range of craft sessions for our guests of all ages lasting around 2 hours (they may be shorter or longer depending of the activity and the ages of those taking part). So how about trying out something absorbing and new? we can provide stained glass, felt making, willow workshops making simple hearts, wreaths and stars, mosaics, masks and puppets, seasonal decorations, macrame, natural soap making, scented candles, tie dye, polymer clay and much more! All of these activities can be adapted for kids. There is so much to see and do but we also offer the peace and time to relax. Our Eco Credentials SUSTAINABILITY Modern comforts with very low carbon use We are a fully solar powered off-grid farm, we generate all our own electricity from solar panels on the roof which is stored in a large bank of batteries, this is then converted into 240v power so its usable in the houses. We do have a generator for use if it is absolutely necessary but this is rarely used and when it is we use bio diesel. The hot water used in the main house comes from solar panels on the roof, this is backed up in the winter with our wonderful wood fired ESSE range cooker, we use our own wood from our small woodland whenever possible. During the winter we also use a biomass boiler (wood pellets) which heats water for our underfloor heating. Casa da Bezerra has its own Sweedish built wood burner that heats up the whole house in very little time as the granite acts as a perfect heat sink, absorbing heat from the sun (even in winter) all day and then letting it out inside the house after dark. We can use our own sustainably managed wood in this burner as well. Our water comes from a bore hole and is collected from the underground source over 55m deep, water filters through solid granite to get there and is cold and crystal clear. We use this water for all our gardens and crop irrigation as well as in both houses for washing, cooking and drinking. Throughout both houses we use eco cleaning products and we have our own septic tank with a deep, long soak away system for the clean waste water. All our waste is sorted and recycled, the food waste goes to the animals so very little ends up in land fill. Our long term aims To source and erect a small wind turbine to help with electricity generation in the winter months especially. To continue to conserve and use less water. To carry on improving the irrigation system in the gardens possibly re-instating the ancient channels to irrigate the lower field. We will continue to strive to become a “No Landfill” household. To grow as much of our own food as possible from our own land. Encourage and record wild life, create new homes and habitats to help preserve and promote existing and new creatures. Improve our ability to support our local community and try to source as many of our own needs as well as those of our visitors from within a 20 km radius also to promote local activities and businesses to our guests. We would like to continue the preservation and encouragement for others to explore traditional craft activities.