Beautiful farmhouse apartment, with private pool.

Near Braga and Bom Jesus, but tucked away in the mountains. Large open-plan sitting room/ kitchen, with island. Sat. TV. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, patio with BBQ. Delightful TV/party room with Netflix. New swimming pool and terrace, with a wonderful view, surrounded by kiwis, passion fruit, fruit trees. Owners buy bread for guests - hung in a bag on the gate every morning. A good location to explore the north of Portugal. Braga and Guimarães within 20 minutes. The seaside is 30 minutes away. A restored farmhouse, set in a vineyard, in the middle of the countryside but 15 minutes from Braga and 20 minutes to Guimarães. The apartment is independent of the main house but the owners are at hand when necessary. Guests arrive to a tasty snack of traditional Portuguese food and wine from the farm. The apartment is spacious, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large sitting room and kitchen, with a kitchen island. There is Central Heating and a wood burner, for winter nights. There is a Cinema room, which has Netflix. It can also be used for Pilates or Yoga and makes an excellent party room, with dozens of little lights beaming out from the terracotta wine racks, and a disco ball with a sound system. Bring your own memory stick or CDs. The outside area is leafy and has wonderful views over the mountains. The house is nestled in the middle of the mountains with woodland walks all around, leading to the churches of Sameiro and Bom Jesus. Fruit trees abound and again, guests can eat whatever is in season. There is always an abundance of oranges, lemons and kiwis from January to April. A juicer is provided. The pool measures 6mx6m and is 1m45 deep - it is all one depth so not suitable for small children who cannot swim. Also, access is via a little ladder with 4 steps down - so not suitable for the elderly or infirm. It is in a beautiful location, with a view over the hills. There are sun loungers, tables and chairs. Illuminated at night. The area is rich in history with churches, monasteries, gardens, museums, ancient Celtic settlements, castles - as well as restaurants and cafés. Close by are: Bom Jesus/Sameiro, the Citânia Celtic settlement, the spa towns of Taipas, Vizela and Gerês. The beach at Esposende is only 30 minutes away. Porto is less than 1 hour away by car and it's possible to park at Braga railway station and go there by train (particularly if you want to try out a few of the local port wine lodges!). The fish monger passes the house three times a week and the bread man comes to the house every day - the owners treat guests to a bag of fresh bread rolls every day. The area has beautiful views and guests are surrounded by nature - vines, fruit trees, eucalyptus trees behind the house. For those who like markets, there is a new Municipal Market in Braga - which would be a great place to stock up on your weekly provisions - fruit and veg, fish, meat, wine and cheese. Open daily from 6am-5.30pm. Braga is only 15 minutes drive away and, apart from shopping, Braga and Guimarães are well worth a visit - steeped in history and culture. Guests can sit in the garden, visit the goldfish and frogs in the fish tank, go for walks around the vines and explore the forest behind the house. The pool is exclusively for those renting the apartment and has sun loungers, tables and chairs. There is a BBQ next to the patio, by the house. Guests can use the Exercise/Netflix room next to the Green Bedroom - it can double up as a party room! The owners have a second property with a pool - this is an independent property and is private. There is good interaction with guests as the family live at the farmhouse (with their private entrance at the back of the house). Guests can join Virginia on her dog walks and get to know the beautiful forest behind the house, with trails in all directions, some leading to Sameiro and Bom Jesus. For those who like wine, Virginia (a viticulturist) can organise a wine tasting (at a small extra cost), introducing guests to the wines of the region. In any case, guests are always given a few bottles of the vinho verde produced at the farm. Very well located -lots to see and do. The beach is 35 mins away. A spa in Taipas with massage treatments, indoor pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. History abounds - with the Celtic settlement of Citânia de Briteiros around the corner. From the house you can even walk to the famous Bom Jesus and Sameiro sanctuaries (gardens, lake, flowers, church, trails). An area of gastronomy and vinho verde - if you like eating out you'll be delighted with the choice and with the price at the end. Porto is only 1 hour away, so you won't be bored. Virginia, the owner, sends guests a list of all the places/things to do in the area - so they can come prepared. This is a very pretty area, well located to visit everything in the north of Portugal. The pool is illuminated at night and it is a pretty place to spend time - surrounded by kiwis, fig trees and fruit trees. Most people enjoy just sitting around here, glass of wine in hand, reading a novel and listening to the church bells. What 3 words: tenuous.brief.temptation A car is preferable here as there is a lot to see and do in the general area. The house is half way up a mountain and there is no bus passing the house. We have a cat, a Golden Retriever and a Labrador, chickens, goldfish etc. This is the ideal holiday for people who want to be in the country but near town. Our nearest town is Longos (2 mins away), then Taipas (5 mins away), Braga (15 mins away) and Guimarães (20 mins away). The drive up to the house (from the main road) is fairly steep but the road is good and there is usually no traffic. It's like a private leafy drive, with stunning views all around. There are several restaurants (all reasonably priced) in the neighbourhood - one is within walking distance(but a steep road). A car is pretty essential but there is a local taxi driver who lives 5 minutes away....and the Braga train station is 15 minutes away. There is a GetBus that acts as a shuttle between Porto airport and Braga/vice versa. This could work for shorter stays...where guests hate the idea of driving in Portugal. The property has 2 rental properties (the Farmhouse Apartment with pool and Events Room and the Pool House with pool) but each is totally independent of the other. The pools are far apart - so there is no problem with noise/lack of privacy. The new pool, linked to the apartment, is 6mx6m and has a flat bottom. The depth of the pool is 1m45 and access is via a short aluminium ladder - not suitable for small children or for the elderly. The thermal spa of Taipas (4 kms away) offers a naturally heated swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, massages, Vichy shower etc. The seaside is only 40 minutes away - there is surf at Ofir and nice walks around and other popular seaside towns are Apúlia (with good fish restaurants) and Esposende. The baker passes the house in his van every day and the fish monger comes every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday- great for BBQs. In the winter there is a huge quantity of oranges - and the owners give guests a juicer. In the summer there is always a glut of plums - guests can help themselves. Lemons are throughout the year. Free for guests. As the owners make vinho verde, a complementary bottle or two are given to guests when they arrive and during their stay. There are lots of nice walks behind the house. Bom Jesus has World Heritage status and it is a 10 minute drive from the house (or 45 minutes walking).