grand design
Review Submitted: September 14, 2008
Date of Stay: July 2008
My partner, our 11 year old son & myself had a wonderful two week stay at Lily Cottage in July / August 2008.
I've already recommended it to several people as we were so impressed. We would love to stay there again.
The directions supplied are excellent & our excitement built as we drove up the winding road through the forests. We were not disappointed! The view from the large courtyard-terrace is breathtaking.The standard of finish of the property is superb.[if only we could find a builder of this standard in England] The house is spacious & well laid out, all on one level. It was immaculately clean throughout & had everything you could wish for. Sergio, the caretaker was extremely helpful & speaks superb English.
The property is gorgeous & set in a stunning location down it's own little drive. We didn't see another soul when 'at home', but were only a couple of minutes drive from the nearest village & the local 'mercado', which sold everything from fresh bread to wood burning stoves- & everything in between!
The nearest town is Ponte de Lima, it is a quite small but lovely town, probably about the size of Stroud in Gloucestershire. We spent a lot of time there as there was so much to do- including the 2008 World Horseball Championship [free of charge], International garden festival [1 Euro for adults, under 16's free], river beaches, outdoor pool, mountain bike racing on a course through the town centre etc. There is an excellent restaurant 'Sabores do Lima' where we ate several times, local specialities are delicious & lovely staff, reasonably priced & portions ample[ which include an array of side dishes]- we found that 2 'half dose' portions was ample for the 3 of us & the restaurant is happy to serve 2 meals for 3 people- unlike England!
The cottage is well placed for visiting many places- we went to Porto; the wetlands reserve; Ponte da Barca- which has an excellent river beach, lovely walks & also has a castle which is being renovated & 60 famous stone granaries,the national Park, the beach at Viana do Castelo is excellent & very safe, with areas for kite surfing, surfing, swimming, windsurfing etc. You can drive straight to it with Tom Tom, alternatively park in the underground car park on the seafront & take the hourly boat taxi. The beaches on the river Lima are great & child friendly, especially at Ponte da Barca & Ponte do Lima. The largest weekly market in Portugal is held in Barcelos & is worth a visit.
Owner's Response: It is most gratifying after all the hard work of the rebuilding and refurbishing of Lily Cottage over the past two years to receive such a glowing review. We look forward to your return and again would make you most welcome.
Thank you
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Helpful votes: 3/3