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Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal

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Photo gallery for Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal

A covered outdoor seating area with a stone bench and tables, surrounded by greenery and a stone wall.
Property video
A white house with a stone facade, a satellite dish, and a stone wall.
A living room with a stone fireplace, a television, and a staircase leading to a hallway.
A two-story house with a swimming pool, a balcony with outdoor furniture, and a small garden area.

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional

Entire home

3 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 8250 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Dryer
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Outdoor space

Explore the area

View in a map
Almofala de Cima - Aguda, Figueiro dos Vinhos
  • Place, Fragas de São Simão
    ‪10 min drive‬
  • Place, Penela Castle
    ‪12 min drive‬
  • Place, Church of San Miguel
    ‪12 min drive‬

Room options

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About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal

3 bedroom detached house with private pool, BBQ and patio area. The property sits at the edge of an authentic Portuguese village and has around 6000 m2 of land attached.

The village is in a rural area, perched on a hillside, about 5 mins drive from the nearest main town (Avelar), just off the IC8, near the A13. The house is within easy reach of the Coast (40 mins to Figueira de Foz) and Coimbra (around 40 mins). The roman ruins of Conimbriga are not far away and there are several river beaches in the vicinity.

The accommodation is on 2 floors; upstairs there are 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms and an ample upper terrace, sleeps 6/7; downstairs is an open plan space, including fitted kitchen, dining area and lounge with log fire and satellite TV. Outside there is an ample patio with pool, BBQ and downstairs toilet. There is access from the patio onto the adjoining land, which belongs to the house.
During your stay at this holiday home, you'll be close to Fragas de São Simão. You'll find features such as an outdoor pool and laundry facilities. The holiday home offers free WiFi and a private pool.
  • The holiday home offers a private pool, a kitchen and a washing machine
  • Free Wi-Fi (speed: 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices))
  • Take a swim in the outdoor pool
  • Amenities include laundry facilities and a terrace
  • 5.2 miles (8.4 km) from Fragas de São Simão and 12.4 miles (20 km) from Penela Castle
As a guest of Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal, you'll find an outdoor pool, a terrace, and barbecue grills. The family-friendly Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal also features a garden and laundry facilities. The front desk is open around the clock.

Property amenities

Beach

  • Beach loungers
  • Beach towels

Pool/Spa

  • Outdoor pool
  • Private pool

Internet

  • Available in the house: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Car required
  • Parking on site

Kitchen

  • Blender
  • Coffee grinder
  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Dishwasher
  • Electric kettle
  • Hob
  • Ice maker
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Paper towels
  • Refrigerator
  • Spices
  • Toaster

Dining

  • Dining table

Bedrooms

  • 3 bedrooms
  • Bedsheets provided
  • Sofa bed

Bathroom

  • 2.5 bathrooms
  • Bathtub or shower
  • Bidet
  • Hair dryer
  • Outdoor shower
  • Shower
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Dining table
  • Fireplace

Entertainment

  • Books
  • DVD player
  • Games
  • Music library
  • Smart TV with cable/satellite channels
  • Stereo
  • Video library

Outdoor areas

  • Balcony
  • Barbecue grill
  • Garden
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Terrace

Laundry

  • Laundry facilities
  • Washing machine

Comfort

  • Heating

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No lift (single-level property)
  • Smoke-free property

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • In a rural location
  • In a village
  • Near a hospital

Things to do

  • Fishing nearby
  • Hiking/biking trails nearby
  • Horseback riding nearby
  • Jet skiing nearby
  • Mountain biking nearby
  • Mountain climbing nearby
  • Rafting nearby
  • Spelunking nearby
  • Swimming nearby
  • Theme park nearby
  • Water skiing nearby
  • Winery tours nearby

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
  • Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
  • Fire extinguisher

General

  • Garden
  • Unit size: 2,691 square feet

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 6:00 PM

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Events

Events allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events are allowed on site
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions. You will also receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, which will enable you to manage your booking.
Property Registration Number 41818/AL

Property is also known as

Great Base Exploring Little Known Delights Central Portugal

Great base for exploring the little known delights of Central Portugal Reviews

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 33 out of 41 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 7 out of 41 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 41 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 41 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 41 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Steve M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Villa in Almofala de cima

Excellent house which is well equipped and perfect location to visit the center of Portugal.
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Paul W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Very well-equipped, fully private villa. Tucked away, but easy to find, everything works very well, the pool is lovely, nice views and a shaded area to relax in outside. We stayed in the height of summer, but if you are there in winter there are radiators and extensive opportunities for televisual entertainment in the evening. I've not much to add to the previous reviews - all still just as good in August 2025!
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2025
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Graham A.

Great Villa

The villa was fantastic and in a great location in Portugal (half way between Lisbon and Porto). The villa was very clean and well looked after with plenty of room to spread, both inside and out. The kids appreciated the satellite TV and enjoyed exploring the grounds. It is a great base for exploring this part of Portugal. Ed was extremely helpful and this is definitely a villa we would recommend.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Carol C.

A really lovely property in a great location.

We had a great fortnight at your house, thank you. It really is a lovely property in a great location. The house is beautifully furnished and, as we had read in other reviews, very clean and well equipped. The pool was most welcome as we had some very hot weather. We also found your comprehensive local information extremely useful in planning our sight-seeing. We managed to cover most of your suggestions and your comments were very helpful. We visited some great places - coast, rivers, mountains, towns & cities - all very different and surprisingly unspoilt and quiet. A great day out was the kayaking trip. Note for fellow coeliacs - pleasantly surprised to find gluten free products in the supermarkets, the Continente chain having the best range.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Daniel P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful house in dreamy hilltop location

This house was perfect. We've been renting holiday houses for about 10 years and this is possibly the best. Our family of four (kids aged 10 and 12) loved the size of the house, the cleanliness, the fruit trees in the garden and the amazing views but best of all we loved the fact that it has everything: a wide range of books, loads of DVDs, games, every last kitchen utensil and a bundle of hammocks. The house sits in its own land complete with olive groves and a quiet bench where you can sit with a drink and gaze over the hills. We stayed for two weeks in August 2019, the weather was mainly good though patchy - we were happy to hang out by the pool or play games indoors. We ventured out to Tomar, the National Forest of Buçaco and Coimbra all of which were great but family favourites were the beach at the São Pedro de Moel (great restaurants for lunch) and the huge dinosaur tracks at Serra de Aire. We'd not been to Portugal before but found it exceptionally relaxed and easygoing. The motorways are largely empty with very few macho tailgaters found elsewhere in Europe. We hired a car from Goldcar at Lisbon airport which was (relatively) painless - and shopped at Intermarché (Ansião) - 15 mins from the house (which had everything, including patience for dithering non-Portuguese speaking Brits). Every house has a downside, you can't always have everything, but any niggles with this place aren't worth worrying about. We were looking for a big house, in a quiet village, lost in a beautiful, remote, authentic region and we found everything we were looking for. Dan, Herts.
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2019
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Ana Sofia S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Passámos uns dias maravilhosos na casa do Sr. Ed! A casa é linda, funcional e tem tudo (mesmo tudo!) o que é necessário a um dia a dia duma família. O local é lindo e estava tudo impecável! Adoramos e esperamos voltar!
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Almerinda L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Coin calme , détente au bord de la piscine
Stayed 9 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Blandine D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

2 semaines magnifiques au Portugal

Nous avons passé 2 semaines de vacances magnifiques dans la villa de Mr Walters.Une maison propre, joliment décorée, spacieuse, toute équipée avec aussi de beaux extérieurs, paysagés et une piscine au top.Nous étions très bien situé pour visiter le pays, tant vers Porto que vers Lisbonne, nous avons adoré notre séjour, je recommande vivement.Merci à MR Walters qui répond aux messages très rapidement et au personnel de la maison adorable.A bientôt La Famille De Oliveira.
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

seigneur d.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Location parfaite

Location parfaite très agréable il ne manque rien Je recommande cette maison Propriétaire au top Un petit soucis d eau au départ le lendemain un plombier était la
Stayed 14 nights in Aug 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Bakhta y.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Un petit coin de paradis

Très très belle maison, très grande....joliment décoré Tout est parfait Superbe piscine pour le grand bonheur des enfants. Je recommande a 200%
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Estelle B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Location très Agréable

La location est très bien équipée. Agréable à vivre l été grâce à la combinaison terrasse/piscine/barbecue. Le propriétaire répond rapidement aux sollicitations. Bémol : pas de climatisation mais des ventilateurs sont disponibles dans toutes les chambres . Superbes vacances dans cette location .
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Paula G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

😊

Ótimo para descansar e para as crianças brincarem na piscina.
Stayed 13 nights in Jul 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Tiago F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

SEMANA DE DESCANSO

TUDO COMO ESTAVA NAS FOTOS, O SITIO É ESPECTACULAR, PARA DESCANSAR É 5*, E PARA VISITAR A REGIÃO TEM OPTIMOS PONTOS DE INTERESSE.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Eva T.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excelentes Férias

Expetativas superadas com esta casa! É muito melhor que nas fotos. Casa equipada com tudo o necessário para fazer refeições, muito asseada e localizada numa rua sem saída onde não há trânsito. Se o objeto é descansar, privacidade e recarregar baterias, esta é a casa ideal. 3 quartos situados em cima, uma sala e cozinha bastante amplas. Área exterior e da piscina cuidadas e muito agradáveis. Foi uma delícia para a pequena! Mesa de pedra que aparece nas fotos, está coberta por um excelente alpendre de madeira, proporcionando descansadas refeições. Adoramos tudo!!
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2020
Verified review

4/10 Poor

Filipe C.

Liked: Check-in
Disliked: Cleanliness, location

Limpeza e higiene

Localidade exelente para descansar. Longe de tudo. As fotos não estão atualizadas. Falta de relva, Jardim muito mal cuidado, toda a plantação toda seca com falta de água, assim como a casa, bastante suja, desde a cozinha aos Wc's, a equipa de limpeza faz o mínimo de trabalho, solicitado pelo proprietario. Aconselho que mude de equipa de limpeza. A casa é muito boa mas tem falta do ar condicionado, 3 ventoinhas é pouco para uma casa de 2 andares. Aconselho a visitar primeiro e pagar a reserva depois, a reserva não é reembolsável. Visto que tem o título de AL reconhecido na porta da casa. Deveria receber mais frequentemente visitas de controle.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

ricardo b.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Tudo 5 estrelas

Casa muito bem equipada com todo o que é necessário para umas boas ferias,o proprietário esta atento a vários pormenores para que nao falte nada na casa para a estadia,casa muito bem decorada tanto no interior como exterior. ADORAMOS já ficamos em varias casas e nenhuma tinha tao boas condições como esta. Fantástica.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Jose M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Férias em familia

Excelente local, calmo para passar férias em família.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2020
Verified review

8/10 Good

sonia s.

Liked: Cleanliness, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Check-in

Endroit genial

Très belle propriété dans un lieu très calme et bien située. Il y a tout ce dont on a besoin sur place. De plus pas dérangé par les propriétaires car ils ne sont pas sur place. Seul bémol personne a l'arrivée et aucune instruction pour obtenir les clefs. Impossible de contacter avritel et plus d'1h pour joindre le propriétaire des lieux. Malgré cela je recommande vivement lcette propriété
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2019
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Marie L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect place for a family vacation

We were a family of four and enjoyed every minute of our stay. Information level from the owner was excellent. The property had everything needed to feel both at home and on holiday. The pool was perfect and the outdoor seating areas met every need. Bakery in walking distance and various supermarkets reachable within short drives. It would have been nice with a restaurant within walking distance (hence the 4 stars on location). We highly recommend this house and hope to be able to come back some day.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Mirva I.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Very good villa

Beautiful Villa, great pool and the bbq. The house was as good as seen in the pictures and very clean. We (two families) spent lovely 1,5 weeks there and made a daytrips for example to Porto, Nazare, Coimbra and Figueiró da Foz. I can highly recommend this house.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Lucy V.

Hele mooie,grote villa met een geweldig uitzicht

We hebben een geweldige tijd gehad in deze villa, hij heeft alles wat je nodig hebt om een fijne vakantie te hebben. De eigenaar reageert direct bij eventuele vragen. Porto, Lissabon, Coimbra, Tomar, Fatima, Leiria, Alcobaça is allemaal te bereiken vanuit hier. Een echte aanrader!
Stayed 14 nights in Jul 2018
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Emily M.

Beautiful villa, great location!

We have just come back from a wonderful holiday in this stunning villa. The villa was spacious, clean and fully equipped. We particularly enjoyed the BBQ and pool area as we were lucky enough to have blue skies and sun all week. The house is surrounded by gorgeous views and is very peaceful- a perfect getaway! The surrounding areas are breath taking, we had a few trips out to the beach and a nearby lake where we went kayaking and stand up paddle boarding- ideal for a family holiday! All in all one of the best holidays we have had, came away feeling very relaxed! We will definitely be back- Thank you!
Archival

8/10 Good

Ronald B.

Zeer aangenaam.

De villa is erg ruim, erg proper en zeer goed uitgerust met zowat alle voorzieningen die je kan bedenken. Prima tuin en zwembad. Het huis ligt afgelegen in een zeer rustige streek, ideaal voor wie stilte en rust zoekt. De locale manager is zeer vriendelijk en behulpzaam. Het dorpje Avelar is vlakbij met bakker, (kleine) supermarkt, enz... Er zijn vele mooie uitstapjes te maken (naast Porto en Lissabon ook Tomar, Batalha, Figueira da Foz (strand), Fatima, Conimbriga, ...) - wel minimaal half uurtje rijden met de (noodzakelijke) auto. Aanrader!
Archival

10/10 Excellent

David S.

Relaxing, totally private villa with great views

The villa is situated on the edge of a small village overlooking the surrounding countryside. The villa is private and not overlooked. It is very spacious and very homely with nice personal touches. The ground floor is open plan but very large so the kitchen is well away from the seating area. We were there in April so the log fire was used every night - very atmospheric and there was no shortage of wood provided. Good selection of DVD's and games - we were hooked on Pulso so we are now buying it ourselves! The main bedroom was huge with separate dressing and sitting area, en-suite and large balcony. Two other good sized double bedrooms and a separate bathroom. Outside the pool was unheated, but even in April we were in it most days. Nice BBQ area with sink etc. Good selection of chairs, loungers and deck chairs. Separate laundry room with washing machine and dryer. The surrounding area is beautiful and drives into the hills recommended. Suggest you visit Fatima, Coimbra, Pumbal, Batalha. If you get chance further afield go to Aveiro, near Porto, the mini Venice.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2017
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Dominic W.

An ideal holiday

This place is ideal for a fantastic holiday. It is beautifully presented and equipped and is the ideal location for quiet lazy days by the pool with a chilled beer and something sizzling on the bbq. It is also well located for days out - during our stay we sampled the buzz of Lisbon, the culture of Coimbra, the excitement and beauty of kayaking on the Mondego river and the affordable and often excellent local restaurants. The holiday achieved the near impossible - leaving adults, teenagers and young children all agreed that they had a great time and keen to go back. Thanks very much.