Beautiful 3 bed farmhouse apartment with pool

Beautiful ground floor apartment for 6 people, with pool, BBQ, fire pit and table tennis table. Near Braga and Guimarães, but set in the mountains. Large open-plan sitting/dining room/ kitchen. Satellite TV and Netflix. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Swimming pool and terrace, with wonderful views, surrounded by fruit trees. Guests pick their own fruit. Fresh bread rolls daily for guests, who arrive to a tasty snack - bread, wine, cheese. A good location to explore the north of Portugal. The space A traditional granite farmhouse, restored in the year 2000. Set in the middle of the mountains but only 15 minutes from Braga and Guimarães. The apartment (spanning most of the ground floor) is independent of the main house, guests having a separate entrance to the owners. The apartment is spacious, with 3 large bedrooms (one with a super king size bed), 2 bathrooms, a large sitting room and kitchen, with a kitchen island. There is Central Heating and a wood burner. Free wood. The kitchen is well equipped, with washing machine, dishwasher etc. The TV in the living room has English, French and German TV as well as Netflix. This room in the past had no windows as it was the wine house - now it has windows on 3 sides! The double doors lead out to the patio and BBQ. The pool is a minute's walk away, along a wooden pergola, planted with jasmine. 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. Guests are welcome to accompany Virginia on her dog walks or pop down to visit the little flock of Cameroon sheep. Fruit trees abound and guests can eat whatever is in season. There is always an abundance of oranges, lemons and kiwis from January to April. The azure blue tiled pool measures 6m x 6m and is 1m45 deep - access is via a small ladder, with 3 steps. The pool/terrace has magnificent views over the hills. There are sun loungers, tables and chairs. It is illuminated at night. There is a table tennis table in front of the house - with bats and balls provided. And swings in the garden. The area is rich in history with churches, monasteries, gardens, museums, ancient Celtic settlements, castles - as well as restaurants and cafés. Braga alone boasts Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Angolan restaurants - as well as hundreds of Portuguese traditional restaurants. 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 40 minutes away by car, however it's possible to park the car at Braga (or Guimarães) railway station and go there by train, for a more relaxing, stress-free day out. The bread man comes to the house every day - the owners treat guests to a selection of fresh bread rolls every day - guests merely have to collect the bag from the gate. For those who like markets, there is a Municipal Market in Braga - which is a great place to stock up on weekly provisions - fruit and veg, fish, meat, wine and cheese. Braga is only 15 minutes drive away, as is Guimarães - both Roman cities are well worth a visit - steeped in history and culture. Every town has its market - if you're in Porto, do go to the Bolhão market (open every day except Sunday). Barcelos market, every Thursday, is the biggest in Portugal. It's the place to go to pick up colourful hand painted cups, jugs and bowls. If you like cycling - drive to Ponte de Lima, hire bikes and cycle along the river. It's a beautiful cycle ride - as long or as short as you choose. The seaside is just 30 minutes away - Esposende, Apúlia and Ofir are the closest. This is a real home from home. In the Winter guests arrive to a warming fire and afternoon tea. If they arrive too late to go food shopping, Virginia often makes dinner for them. Overall, a unique setting, in the mountains but near everything! Guest access Guests can sit in the garden, visit the goldfish and frogs in the fish tank and explore the forest behind the house. The pool has sun loungers, tables and chairs. There is a BBQ next to the patio and a fire pit. The owners have a second property on the farm, with its own pool - this is an independent property and is private. Each house has its own pool! Other things to note We have a cat, 2 dogs (a Golden Retriever and a Labrador), chickens, goldfish etc. None of the pets are allowed into the apartment. 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. But, it's best not to arrive here at night when it's your first time here. Much easier in daylight. There are several restaurants (all reasonably priced) in the neighbourhood - one is almost within walking distance (but a steep road). Braga is full of excellent restaurants - mostly Portuguese but also Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Angolan and Italian... 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. This could work for shorter stays...where guests hate the idea of driving in Portugal. The property has 2 rental properties (the Farmhouse Apartment and the Pool House) but each is totally independent of the other. The pools are far apart - so there is no problem with noise/lack of privacy. The pool for the apartment is 6m x 6m 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 owners buy bread rolls for their guests. In the winter there is a huge quantity of oranges - and the apartment has a juicer. In the summer there is always a glut of plums - guests can help themselves. Lemons are available throughout the year. 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). Registration Details 10308/AL