If you don’t like amazing seafood, great prices, vineyards, hiking, charming villages and a restored house surround by vine-yards, then stay away!!! My husband, teenage daughter and I travel a lot and every three years rent a house with our best friends. Well, this was the year and Portugal was the location. It was my job to find the villa, so there was a lot of pressure to find something as wonderful as we’d had in Umbria. Well, this house was beyond everyone’s expectations. The first thing is the owners are some of the most generous and kind people I have ever met. The house was clearly a labor of love, restored to it’s original glory but updated so you have all the modern conveniences. Great showers, wonderful kitchen, two outdoor eating areas and a pool we spend hours and hours in. We grilled outside with fare we bought from the local market in Barcelos. We spent 11 nights in Casa de Panque and none of us wanted to leave. The neighbor brought over lemons and tangerines, the people in the local market made us feel like I had lived there forever. The living space is generous and opens up onto a delightful out door area. I am trying to find something negative to say but am struggling! Great location, it is near local sights and yet quiet and really immersed in Portugal, not some tourist area. We drove somewhere new almost everyday, hiked, swam and enjoyed our home away from home. I highly recommend it.
Jul 2016
