When we visited Geres back in March, we had made plans to return to Lisbon straight after our mountain stay, with maybe only a small stop in my favourite – Porto. But instead, we found ourselves a little too much in love with MINHO, and wanted to stay and explore just a little bit further into the region.
As we were booking the night before arrival, and only on my phone, we ended up doing a very very quick online search, which led us to to QUINTA DO OLIVAL, which we thought would be a basic B&B near the town of ARCOS DE VALDEVEZ. We were only staying one night, so weren’t too concerned – the location was great for us, and the cost too.
After indulging in one of the nicest drives we’ve had in Portugal, through the whole of Geres, we found ourselves driving through the lovely city of Arcos, past rolling hills of vineyards and lush vegetation, until we found the small road that would take us to a little piece of paradise: our little B&B wasn’t so plain after all, it was gorgeous!
HOTEL
From the outside the Quinta is a bold mix of colour, partly painted in bright yellow and red, this unique b&b perfectly marries northern Portuguese modern & traditional architecture.
Upon arrival we were welcomed by the owner Olga and her daughter who made us feel right at home from the get go. After showing us to our (swish) apartment, we were offered a coffee by the stunning pool and a tour of the grounds. I found them to be such good hearted and friendly hosts that they truly were a joy to chat to. Olga was kind enough to show me around the main house while Rob & Charlie relaxed by the pool, and share the story of the place which had a long history within her family with me, which only made me love it even more…
The quinta was originally her grandparents’ home, and Olga grew up in the house next door (where her parents still live). A few years ago, in a brave move Olga gave up her teaching career to restore the house and bring it to the beautiful place it is now.
Overlooking the verdant hills, the recently renovated Quinta do Olival has two types of accommodation: two self-contained flats and individual double bedrooms which are located in the main house.
ROOMS
The flats are a nice mix of the traditional Minho stone houses, with all the modern mod-cons you’d want after a long day of exploring the region. The large and extremely well-equipped kitchen opens up to a large living/dining area which has TV/satellite and WIFI, and the stairs lead you up to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Our double bedroom had floor to ceiling windows offering splendid views of the wonderful Minho countryside, which turned out to be a real treat on a very early morning… The other bedroom had a single bed (possibly with another pull-out bed) and a cotbed, the whole setup ideal for a family of four.
BREAKFAST
The breakfast, which is served at the main house, was a scrumptious spread of home-made jams, local breads and produce and both hot and cold drinks. We got to know our fellow guest a little bit and chat with the hosts some more.
After a relaxed breakfast, we made the most of the Quinta’s pool and attempted a dip & swim in the still pretty chilly waters – which was totally worth it!
OVERALL
The Quinta do Olival is pretty much our perfect place to holiday – Being surrounded by nature, lovely hosts in a comfortable and large house made it for us. We loved staying here and wouldn’t think twice about coming back or recommending it to others. Our self-contained accommodation was well-suited for a family, the quinta is child-friendly, the Geres region has plenty of activities, the food is delicious and the people are lovely.
We give The Quinta do Olival a glowing 5/5.
For more info on Quinta do Olival, visit their website or give them a ‘like’ on Facebook!
*n.b: We have not been sponsored in anyway to write this post, but just truly loved staying here and would love if our little post inspires you to visit the gorgeous Quinta do Olival.
