Hotel Rural Madre de Água — Hotel in Gouveia

Staying at Madre de Agua was simply spectacular. Staying on the farm felt like I got to see a more special side of Portugal that most tourists miss. There were a couple of specific things that made this trip so special:||The Staff: I cannot give enough praise to Vanessa at the front desk, Pedro in the restaurant, and Julia and Mauricio at the stables. The entire staff was friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable, and very helpful throughout our entire stay. I want to give extra thanks to Vanessa, who was so incredibly caring. She helped us organize our itinerary, gave us great recommendations in the local area, and even went the extra mile of staying up late (well past midnight) to ensure that we returned safely from our day trip to the Douro Valley. Vanessa’s actions are representative of the care we received from the entire staff at Madre de Agua. I would recommend this hotel simply for the employees.||The Property: Rural, quiet, charming, relaxing beautiful. I loved all the animals (who are all super friendly) as well as being able to go for walks around the vines, olive trees, and apple orchard. The rooms were modern, clean, and extremely comfortable. The pool (although not heated so it was quite cold!) was very refreshing on hot days. The restaurant was also great with tasty food, wine, and desserts!||The Location: The farm is perfectly situated near the Serra da Estrela Park, making it the perfect base for hiking, biking, or just driving through the mountains. We were also able to visit the towns of Seia, Lamego, and Viseu, as well as other wineries in the area. ||In summary, absolutely book a stay at Madre de Agua! You won’t want to miss this...

Staying at Madre de Agua was simply spectacular. Staying on the farm felt like I got to see a more special side of Portugal that most tourists miss. There were a couple of specific things that made this trip so special:

The Staff: I cannot give enough praise to Vanessa at the front desk, Pedro in the restaurant, and Julia and Mauricio at the stables. The entire staff was friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable, and very helpful throughout our entire stay. I want to give extra thanks to Vanessa, who was so incredibly caring. She helped us organize our itinerary, gave us great recommendations in the local area, and even went the extra mile of staying up late (well past midnight) to ensure that we returned safely from our day trip to the Douro Valley. Vanessa’s actions are representative of the care we received from the entire staff at Madre de Agua. I would recommend this hotel simply for the employees.

The Property: Rural, quiet, charming, relaxing beautiful. I loved all the animals (who are all super friendly) as well as being able to go for walks around the vines, olive trees, and apple orchard. The rooms were modern, clean, and extremely comfortable. The pool (although not heated so it was quite cold!) was very refreshing on hot days. The restaurant was also great with tasty food, wine, and desserts!

The Location: The farm is perfectly situated near the Serra da Estrela Park, making it the perfect base for hiking, biking, or just driving through the mountains. We were also able to visit the towns of Seia, Lamego, and Viseu, as well as other wineries in the area.

In summary, absolutely book a stay at Madre de Agua! You won’t want to miss this...

While I chose MdA primarily for the opportunity to ride Lusitano in dressage, my husband (not an equestrian!) and I enjoyed ourselves much, much more than we dreamed. First, the Lusitanos and the trainer, Nuno, are truly remarkable. Not only I was able to engage in Grand Prix dressage, the mounts were charmers, including a delicious stallion I had the honor of riding. Second, the food at the farm is all farm-to-table, much of it grown or produced right there, including the delicious balsamic vinegar, the zucchini jam, very worthy wines, sheep’s cheeses and the olive oil! If dressage or trail riding is not your thing, a short river up the road will take you into one of Portugal’s national parks, where the staff at the MdA can recommend hikes, drives or bicycle rides to please any fitness capability, including walks from the front door! Third (and definitely not least), the staff at the MdA is exceptional. They were always there with a helping hand, a warm smile or a recommendation, including wine & cheese tastings. |Extras — If you’re an animal lover, there are more than 100 rescue dogs on site, a few of which can be found hanging around the hotel, with temperaments as sweet as pie. In addition there are two resident cats who are happy to purr you to sleep in one of the comfy reading chairs in the original, stone “living room.” The rooms are spacious and nicely appointed, with lovely views of the pool and beyond to the mares’ pastures. |I didn’t know what to expect, and I could not have been more pleased with the quality of the food, the accommodations,...