Casa de Piellas - R. de Pielas

Our group of nine, which meets for a reunion every year in a different country, had a FABULOUS time at Casa Piellas in June 2019. It was one of the nicest luxury houses we have ever rented. The gardens are amazing – built in 1850, overseen by five generations of the Almeida family, with acres of stunning topiary, lemon trees, formal gardens with peacocks wandering around, spring and gravity fed fountains, swimming pool etc. All five of our bedrooms were en suite and the beds were comfortable. We are serious cookers, and the kitchen was very functional, with a large central island to accommodate group hob-nobs. There is also an outdoor charcoal grill. The house has a small washing machine (no dryer). The public areas (including outside dining in the main courtyard area with fountains) were spacious and picturesque. The owners were extremely gracious and helpful, recommending local restaurants and markets and accompanying us on a quick tour of the nearby town to point out the best butchers, supermarkets etc. Antonio, the caretaker, maintains the property’s small working farm and plied us with fresh lettuce from the gardens. This is a lovely house; we would return again and highly recommend it to people as a quiet and relaxing retreat. The local town of Cabeceiras de Basto does not have a lot of sights, but Braga and Guimaraes are both less than an hour away.

We had an amazing time on this beautiful historical home. Ideal for a family Holliday, we were 18 people and a dog & spent an entire week there surrounded by the private woods, the stunning gardens, the farm animals and making the most of the pool. A little park for small kids is also available around the swimming pool, all very secure, nice and clean. We loved the local food that you can order from the local restaurants by asking Joao, the Portuguese little breads for breakfast, the Vinho Verde from the local farmers and the kindness of the people around. The house is well equipped and the beds very comfy. A lot of space for everyone, we absolutely enjoyed our stay and thank you and your family for sharing this house with us. Ps: the blueberry greeting tart was delicious.

Our family has been renting vacation homes around the world for more than two decades and Casa de Piellas is without question one of the most outstanding experiences we've had. The home and grounds are spectacular. Every bedroom in the house has wonderful views, comfortable beds and modern bathrooms. No squabbling over who gets the best room, because they are all terrific! Rooms are all on second floor and open onto a open-air gallery that runs the length of the house, offering plenty of privacy. What makes Casa de Piellas an even greater standout are its outdoor spaces and 150-year-old gardens. A large open courtyard with fountains and blooming rose bushes is a great gathering place for meals at tables under umbrellas or cocktails lounging in comfortable chairs. The acres of gardens are magical for wandering about, finding a quiet place to read, bird watching or meeting up with the peacocks and a small flock of sheep. The property is a small working farm, complete with orchards and it's own bee apiary. The pool is sparkling and well equipped with lounge chairs and hammocks. Our group was all adults, but the property is perfect for families with small children as well. In addition to the gardens there is a very nice children's playground area. The kitchen is large, accommodating and well equipped. Our son, who loves to bake, was thrilled to be able to use great-grandma's baking dishes. The house has been in the same family for five generations and the family's pride and care in the house are evident everywhere. Owner Joao met us (complete with a blue berry tart made from the garden's blueberries and fresh lemonade) and gave us a tour of the house and the local town pointing out the food shops and restaurants. If you prefer not to cook, we had great meals in the town and the house owners can also arrange for meals to be delivered. There are plenty of sights within easy driving distance of the house, including a major national park, and the old town of Braga where we attended the annual parade of giant puppets through the streets of the town. Porto is just under an hour away on very good highways. But frankly, once you step through the gates of Casa de Piellas, you'll be happy spending a good deal of your time enjoying the gardens, the house, the pool and spectacular surroundings. Even the peacock is welcoming and seemed more that eager to perform for every camera pointed in his direction.

A wonderfull place to spend some days with family or friends. The house has everything you need, wonderfull gardens and swimming pool, two kitchens, barbecue several lovely spots to eat in a big group, pingpong table.... The rooms are very comfortable and the place is very quite and full of charm. Joao, the owner is very attentive and kind. Our party of 10 had a wonderfull week in Casa Piellas and we will come back for sure!!

An amazing historic and cozy place, perfect for a group of friends with kids! We were greatly received by the nice hosts who prepared us a delicious pie! The house is really beautiful and comfortable! For nature lovers, the gardens are just amazing, and the surrounding farm is full of interesting domestic and wild plants and animals. We were able to birdwatch and to see interesting species of amphibians. The pool allowed us to refresh and enjoy the end of the summer and the cellars and the games' room were perfect to spend a great time when it rained. We all loved it! An unforgettable stay! We really hope to get back soon!

Casa de Piellas, the perfect vacation home to discover the north of Portugal. Cities such as Porto, Braga, Guimaraes, Amarante are just a short drive away from this location. Ideal to discover the Peneda-Geres national park (canyoning, rafting, walking, ..) and the magnificent Douro valley. The Casa itself accommodates large families (we were 6 couples in total), providing 6 nice rooms each with its own bathroom ensuring the necessary privacy. We really enjoyed the large patio of the walled manor/country house (breakfast, dinners, ..). What it makes the Casa de Piellas really special is the gorgeous garden (150 year old garden), the farm animals (even with a peacock), and the nice swimming pool. All in all a great vacation !! Dear Joao, thanks for the hospitality ! And please thank your mother for the delicious cake we got at the day of our arrival (forgot to do so ourselves).

We spent a whole week at Casa de Piellas, it couldn't have been better! The house is beautiful and carefully restored, the gardens are lovely and the swimming pool was wonderful. There was a lot of space for all of us and the teens found a lot of entertaining activities (which included helping with the farm animals!). We were offered fresh eggs which we used to bake an old fashioned chocolate cake! The hosts received us with a delicious apple pie and fresh lemon juice, and provided a short tour to this unique property. We loved every minute of our stay and we miss it already!

We have sadly just returned from an incredible stay at Casa de Piellas. It exceeded our every expectation! The moment we arrived we were warmly greeted by Joao and his father. They welcomed us with a fresh blueberry tart (made from blueberries from the garden) and fresh lemonade (made from lemons from the tree in the courtyard). They shared the history of the house and their family and of Portugal and we were so pleased to learn so much of the history. We loved this house for its location to many of the areas we wanted to visit- Guimaraes, Braga, Lamego, Pinhao, Regua, and the Duoro Valley. BUT we loved the house so much, we didn’t want to leave for our tours each day! The gardens were gorgeous, the farm animals, including daddy and mommy peacocks and their little ones, kept us entertained! The swimming pool was especially nice after a long touring day. We all enjoyed gathering in the beautifully blue tiled kitchen where we prepared meals and then would eat our meals in any number of wonderful gathering places in the house. We even had a lovely authentic Portuguese dinner one evening under the lights in the garden. Joao was able to obtain this special dinner for us from a local place. To top that off, his mother even added her own homemade Portuguese soup to our menu which was delicious! Joao also arranged for us to have an amazing tour of the Douro valley in 4X4s! We loved it and would recommend it to anyone! Everyone in our family had a perfect bedroom with private bath. The rooms looked out on a wonderful balcony and the courtyard. Antonio, who tends to the house, brought us fresh lettuce and blueberries during our stay and was great to us all. Truly I cannot rave enough about Casa de Piellas. We ALL want to return someday and all agree that it was our best vacation ever! Thank you to Joao and his family!