B&B Farm Stays: Valdigem (2023)

In Peso da Régua, in the heart of Portugal‘s premier wine-producing region, the Douro Valley, and about 100km from Porto Airport (Airport transfers can be arranged) Quinta de Marrocos is an award-winning vineyard estate with B&B accommodation at its restored 17th-century farmhouse. THE ACCOMMODATION: Their homely, traditional-style rooms all come with air conditioning, flat-screen satellite TV, WiFi, private bathroom, and a balcony with nice views of the surrounding mountains or the river Douro. You’ll also find a bar and restaurant here, and a nice shared lounge and terrace overlooking the gardens and vineyards. THE WINE: The big focus here is wine, specifically the Douro and Port wines of which the region is famous. The Quinta de Marrocos estate has produced a number of award-winning ports and they still make use of traditional granite presses where the grapes are pressed by foot, and cellars where the wine is aged in barrels, vats, and casks of wood which gives the wine its famed complexity. There is a lot to learn and the estate owners organize very interesting vineyard tours, cellar tours, and tasting sessions. THE LOCATION: Northern Portugal’s Douro Valley is well known for its wine, in fact, it is reputed to be the longest continual wine growing region in the world. But besides that, it is also beautifully rural with great stretches of rolling green hills and woodlands all around. Even if wine is not your thing you’ll still find it a very lovely place for exploring, with some nice hikes offering great views over the river below. It is also great for all sorts of outdoor activities; cycling, golfing, hiking, water sports, boat trips, and horse riding can all be easily arranged; just ask at the Quinta for advice. For more education on the region, we’d also recommend a trip to the Douro Museum, only about 4km from Quinta de Marrocos in the centre of Peso da Régua, where you can learn a lot more about this iconic region generally, with of course a major focus on the wine industry. Again not far from Quinta de Marrocos, on the south bank of the river, is the small city of Lamego, READ MORE