Portugal Yurt holidays
| country: | Portugal |
| location: | Near Coimbra in Central Portugal |
| price: | From €65 per couple per night, including breakfast. Special weekly rate of €350! N.B. We are closed between October and April |
description
Come and stay in our romantic Mongolian yurt, nestled in the mountains of central Portugal, about one hour inland from the ancient university town of Coimbra.
Whether you’re looking for a lazy rural retreat, or an active holiday in the hills, there’s no better way to get back to nature without foregoing any creature comforts.
It's self-contained and fully furnished, set in our smallholding which we manage organically. Olives, vines and fruit trees surround the yurt, our own spring provides the water and energy is solar powered.
The nearest village is ten minutes walk away, and has a café and a very small shop. The two closest towns, Arganil and Gois, are a twenty-minute drive away, and each has a supermarket, a weekly market and several cafés and restaurants. The closest airport is Porto, two and a half hours’ drive from here.
There are several natural river beaches close by, perfect for swimming and relaxing. You can walk off the property and into the hills, or drive a short way to access fine mountain walks, abandoned hill villages, country restaurants, lakes and reservoirs.
We can put you in touch with local operators offering horse-riding, mountain-biking, water sports and other activities. Or there are many cultural and historic destinations within an hours drive, from Roman ruins to medieval castles.
Walking Swimming Fishing Horse riding River trips Nature appreciation
Whether you’re looking for a lazy rural retreat, or an active holiday in the hills, there’s no better way to get back to nature without foregoing any creature comforts.
It's self-contained and fully furnished, set in our smallholding which we manage organically. Olives, vines and fruit trees surround the yurt, our own spring provides the water and energy is solar powered.
The nearest village is ten minutes walk away, and has a café and a very small shop. The two closest towns, Arganil and Gois, are a twenty-minute drive away, and each has a supermarket, a weekly market and several cafés and restaurants. The closest airport is Porto, two and a half hours’ drive from here.
special things to do and see here
There are several natural river beaches close by, perfect for swimming and relaxing. You can walk off the property and into the hills, or drive a short way to access fine mountain walks, abandoned hill villages, country restaurants, lakes and reservoirs.
We can put you in touch with local operators offering horse-riding, mountain-biking, water sports and other activities. Or there are many cultural and historic destinations within an hours drive, from Roman ruins to medieval castles.
rooms, food and facilities
The yurt sleeps two; there’s a double bed, although children’s beds can also be arranged. 
A substantial continental breakfast is included, using local produce wherever possible. It’s served next to your yurt under a chestnut tree. Family & baby friendly: We are happy for families to visit but please be aware the terrain is mountainous. Extrabeds/cots are available for small children.
how to find us
By air: The closest airport is Porto, two and a half hours’ drive from here.
By train: The nearest train station is one hour from here in Coimbra a pick up service is available.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The yurt is situated on a hectare of organically managed smallholding. It is a family run business and local people and we do all the work. Yurts were originally the movable homes of Mongolian nomads but are very stable and ours stands on a strong, safe wooden platform.
We have organic fruit gardens and trees, a vegetable garden with raised beds worked with permaculture in mind. We have vines, olives and figs in the Moorish tradition and have restored this abandoned plot of land in the local tradition. We manage woodland with local hardwoods such as chestnut, cork oak and oaks. Local people have restored the house we live in, in the local slate tradition. Much of the food we offer is home grown, most other provisions are bought locally and we employ local people whenever possible. We provide full information about all local services and about how to visit local historical or natural sites of interest, or experience local events or traditional activities. We have extensive information about local restaurants, food specialties, cafes and local events and activities. Our power is solar power only, our water comes from our own spring. All our grey water is recycled and filtered. The yurt bathroom has an ecological loo. All our practices promote and encourage environmentally friendly and low impact behavior and habits. We hope to put visitors in touch with local tradition whilst enjoying and respecting the natural environment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |