Valongo guesthouse near Porto, Portugal

Planet

In our Guesthouse, nothing is lost, everything is transformed!

We do a responsible waste management through reduction, recycling and reutilization. The organic waste is given to our animals or placed in the organic cell to be used later as fertilizer in our land. The inorganic products like eletronic stuff, paper, glass and packaging are separated and placed in the recycling. We also have a motto "Keep what you don't want to have what you need" and thus we keep and reuse various materials and products.

Concerning the water and energy management, we have a tank and a well where we save and use the rainwater to water our gardens and supply our house and swimming pool. Our lamps are energy-saver and our electronic devices are low energy consumption. Also, we encourage our guests to use the water in a responsible way and save energy, like turn off unecessary lights, change the towels just when it's really necessary.

During the winter, all the house is warmed by the fireplace and the wood is from our property and from a local lumberman. The wood that we use comes from trees planted for this purpose.

We utilize fruits, aromatic herbs and vegetables of the season from our vegetable garden/orchard and from the local producers. On request we prepare typical portuguese meals with portuguese products from the region and from our sea.

The air quality in the farm is protected by a high tree density. Although we are localized within a city, we are proud to have 2 ha of land which is a very rich biodiversity niche . Here you can find an infinite of flora such native trees like oaks, cork trees, stone pines and other plants and flowers. This environment provides the conservation of our visible and audible diverse fauna, besides our domestic animals. We are animal lovers so we care and provide qualified accommodation for the guest's animals.

We advice and guarantee the sustainable mobility through the use of public transports which are near the house, the bicycles that we provide and the existence of pedestrian pathways in the city and in the mountain (Sítio Rede Natura 2000).

People

For us it’s very important to personalize the stay of each guest, so we are prepared to satisfy their wishes! We want our guests to feel part of our family as well as part of our community.

We integrate and promote the local community! Our staff and collaborators are from this region and they share our ecological policy. We always prefer the local suppliers, to whom we buy the marvelous bread made in wood oven, the handmade biscuits, the vegetables and fruits from our neighbors, the cheese, jams and wines from a local wine farm.

We encourage our guests to shop locally, eat in local restaurants and to attend in the local cultural, sports and environmental activities, promoting partnerships with the local agents. Our Guesthouse is decorated with masterpieces from a local artist, which can be bought by the guests. Also, we provide a lot of books about local themes.

We support local associations with a strong intervention in society, like firefighters, institutions supporting underprivileged children and elderly, popular and religious events, through monetary donations or through goods. Our guests are personally informed about the region and the interesting points. We provide them a map and any information or help they may need.