Tasteful, historic abbey cottage close to beaches in Galicia and Portugal

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Rustical´s review                                                  See prices

Start to look through the photos and you'll understand that this is a very special place indeed. The house is remarkable in itself, yet it becomes so much more interesting when you realize that it is the main private accommodation in a group of 18th century abbey buildings that are quite unique. Not only that, but when you're staying here, you are by no means excluded from them: doors are typically left open for you to discover and enjoy the various dependencies. You can read more fully about the Abbey as a whole and see more photography in our Off-The-Beaten-Track article:

For us, this is rustical accommodation at its most satisfying. It’s so completely natural you forget how much work has gone into making it so. The fact is that the owners of these formerly ecclesiastical buildings have won prizes for their conservation of national architectural heritage.

We think they deserve them. The Abbey home is a magical place, unconventional in the sense that modernization has eschewed in favour of restoring or maintaining its historical character. A lot of love and expense has made this house what it is. Rather than buy a modern door latch, for example, the owners (a family of immense charm and dedication), will somehow have managed to hunt down an antique one to suit the original door. The old stone walls have been scrubbed and left bare or carefully crafted with stucco and rooms furnished with chunky oak chairs and cushioned benches.

The rental cottage is independent and located in a different area from the garden apartments, where it is unseen by them and enjoys plenty of privacy. An open garden area accessed from the rear of the house is also virtually private and only ever used by the guests staying here. One enters from a covered porch to the soft, indirect lighting of a large and elegant reception and sitting room. The predominance of wood lends warmth to a room with a forged iron wood-burning stove and  floor of solid flagstones.

An open doorway in the corner leads through to a huge kitchen, which is the focal point of the house and more than sufficient to house and serve ten guests when the Abbey is rented as a whole (see AP19). Like the other rooms, it is rustic and impeccably kept. When we were there, medieval music on the CD player seemed to suit the atmosphere very well. There’s oceans of room and seating space, the china is first class and the cooker has an oven for roasts. There is central heating here, as throughout the house, but a log fire in the kitchen corner sustains the homely feel.

From the sitting room, a flight of wooden stairs goes up to a small sitting area and a hallway, off which lead both en-suite bedrooms. Plants are placed here and there to take advantage of natural light from skylights illuminating the hallway, . The bedrooms are spacious and have beautiful bathrooms, bathtubs encased in chestnut, the same polished wood being used extravagantly in all the upstairs flooring. Again natural light is invited in by skylights. As a concession to modernity, each bedroom has a TV and DVD. There is also WiFi reception in the house but you may have to move to the right spot to get it.

Both bedrooms have French windows onto a long, wide, covered balcony which they share. This runs along the front of the house and is very private. It looks out onto gardens and down below, wooden garden furniture provides a lovely outdoor sitting area, reached via a rear door from the kitchen.

While the Abbey cottage is completely private, bear in mind that other dependent buildings form an organic group with the accommodation and are occasionally occupied or used for quiet activities. One of them is a weaving museum and workshop, for example, another is a vast space occasionally used by artists or dancers The buildings are separate but belong together, so staying here one has the impression of living in one’s own little settlement. If you wish to come with friends or family, it's possible to rent  one or more of three garden apartments which are also available through Rustical Travel as AG13.

If you rent all the accommodation (sleeping up to 10 people) then you can have complete exclusivity of the Abbey and its grounds, including an almost endless series of extra rooms and facilities and its grounds: see AP19.

The gardens are mature and lush. We were particularly struck by the ancient camellias which we didn’t know could grow to be trees of such height and age. As for exploring the area, which is right by the Portuguese border – the other side of the river below the nearby village of Caldelas – there is enough to keep you contented for weeks. Besides which, this is the geographical region of green Galicia where you are most likely to have good weather.

The hills in the views are of neighbouring Portugal: astonishingly close! It's only a couple of minutes to the healthy River Miño, which forms the border and provides opportunities for swims.

At Tui, the delightfully small,  historic cathedral town, just 7 km away, you it's possible to hire a boat down the river and drop in at a Portuguese village for a bite to eat and drink.  It also has spa baths. Unfortunately,the  council built new baths instead of restoring the old Roman ones, which are remain there still but are somewhat abandoned. If you feel like a longish (two-hour) walk there’s a lovely path all the way to Tui from the Abbey.

Some 35 minutes away is La Guardia, one of the ports that make Galicia such a tremendous fish and seafood supplier for Spain. If you are there for 4 o’clock in the afternoon, you can witness the fish auction. It's a pretty seaside town and both beaches and restaurants are recommended. Signposted on the way to La Guardia, there is circular route called Muiños do Folón, where you can see mills (the oldest of the nineteen date back to the 12th century) built in a cascade down the hillside to follow the heavy stream water.

Portugal’s beaches are just as close: try the white sand of Moledo de Miño’s romantic beach… You can go on boat trips or go fishing. And if you don’t want to go that far, then for river dips in the Miño in Caldelas in summer, there’s an excellent open air restaurant & bar.

Galicia is very keen on its fairs, whether for flowers, witchery (!) or food – but especially food. It’s a very natural and social way to enjoy barbecued sardines, Spanish omelette, octopus, with a glass of decent Galician white wine to clean the palate.


Facilities
Central heating; open fireplace in kitchen; TV & DVD in both bedrooms; WiFi internet (certain areas of the house only); CD player; separate utility room with washing machine; private verandah; gardens; garden furniture; all linen provided.

Distribution
On two floors
Ground floor: covered porch to reception/sitting room; large kitchen with open fireplace and door out to gardens.
First floor: small sitting room; two bedrooms, one double-bedded, one twin-bedded, both en suite (shower over full bathtub).
Exterior: sitting area and shared use of very extensive gardens and grounds.

Notes:
-The washing machine is housed in a utility room exterior to the house.
-There is a standard refrigerator, not a fridge-freezer.
-These three apartments can be rented separately or together with AG12.

Location & Distances
The house forms part of what used to be Spanish Abbey buildings, but enjoys good privacy and extensive semi-wild gardens. It is located above the Pontevedra village of Caldelas (bars, restaurant, mini-supermarket. narrow-gauge railway).

Caldelas (narrow gauge railway station, trains from Vigo)	3 mins walk
Guillarey (trains from Madrid and Barcelona))	2 km
River Miño (river beach, summer bar restaurant)	10 mins walk
Tui (historical town)	7 km
Valenca do Miño (Portugal)	8 km
Vigo Airport	30 mins
Spanish and Portugese beaches	40 mins
Santiago de Compostela Airport	1hr
A Coruña (La Coruna) Airport	1 hr 30 mins
Oporto Airport (Portugal)	55 mins

NOTES ON AVAILABILITY FOR THIS PROPERTY:

The minimum booking is 3 days.