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Photo GalleryThe village of Arícera is located just south of the Douro valley, about 15 kms from Lamego, 150 kms east from Porto and 300 kms north of Lisbon.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION‘Outros Tempos’, which can be translated as ‘Past Times’, is a concept of village tourism which brings visitors into the heart of a traditional Douro village, surrounded by vineyards and orchards and walled fields of maize. So far, five houses have been restored and modernized to include present day comforts such as double glazing, heating, air conditioning and private bathrooms. This is some achievement, as the houses themselves are built of solid blocks of granite which does not facilitate the installation of the pipework and wiring necessary for such modern infrastructures! However much of the solid granite is still exposed, which gives a very cosy, rustic feel to the accommodation, which is complemented by many pieces of traditional furniture, textiles and hand-worked lace.
The five houses are scattered throughout the village, but the nucleus of the complex is the house where the owner’s wife was born and where the present owners live. This is where breakfast and evening meals are served, at a long table where all guests sit together to enjoy the best local cuisine and wines, exchange experiences with their fellow guests and plan the next day’s activities. The owners, who are extremely knowledgeable about the local area, are more than happy to assist with the organization of tours, boat trips, visits to wine cellars, or whatever the guests wish to do.
Your hosts, Cepeda and Adeliza were both in the teaching profession in the city of Porto but on retirement decided to return to Adeliza’s home village and with the help of their family, start a project to both preserve and bring new life to their family heritage. As young people increasingly move from their villages to the larger towns for work, many village properties risk being abandoned, and to avoid this Adeliza and Cepeda set to work on an ambitious project to refurbish and modernise houses of former family members and open them for tourism.
Their enthusiasm for their local heritage is manifest in the depth and variety of their local knowledge in terms of culture and history and local curiosities, and they will be happy to assist guests in planning routes to visit the many items of interest in this area, be it vineyards, viewpoints and beauty spots, prehistoric art in the nearby Foz Côa World Heritage site, or traditional towns and villages.
At the end of a busy day it is wonderful to come back to a splendid evening meal, including aperitifs, local cured meats and cheeses, and the best of traditional local cuisine and fine wines. If you are lucky, you may be able to sit in on a session of Portuguese poetry reading – or join in if you feel inspired!
The five houses at ‘Outros Tempos’ offer a total of 11 independent rooms, all with private bathroom. The houses can be rented as a whole, or just a room, depending on the size of your party.
The main house, ‘Casa do Manuel Padeiro’, where the owners live and where the reception is located and meals are taken, has three rooms.
The remaining houses all have a living room and small kitchen for guests to prepare their own meals if they so wish.
- ‘Casa do Penedo’ is a very secluded studio for two people, just outside the village limit and with splendid views over the vineyards.
- ‘Casa do Soqueiro’ – the shoemaker’s house - has two bedrooms and a sunny verandah where the shoemaker used to sit..
- ‘Casa da Cruz’ is located near the main house and offers two bedrooms.
- ‘Casa do Avô de Soito’ – Grandfather Soito’s house – is located near the ‘Casa do Soqueiro’ and has three rooms, and a sunny verandah overlooking the swimming pool and garden area.
Breakfast is served in the main house, as is the evening meal, which should be ordered in advance if required, and which we thoroughly recommend! There is also a games room with many books, cds and a snooker table, and a comfortable lounge area with TV and a welcoming open fire for chilly evenings.
There is an outdoor swimming pool for guests’ use located near the ‘Casa do Avô de Soito’. Internet access is available.There is no credit card facility at this property.
PAYMENT CONDITIONS
A deposit of 20% is required to confirm a booking, payable by bank transfer. The balance is payable on check-out, in cash or cheque in Euros.
For bookings made less than 3 days in advance, the value of the booking should be paid on arrival.
There is no credit card facility at this property.
All payments are made directly to the property owner.
For cancellations with more than 30 days notice, the deposit will be refunded. For less than 30 days notice the deposit is retained.
COMMENTSEvening meals are available but should be booked in advance. Contact us
to book for the day of your arrival, otherwise check with your hosts.
