|
Northern
Portugal Index
Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Page 2
Continued from page 1
ABOVE: A winding road leads to the hotel,
which is surrounded by vineyards and is only a short walk from the Quinta Nova winery.
The hotel opened for business in 2005..
 Hotel
The Hotel Rural Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo has
11 rooms in three price categories, with 2007-2008 rates that range from
€90 (standard single occupancy, off season) to €150 (premier double room, peak
season). Rates include VAT and a buffet breakfast. Cots are free, and an extra
bed costs €25-30.
 The
hotel is well-equipped with public spaces, including a winter garden with
fireplaces, a children's playroom, a covered "shed" or terrace with upholstered
deck chairs, picnic tables, a terrace with overhanging grapevines, and a
swimming pool. There's even an historic private chapel that can be rented for
weddings and other religious ceremonies. Just as important, the hotel has
facilities for disabled guests.
In 2007, Quinta Nova won a
Best of
Wine Tourism award in the accommodation category.
Spa treatments
Quinta Nova doesn't have a spa, but it can provide "wine therapies" for groups,
using
Caudalie Vinotherapie products that are made with grapeseed extracts.
Restaurant and Wine Bar
 Quinta
Nova's restaurant and wine bar spill outdoors onto the terrace in good weather.
The restaurant is open for lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 8 to 10
p.m.; reservations are required, but you needn't be a hotel guest to book a
table. The wine bar operates from 10:30 a.m. until midnight, and you can order
snacks with the quinta's own table wine or Port.
Quinta Nova is especially popular during the harvest season,
but it attracts guests year-round from Porto, Lisbon, and foreign countries. It
offers comfortable, low-key luxury without pretension, and it makes a good base
for touring in the Alto Douro wine region.
How to reach Quinta Nova:
Airplane: Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo is in Ferrão,
about 20 minutes from Pinhão (the main river port in this stretch of the Douro,
and the center of the local wine-growing industry). The estate is within easy driving distance of Vila Real
Airport (VRL). The nearest international gateway is
Porto
Airport (OPO), which has flights
from many European cities and from Newark in the U.S.
Train: Take the
Portuguese Railways Douro
line from the Porto São Bento station to Ferrão. Travel time is
about 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours.
Douro riverboat: Disembark in Ferrão or Pinhão.
(The hotel will collect you at the railroad station or the boat landing by prior
arrangement.) For timetables and fares, see
Douroazul.
Car: The Quinta Nova information sheet explains: "From
Vila Real, follow signs to Vila Real Norte/Chaves - Sabrosa - Palácio de
Mateus - S. Martinho de Anta - Paradela de Guiães/Gouvinhas - Ferrão - Quinta
Nova; from Régua/Pinhão, follow Régua - Pinhão - Covas do Douro - Ferrão." (A
good road map will help you decipher these cryptic instructions; there's also a
small map on the "Contacts" page of the hotel Web site.)
For more
information, see www.quintanova.com.
Next page:
Vineyards and winery
|
Search for more information
on our site: |
|
|
Inset photos copyright © Quinta Nova
de Nossa Senhora do Carma, Lda.
| 
Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's
