Our Lady of Mercy Villa

We rented the beautiful estate with friends for a week, four adults and three children under five, and all of us loved it. The pool was excellent, and between the tennis court, ping-pong table, and pool table, we were never short of things to do. The grounds were lovely, and our girls, almost five, had a great time running around and exploring. There are two grocery stores and a bakery within a five-minute walk. I'd recommend renting a car, since public transport isn't very handy. We drove ten minutes to the nearest train station and took the train into Porto a few times. Driving into town is fairly easy too, though parking can be a pain. The garages and streets are narrow and tricky to maneuver, even if parking isn't insanely expensive. We hope to come back someday.

My friends and I spent New Year's Eve at Our Lady of Mercy Villa, and all 12 of us had a great time. Helder and his family helped with everything we needed, from a cable to a taxi and a restaurant number. The house is really decorated, both the gardens outside and each room inside.

The house is in Alfena, a town we didn't find very nice, but it's a good base for Porto, Braga, or Guimaraes if you have a car. Porto center is about 20-30 minutes away, and the beaches of Porto take 30-40 minutes. We stayed as a family of six, with four teenage kids. It's an old Portugese farmhouse with six rooms for around 12 people, so it's not a hotel. The main building and a side building are rented out, while the owners live in the building by the entrance to the grounds, across the inner square. The house was clean, private, and bigger and nicer than the photos on homeaway and similar sites. Six bedrooms make it possible to stay with 12 people if at least half share a bedroom and bed with someone else. The owners only speak French and Portugese, but they're lovely people and even brought us a cake. The pool has plenty of privacy thanks to the big trees around it, and there's a tennis court next to the pool garden that you can use as your own. I highly recommend the place, and we'd definitely return as soon as we can.

This was our second stay in the wonderful, spacious villa, with its magnificent grounds and facilities. We came as a couple with our kids in their 20s and their partners, and we all love the place. The owner, Hélder, and his father, Sebastian, couldn't be kinder or more attentive. The location makes it easy to get to Porto city and the airport. We spent time relaxing within the walled grounds, with the pool, tennis courts, table tennis, and billiard table, and also visited the lovely city and its surroundings. We took an adventure trip to the Gerês National Park with Oporto Adventure Tours, 5-star, and a boat trip on the scenic Douro to Regua with BarcaDouro. The Pão Quente bakery around the corner provided breakfast. In Porto, we enjoyed Jimão, Vinhas D'Alho, and O Retrato, and our favorite was Dom Peixe in Matasinhos. Marvellous place, book your holiday here, I guarantee you won't regret it!