Those who speak of Casa do Rio must speak of Quinta do Vallado, a property with more than 300 years of history, located in the Douro valley. It was to attach 30 hectares of organic vineyard to the fifth mother that the Álvares Ribeiro family acquired a new land in Vila Nova de Foz Côa where, in 2013, a small (large) hotel was born.
Casa do Rio was designed by architect Francisco Vieira de Campos in harmony with the landscape that surrounds it. The building has only eight bedrooms, is wooden and is suspended, based only on two points. Strategically built between the vineyard and the Douro River, it offers privacy and a privileged view to those who visit it. “It looks like a thin and long matchbox, resting on two pillars of shale,” says CEO João Álvares Ribeiro.
Guests have access to a swimming pool, spa area and a range of activities, including wine tastings, which take place daily. There are also jeep tours, hiking trails, river dives, stand up paddle, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, mountain bikes and picnics. To taste at the table, the specialties of the cook Ana Rita are unavoidable: ranging from the goat in a wood oven to the wild asparagus, not forgetting the octopus rice, prepared with wine of the Variety Sousão.