Quinta da Lameirinha Douro, Boutique Home

Rural Retreat Gets New Rhythm

Its 150-year-old legacy given new life, this stone mill on the Ovil River banks in Portugal’s fertile Douro Valley has been redesigned by its owner, the granddaughter of original miller Doña Emilia. Vania Monteiro has reimagined the rural getaway, retaining exposed original stones, ancient bricks and beams, and updating the property with a garden pool, a contemporary architectural annex, and a comfortable, modern-casual interior décor that melds harmoniously with its origins. Today the farmstead immerses guests in country charms and wraparound views. Surrounded by pastoral fields and vineyards, the property now offers 21st-century styling in sharply reconfigured stone architecture, smooth, elemental interiors (the staircase is a real standout), and an outdoor pasture that’s been converted from hard working to deeply relaxing, with a long, lean pool and views over the lush river valley.

Around

Tucked into the heart of rural Baião, a fertile rural region within Portugal’s famed Douro Valley, the home occupies a bank of the Ovil River and overlooks the mighty Douro River that snakes through the region, best known today for its fine wines. A UNESCO-classified area, the valley bears witness to its simple agricultural past, the land between Porto and Régua green and fertile, marked by the stony outposts of family farms. The vast valley is a patchwork of pastures and vineyards, and the former mill property is only a kilometer from the village of Baião. A wine appellation in its own right, Baião is an area that produces the bright, slightly effervescent white wine, Vinho Verde from the Avesso grape variety.

Mountainous regions extend both south and eastward of the area, and Serra do Marao granite peak nearby is a historical mining region with particularly picturesque foothills that have inspired Portuguese writers for centuries. Organic and family-run farms still blanket the countryside near Baião, and wine tourism is a major draw to the lush Douro River’s path through the countryside. Wineries in the region can be visited by boat, bike or foot, with “wine safaris” and river cruises joining jeep tours as among the region’s most unusual tourism options.

Location

Nearest airport: Porto (55km); Vila Real, (30km)

Best time to visit

May to November