Casa Agricola da Levada Eco Village

From the moment we arrived we were treated like important guests. The room was large, clean and comfortable and furnished with local traditional furniture. Also it was lovely and cool as the weather was very warm. There are 2 pools for swimming or relaxing by, and every room seems to have an outdoor sitting area as well as the communal outdoor restaurant where they do tapas. There is an honesty shop for excellent wines, port, snacks etc, and a tasty continental breakfast either outside or in depending on the weather. The grounds are beautiful with terraces of vegetables and fruit trees all set above the river. There is a walk beside the river to the town centre that takes 45 minutes, and there are maps in the reception. We can’t praise this place highly enough!

This was an oasis of quiet on the outskirts of Vila Real. We rented a ‘Studio’ which was one of a number of converted outbuildings scattered around the estate. The studio was comfortable, spacious and well equipped for self catering, although we ordered the excellent Evening meal basket and Breakfast basket on our first evening and morning respectively. The on site shop was a useful resource. The staff were friendly and helpful. There is a lot of green space with water features (and resident frogs) and Casa Levada takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously. You can walk round the estate through the small vineyard and along the river, and the walk along the river into Vila Real is pleasant and takes about 40 minutes. All the accommodation has outside seating - ours had a small terrace.

I adored this place and would highly recommend it as a base for exploring the Valley. Room: we stayed in the cottage with one room and a kitchen (the other couple in our party stayed in the cottage with two rooms and were equally happy). The cottage is truly huge, with a spacious bedroom and a huge living room/kitchen, and was very attractively furnished and decorated. The shower was large and had great water pressure and temperature, and there was an adequate supply of electrical outlets. Note: unbeknownst to us, the two-room cottage has two bathrooms and could easily have accommodated two couples. Grounds: simply beautiful. Raspberries, which we were free to pick, grew just outside our cottage. The Casa is eco-themed, and has a variety of crops and trees scattered throughout the grounds. Make sure to leave time for at least one walk around the gardens or down to the river. I need to address the issue raised in other reviews of road noise: yes, you can hear some background traffic, but for us it was a total non-issue. In a perfect world perhaps you would hear none, but it did not affect our stay at all. Staff: unfailingly cheerful and friendly (special mention to Angela, who was a delight to interact with). Food: breakfast seemed pricey, so we happily ate the fresh bread they hang outside of your door each morning (a winsome touch, and oh, that bread...), along with jam from their Honesty Shop. Gina's is a reasonable and convenient choice for dinner; most other restaurants will require a drive into town. One night we had their minced veal covilhetes and salad (kindly delivered to our room by Angela) and they were very good. Location: within easy striking distance of Pinhao, Regua and other key destinations in the Douro Valley. Perhaps not the best location if you don't have a car, but I would highly recommend one for exploring the area anyway. Overall, a great stay, and while you may find slightly cheaper places the value is outstanding.

We really enjoyed staying at this beautiful property. We stayed in a nicely appointed private cabin and loved the fresh foods available from the “honesty shop”. The staff kindly accommodated a last minute change to our stay even after the refund period was past. Would love to come back!