Quinta de Cartemil

An impressive portal, topped with ornate stone pinnacles, announces your arrival at this beautifully restored Portuguese ‘quinta’ which sits within 12 hectares of rolling grounds just 7km from historic Ponte de Lima and commands the most stunning of panoramic vistas from its semi-circular poolside lawns.

If this elegant gateway to the property delights, so too will the smart country residence into which it leads. Owned by a local family whose current generation has restored and refurbished it, this is a substantial home that exudes elegance, style and a chic design that seamlessly incorporates the charming features of its traditional heritage with a contemporary décor.

Sure to catch your eye is the smart white paintwork that adds an up-to-date finish to the original lofty wood beamed ceilings, the recessed doors and windows that reveal traditionally thick stone walls and the sliding doors that ingeniously connect the four main bedrooms to their sleek and up-to-the-minute en suite bathrooms. Above a charming dining room displaying a striking wall of open stone and two original bread ovens, an additional bedroom sits beneath a sloping ceiling within the eaves.

It is however the delightful sense of space provided within the building that lends such an ambience of grandeur to Quinta de Cartemil. Throughout the various different wings and floors of the property polished wooden floors span the elegant corridors and hallways that connect one area to the next and the provision of four grand reception rooms offers ample space for dining, lounging, games of cards and table tennis.

Each reception room is flanked with doors that open onto the grounds, with those of the dining room leading the way via a covered terrace to the swimming pool, which sits amidst an almost semi-circular lawn in the most stunning of settings. Swim in the pool or lounge alongside it and you will feel that you are atop your own private viewpoint, since spreading out ahead and to the sides is the most extensive vista of the lush rolling countryside that rises up from the river valley below.

Standing elegantly alongside the river just a 10 minute drive from the house is Ponte de Lima, which offers shops, restaurants, a fortnightly market along the sandy river bank and sporting activities on the water. Also within easy reach are the unspoilt sandy beaches of the Costa Verde, which can be reached in 35 minutes.