Solar Egas Moniz-Charming House & Local Experiences

We stayed at Solar Egas Moniz for a week and chose this accommodation, as it is ideally located to explore Northern Portugal and as its description and images appealed to us. It turned out to be a magnificent choice, which in every aspect fulfilled our expectations, even topped them. We stayed in rooms, which featured en-suite bathrooms, very comfortable beds and sufficient space for our belongings. Common areas like kitchen, dining room, living room are spacious and very well equipped, to feel comfortable or even cook a feast, if you feel like it. An honest bar, featuring a great selection of Portuguese wines was an appreciated addition. The outdoors invite with a pool, lounge chairs and tables to relax. But what made our stay really special, was the way how our host, Iva, took care. Not only was the communication via email efficient and friendly, the warm welcome and genuine kindness, her competent advise and helpful tips added a level of comfort, which created happiness and made this stay very memorable.

This villa is amazing. The size the surrounds, number of rooms downstairs to relax in. Plenty of crockery, cutlery, glasses. The bedroom l stayed in was a good size with a Juliet balcony overlooking the pool and town. Beautiful views. Met with a very warm and welcoming smile and hug by Iva. She showed us around and explained all and let us choose our rooms for the week. The place was so clean and roomy. It was beautiful to wake up to freshly baked rolls and crossiants or mini Portugese Tarts. The week at the villa was amazing.

We have just left Solar Egas Moniz after a wonderful week staying at this beautiful house. Thirteen of us from Australia visited to celebrate my wife’s birthday. We had the best time! Iva and Natalia were awesome hosts. Iva made me feel welcome from the moment I made my booking. She was in regular communication with me before we arrived to make sure that the rooms were properly set up and everything was ready for our arrival. Iva also helped me to organise tours and dinners for our group. The house is very large, light filled and spacious, with several separate upstairs bedrooms, each with its own aircon sand bathroom. Upstairs is reachable by stairs or a lift. Downstairs, there is a lovely lounge area, a big dining room, large and well equipped kitchen and laundry. In the grounds outside there is a swimming pool, sun lounges and (in a separate space) a wood fired oven that we used to make pizzas. The house is only 30 minutes drive out of Porto or 5 minutes to the railway station. We chose it because it gave good access to Porto and to the Douro valley for a range of excursions. Natalia and Iva also cooked dinner for us on our first and last nights at the house. The food was lovely and the meals were a wonderful way to start and finish our time at the house. I can’t say enough good things about our stay. The house was brilliant and Iva was the best host. I have a lot of experience booking shared holidays. The stay at Solar Egas Moniz is the best I’ve ever had.

We had an amazing time at Solar Egaz Moniz. The facilities are fantastic, the property is very beautiful, there was plenty of space for everyone and everything was very clean. We were taken very well care of during the stay, the host is very friendly and was very helpful with tips and bookings. It is clear that everything is done with a lot of love - whether it is the interiors, the garden or the service - we were even welcomed with a home baked cake and woke up to fresh bread every morning. We look forward to coming back and will certainly recommend the property to friends. Muito obrigado!

A magical place with an exceptional host. We had a truly wonderful stay. I can’t say enough about the entire experience. I would highly recommend. The home is beautiful, the attention to detail and hosting is exceptional.

Our family experienced the best hospitality we've ever had in all of our travels. The house is an absolute treasure, with the best accommodations. Iva is such a beautiful person, thank you for an experience of a lifetime.

I attended a milestone birthday celebration in August and stayed here for 5 nights. There were 20 of us renting out all the rooms - and it was such a feel good place. Clean, nice rooms with a little balcony. It also was a quick train ride to Porto (could walk to the train station if able!) It's a sweet little gem - and Iva, our host, made it extremely special.

Beautiful, charming and clean with updated facilities. Great for celebrating a special occasion with friends and/or family. Helpful and friendly staff and owner. Close to train station for easy transportation to Porto. Pastries delivered every morning were to die for!

Where to start? First the Manor House. It is big! Old on the exterior but modern in the interior (without losing the traditional elements). Big bedrooms, everything we needed, sparkling clean! Even a nice modern elevator provided (especially useful for luggage) Lots of living space downstairs. We had the whole house for our group and there was plenty of room to be together or be apart. Everything had been thought about and provided. Second, and most important, is Iva and her team (who look after the house). They are the NICEST people, nothing is too much trouble. Iva booked taxis for us, recommended local restaurants & trips and catered my birthday dinner for 20 people (delicious food). She even rented a keyboard for us for the event. The meal was outstanding and the whole evening was filled with joy and celebration. Third, location. We split our time between Porto and more local activities. It is very easy (and inexpensive) to get to Porto - Sao Bento on the train from Cête. 30 minutes on the train. It takes about 20 mins to walk from the station to the house (some people liked to walk) but we had also rented some cars and there is lots of free parking on the south side of the station - it took about 3 mins to drive. Next time we will spend more time in the local area - there is so much to do locally! We had a truly wonderful week at Solar Egas Moniz and strongly recommend.