Presentation

Hi there, this is me, Natascha. Or rather, this is ´us´ , as we are two; I, Natascha , a 1978 born Dutchie, and Tiago, my 2015 born in Portugal, beautiful son. And then there is the other ´us´... our lovely animals: some kind dogs, a skittish cat you will probably never see, a couple of chickens, rabbits and guinnea pigs and our 2 small horses.
Together we live, love and work in and on this amazing mountain top paradise: Quinta Rural - Eco Lodge Cabreira.

Our place comes with a historical square build granite stone farm house, dating back to 1673. It houses several rooms, a complete Loft studio, a communal kitchen, a bar/bistro (only open in summer or for special events), a workshop and 2,5 hectares of gently sloping land. Terrace, views, plunge pool. And several well located accoommodations: Year round we have the 3 full wooden log cabins. From late spring to early autumn there´s also a simple off grid straw bale hut and in summer a couple of back to basic glamping tents are mounted and we welcome some happy campers with tents.

Tiago and I both are absolutely in love with this area: up here and beyond, there is this pure, rough mountain life, literally Wild Wolf country. And only a couple hundred meters away starts ´rural civilisation´, with the old grape vines above the small cobbled stone village roads. We never run out of trails, or options to discover new ones. We roam the mountains and the valley, discovering hidden gems such as idyllic waterfalls, small creeks full of life, old abandoned farm or mill ruins. We roam the small populations, the tiny medieval looking half abandoned village, and gather new knowledge, insights, events and friends along the way.

You may have your stay here on days where you only see us working, with more chores to do than hours in a day. You may catch us gardening, repairing fences, cleaning toilets, hanging the wash to dry outside, cleaning water filters or pressure cleaning the plunge pool. Bottling licors, gathering medicinal herbs, dealing with the waste, cooking, unloading the groceries, etc. etc.
Or you may not see us at all!!!! As we are open all year round, and my sons´ time off from school is the same as our guests who have kids, I have stopped waiting for his time off and mine to coincide. When working in tourism, that is impossible! Since becoming a full time single mom in 2021 and Tiago´s enrollment in school, I had to shift my focus to make sure not only my guests would get to experience the best this area has to offer and spend quality time together, but also my boy Tiago. So now, the two of us take off whenever we can. For a hike, a gathering, swimming the many creeks and rivers in the wild, visiting local markets and summer feasts, participate in local events. To ride the bike in the hills, to learn how to horse-back-ride, to bough and arrow. The regular wild boy´s (and his mums) stuff.
Starting next year, we will be offering a holiday program for families again based upon our own ´top 10´ , just as we used to do (pre-corona).

But no worries. You will get to go on the same adventures if you want: I made a great list with all our favourite spots marked on google maps, easy for you to find. And even check out beforehand, as they all come with pictures. Full of hidden gems, but also practical listings such as supermarkets, bakery, local restaurants, wineries, patrimony, musea etc.
And if you just want to come to relax and do nothing, that is just perfect too. You came to the right spot!

I hope we get to welcome you here so you may also enjoy the perfection of imperfection that is so present in rural mountain life. And the view!!! I forgot all about our amazing panoramic view!!!!
Oh, and all of our small but continuous attempts to facilitate biodiversity and re-greening at our land really starting to pay off!