Lugar Várzeas, Portugal
THE UPSIDE Luxurious, bohemian and secluded relaxation.
THE DOWNSIDE It doesn’t come as cheap as regular campsite prices, obviously.
THE DAMAGE Two adults B&B €65 per night including tax. Under-3s go free; 3–12s are €10 each per night. You pay a 50 per cent non-refundable deposit on booking. Cash only onsite.
THE FACILITIES There’s a double bed, 2 children’s beds on request plus power points, wardrobe, games, books and eco pot-in-pot fridge (2 differently sized terracotta pots sandwiched with coarse sand and saturated with water). Solar-powered shower and composting toilet. Garden table and chairs, badminton nets and hammocks.
THE DETAILS Lugar Várzeas, Pracerias, Celavisa, 3300–207 Arganil, Portugal (00 351 235 208 562)
FOOD AND DRINK One restaurant well worth the 45-minute trek is Varandas do Ceira (00 351 239 549 833; ), on the way to Coimbra, which serves tasty Brazilian food.
FAMILY FUN: Canoe along the River Douro (00 351 235 778 938; )
TREAT YOURSELF: Head north of Coimbra and make like a prince or princess at the ornate, 5-star former royal palace, Palace Hotel Bussaco (doubles €135; ).
GETTING THERE From Porto it’s a 2½-hour car journey. Follow the VR1/A28/Porto for A1/IC1 Lisbon, then to Sul (south). Exit at Coimbra North/Viseu IP3. After crossing Rio Mondego, head to IC6/N17 Covilhã (some maps show this as IC7, confusingly). Turn right to N342-4 to Arganil. Through Arganil, turn right at the fountain roundabout and right at the next roundabout for Góis. At the white chapel turn for Pracerias for 3½ miles (6 km) to a stone house on the right.
OPEN Apr–Sept
IF IT’S FULL Nearby Quinta das Abelhas (00 351 917 147 767) has a yurt and 10 pitches on its organic farm.