Quinta do Castro's Infinity Pool and other Pinhão, Portugal General Tips

Favorite Thing: Quinta do Castro's Infinity Pool.

Departing from Pinhão one should ride towards west on the north side of the Douro river. Quinta do Crasto's winery & vineyards are then located about 20-30 minutes away from Pinhão.

Quinta do Castro is well known for its fine Douro wines but what I would like to present here is its Infinity Pool, which really amazes me with its views over the vineyards and the Douro river below (5 pictures).

I've been myself at Quinta do Crasto quite a few times already but unfortunately on the day I took those shots it was a cloudy day. As a result these 5 pictures (on this Tip) do not make 100% justice to the full beauty of Castro's pool.

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wikipedia: An infinity pool is a swimming pool which produces a visual effect of the water extending to the horizon or to "infinity". In reality the edge of the pool is below the water level, the water spilling into a trough from where it is pumped back into the pool. The effect is particularly impressive where the invisible edge appears to merge with a larger body of water such as the ocean, or with the sky (if the pool is located on the side of a hill or mountain).


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Favorite Thing: Due to its famous Port Wine and also to an unique landscape of its vineyards, etc, Pinhão, located in the heart of the Douro Valley, is one of the Top destinations for Wine Critics & International Journalists in general.

Pictured on this Tip we have:
» Nicos Neocleous London, UK.
» David Glancy, California, USA.
» Timothy Teichgraeber, California, USA.
» Rebecca Chapa California, USA.
» José Eduardo of Quinta do Noval, Portugal.


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Favorite Thing: The Douro River

The Douro River presents itself vibrant & very healthy in Pinhão.

I love the Douro !!


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Favorite Thing: The views over the Douro going up (east) river.

Once in Pinhão a nice travel plan would be to take the Train and ride east.

The Train railway goes east sided by the river. Visitors would then get to see these nice views over the Douro River. (5 pictures on this Tip).


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Favorite Thing: Quinta do Silval

~ A Diamond in the Douro's Rough ~

[...] The main reason for my trip to the Douro was to visit a Single Quinta … Quinta do Silval, which I had heard about from my buddy Mario Ferreira, but had never visited. Quinta do Silval seemed to have everything required for a wonderful stay: warm and charismatic hosts, both Douro and Port wines, not to mention a modern wine production facility. Additionally there was a full-service on-premise bed & breakfast lodge situated on a stunning piece of land with an outdoor pool boasting a phenomenal 360-degree panoramic view, an open air or glass enclosed al fresco Grill House complete with a full kitchen and a very professional and courteous staff.

When arriving at Quinta do Silval, which is conveniently located in the Pinhão Valley in rural Vale de Mendiz, one can not avoid noticing the breathtaking scenery that surrounds you as you enter the property on the sloping driveway down to the Quinta which sits at an elevation of approximately 300 meters. I was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Carlos and Beatriz Magalhães, who moved to Silval from Oporto in 1984. The building which today includes the hotel, originally housed the “adega” (winery) with small living quarters upstairs. Unfortunately the Quinta was in such disrepair that it had to be leveled and was rebuilt from the new foundation, on up. The Bed & Breakfast did not open to the public until late in 2005.

After my bags were placed in my guest room, I quickly made my way onto the Quinta’s veranda, as the sun was setting and I did not want to miss a single second of the beauty that was about to unfold over the vineyards near and far. [...]

Written by Roy Hersh in September 2006.
Click here for more on the For The Love Of Port website.


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