North Portuguese sanctuary captivates nature, food lovers

 When I look at the valley down to the sea, from the front steps of Rinoterra, I understand his inspiration. The place captivates you. I ask Ilya why the name of Rinoterra.

 

 “I love Rhinos, I always have, and my family and friends know this about me, so Rinoterra seems like the right name”. As I look at the rocks I can imagine a few Rhino lingering in the dry bush lands next to the hotel, but don’t worry, there are none there just yet.

 

 That night deeply asleep in my luxury bed, I wake to the sound of a siren in the distance. I don’t know why the siren is going but I look at the clock. It’s only four am so I drift back to sleep in the deep Rinoterra quiet.

 

 The next morning, I am expecting a simple breakfast, but we are presented with several courses including local fruits, cheeses, yogurts, porridge, fresh bread and cooked ham and cheese pastries. We slowly sip our coffee in the intimate, dark wood dining room and I ask about the siren but no one else heard it except me.

 

 I overeat, not realising G venture (Caminha 4x4) led by Bruno Correia is coming to pick us up after breakfast. Soon we are bouncing along in a jeep to the top of the mountain, Serra d’Arga. Amazingly there are wild horses grazing in the hillsides along the dirt track. Bruno let’s me get out to take a picture of them, explaining it’s a common site as there are 114 wild horses and also wild pigs on the mountain. We make our way up and along the way, in true Portuguese fashion, there is a church at the top of each view point.

 

 At the highest point of the mountain is the outdoor altar to Our Lady of Minho, Senhora do Minho and the Caminha fire tower. Bruno tells me that the noise the night before was a siren to warn people of a forest fire. These have been plaguing Portugal in the last months and while I am happy I wasn’t just imagining the sirens sound I am sad for the huge losses the Portuguese have had to endure this year because of fire.

 

 The mountain views extend for miles and remind me of trips with my grandfather when I was a child. He would take me to the better known mountain of Monshique in the Algarve, in the south, to soak up the wide vistas. Portugal is a country I have been visiting my whole life, so I am pleased to now discover the lesser known Northern parts of the country. If I had to decide I think Serra D’arga is perhaps even the more beautiful of the two.

 

There are fascinating piles of rocks on the top of the mountain. Bruno explains that people come and make the rock piles because it is said that if someone else reassembles the rock formations, the dreams of the person who put them there will come true. I jiggle a few of the stones on one of the piles in the hopes it really works for someone out there.

 

 After exploring the mountain, Bruno parks the car under a grove of trees and treats us to a lunch of fresh breads, cheeses and wine. Sucking up olives and sipping wine we leisurely enjoy the local products while soaking up the stunning scenery. Bruno tells us how he and his wife left big jobs in Lisbon for the simpler, life in Caminha and have never looked back. Once in town he shows us the charming downtown villa that himself and his wife have turned into an events venue called Branco.

 

Back at Rinoterra in the afternoon we discuss the local activities we want to do . There is a spa with a sauna and Jacuzzi, plus massages on offer. Ilya the owner shows us the huge new spa he is building behind the current hotel, along with new rooms, to be finished in time for spring next year.

 

 If lounging in the Spa or at the swimming pool is not for you, there are bikes and even an electric car for the guests to use. The car battery lasts 100 kilometres before having to be recharged, so that is long enough to do numerous local activities. There is stretch of beach a little way along from the river mouth nearby that is known as Praia de Moledo and is backed by the forests of the Camarido national park. One can do kayaking, horse riding, forest walks, the river or sea beaches or explore the historic town of Caminha. The area is perfect for nature lovers and there is even a ferry that can take you on a day trip to Spain. One person, one way, costs one euro or three euros to take your car and go by car.

 

 Rinoterra is a sanctuary not only for nature lovers but also for foodies. The hotel offers a half board package and Ana Guimarães, the hotel chef creates superb dishes, sometimes with a unique twist on traditional recipes. She has attended two courses with Gordon Ramsay and is adding new dishes to her repertoire all the time. Her codfish 'Rinoterra style', paired with the great local white wine, Alvarinho, left us beyond happy.

 

 Ângela Martinez, the waitress and Liliana Cunha, the director also go above and beyond to make you feel like you are in a home away from home. There are restaurants and cafes in Caminha , including Restaurant Foz do Minho along the coastline but my favourite meals are in the intimacy of the dining room at Rinoterra.

 

 If you are a foodie you are usually also a wine lover, and you will be happy to know the region has many local wineries to visit. For serious wine and port drinkers the famous region of the Douro Valley is just one hour and forty minutes away.

 We reserved a tasting and guided tour to one of the Douro’s greatest vineyards, Quinta do Bomfim.

 

 On the way to the Douro Valley, and only one hour from Rinoterra is Braga, the third largest city in Portugal. It has a very charming, historic, downtown area with nice restaurants along the main square. Fifteen minutes from downtown Braga is Bom Jesus do Monte, a pilgrimage site with a 577 step Baroque stairway. If you don't want to walk all the way up there is a cable car and once at the top there are amazing views. This site is the most famous in Braga and worth seeing regardless if you are religious or not. Make sure once you make it up the steps to poke your head into the chapel at the top, which is stunning inside.

 

 After the sites of Braga and the Douro Valley, you must also visit Porto.

From Caminha you are close enough to enjoy Porto for the day and “go home”

Rinoterra is between Vigo and Porto airports, so I chose to explore Porto on the way back to the airport. There are buses and trains from Caminha that take a bit over an hour to Porto.

 

 I leave only one day to see everything in Porto. In order to make the most of the city’s historical and culinary delights at the same time, I take the downtown Vintage food tour with Taste Porto.

 

 Andre Apolonario, a local and one of the founders of Taste Porto is our guide. An old grocery store near the city market is our first stop. We get a tasting of folar, a bread baked with chouriço and presunto delivered from a town three hundred miles away. From there we visit the Confeitaria Ateneia, the oldest chocolate producer in Porto. We then move on to Lina das Conservas to eat sardines. La Gondola Spiced Small Sardines are my favourite and there are lots of canned food souvenirs and gifts in the shop, even stuffed cloth sardines!

 

 At the next venue we share small traditional petiscos, followed by another confectionary stop. By this time I am full, so at the last food destination Taxca, I decline the offer of a pork sandwich but have a glass of espadal.

 

 I am pescatarian but I enjoy the tour even though it has an overdose of pigs meat. I like to see the interaction of the farmers and local production houses and to understand how Porto once was . Andre explains,”Pork was cheaper meat in the old times, so it was the delicacy of the poor and now it’s tradition.”

 

 The end of the tour doesn’t disappoint as the final stop includes port wine tasting in a little shop called Touriga. The tours costs 70 euros per person and 42 euros for children below 13 years old. I had enough food for lunch and dinner, in four hours I saw the best bits and learnt the history of the town, all in time to jump on my plane home.

 

 So what are you waiting for, it's time to discover the joys of Northern portugal !!