River Island: luksusvilla villa; privat basseng; båt; kajakker; elven bar

Villa had everything we needed for a relaxing break and made a good base for exploring other areas eg Coimbra. Car is essential as villa is about 1km down a track but the lack of rowdy clubs etc more than makes up for this. Lovely welcome pack of goodies including beer and wine. Nice clean pool and use of rowing boats and open kayaks for the river - made use of these! Lots of indoor and outdoor space for 6 people but be aware of steps if taking immobile granny with you. The owners live next door and were very welcoming and excellent at communication with us before and during the stay. Definitely felt that should anything have gone wrong they would have been on to it straight away. All in all a great place to stay.

This was our second year staying at River Island and it was just as good as ever.

You can read our first review still so I will just add a further few comments. James and Heidi are amazing hosts and could not have done more to make our stay more enjoyable - thanks!

The swimming area at the river beach just down from the villa has been tidied up considerably and is even nicer, with some new facilities and a new diving board. Make sure you take the time to row or kayak there for drinks or ice creams!

We did a few excursions this year. Some our our favourites from last year like Gois and Aveiro/Costa Nova, and we also tried new ones like Tomar. I can highly recommend you make the trip to Tomar. So much incredible history, and we took one of the Tuk Tuk tours from the main square which was fun and informative and the kids loved it!

All in all another amazing week at River Island!

A really well-appointed villa with very spacious rooms and direct access to the river. Generous welcome pack and additional larder / honesty box which was incredibly useful. James & Heidi are very welcoming and on hand to provide helpful information about the surrounding area which is a largely untouched region full of natural beauty. The river bar was lovely to either kayak or stroll to for a drink and ridiculously cheap! The local supermarket was an easy drive. We spotted kingfishers when we were out on the river and our teenage boys made the most of swimming in the river upstream. Thank you Heidi and James.

We have just returned back from 2 weeks here and we had a brilliant time! James and Heidi were friendly and happy to help with anything. The blue book they leave in the house is full of information that gave us some great days out.

The highlight for us was having the use of a rowing boat and kayaks to sail down to the local river bar.

Would highly recommend this villa, it is a beautiful house and has everything you could need.

We have just returned to the UK after a wonderful week spent at River Island. James and Heidi were away when we arrived but we were greeted by Rita who was ultra friendly and helpful and had left some lovely treats for our arrival. She even returned a few days later and left us a bottle of Beirao on the doorstep, which she had recommended.

When James and Heidi did return after their holiday James was straight in to clean the pool for us and was so helpful, even helping us arrange a birthday meal out and driving us to the venue. A huge thank you for the bottle of birthday bubbles.

James and Heidi were always available next door but were also very discreet and allowed us to enjoy our holiday.

The villa is pretty remote down a long track and we were glad that we had a substantial car for getting up and down - something that you may want to consider when you are hiring one. The remoteness was what made it so special though. It is so quiet and the only noise was from the birds and people occasionally enjoying the river or the picnic area on the other side.

The kayaks and boat are a great way for gently cruising up and down the river and the river bar is just a few minutes away and is super cheap. £2 for a large glass of wine made for an interesting paddle back to the villa.

The villa has everything that you could need to make a home from home. We used the BBQ a number of times and we couldn't actually tear ourselves away most evenings and chose to cook and play cards in the lovely outdoor space. My only recommendation would be a couple more non-stick saucepans and some extra sharp knives. One of my favourite additions to meal times was the sudden appearance and meowing of Moggy when he heard the crockery and cutlery coming out. Moggy makes himself at home and he was fab company as I was missing my own cat.

We travelled out and about in the mornings (when we could be bothered) and there is some beautiful scenery and sights to see within a short drive. We liked exploring Lousa Castle and the terrain around it. The waterfall was also lovely but the walk does entail clambering up and down over rocks which we thoroughly enjoyed but is not for the faint-hearted.

All in all, the villa, location and hosts are all first class and we definitely hope to return in the future. Thank you James and Heidi for all your hospitality, help and advice before and during our stay - keep us informed about your new development.