{"id":36663,"date":"2024-07-18T12:29:45","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T10:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/casa-da-cisterna\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T13:48:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:48:37","slug":"casa-da-cisterna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/nature-stay\/casa-da-cisterna\/","title":{"rendered":"Casa da Cisterna"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Casa da Cisterna: a comfortable stay in authentic Castel Rodrigo<\/h1>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can definitely call this a hidden gem. Casa da Cisterna is a comfortable and charming hotel in an authentic village surrounded by castle ruins. We\u2019re in eastern central Portugal. The hotel consists of several authentic houses with a shared pool.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Casa da Cisterna\u2014Cisterna literally means \u201ccistern\u201d\u2014used to be the water storage facility for the entire village. Now it has been transformed into an idyllic boutique hotel with several rooms, suites, and two villas.   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hospitality Comes First at Casa da Cisterna  <\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ana and Antonio left Lisbon for this beautiful, little-known spot in historic Castelo Rodrigo. Both biologists, they chose the tranquility of rural life in a historic setting over the hustle and bustle of the city. They have created a wonderful, homey hotel in an authentic setting.  <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ana and her team go out of their way to make sure you have a great time and get to know the beautiful surroundings. A fantastic (local) breakfast is served, and for a delicious dinner, there\u2019s a daily regional menu with plenty of choices.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8B_rjXL7cao&amp;t=4s\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8B_rjXL7cao&amp;t=4s\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube for an interview I did with Ana from Casa da Cisterna<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Faia Brava in de Coa Valley -  Midden Portugal #faiabrava #coavalley #centerofportugal\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7DJFCZyyEPo?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Castelo Rodrigo and the surrounding area<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This surprising and lesser-known region is about a 1.5-hour drive from Salamanca, Spain, and 2.5 hours from Coimbra in Central Portugal. You\u2019re in the eastern part of Central Portugal, not far from the Spanish border. This was once a strategic site for battles and a stop along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Today, it\u2019s a very peaceful spot with beautiful nature and a rich history.     <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enjoy the peace and quiet of this quaint little village. Relax by the pool with its stunning views and explore the historic town. Ana and Antonio will be happy to tell you about the local attractions, and they offer guided tours of the area upon request.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Castelo Rodrigo is part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/portugal\/central-portugal\/historic-villages-of-portugal\/\">Aldeias Hist\u00f3ricas de Portugal<\/a>, a group of 12 authentic historic villages that are historically linked and form the basis for a wonderful exploration tour in this lesser-known part of Portugal. If you set out on this journey, be sure to bring along the famous picnic basket for a delicious meal along the way.   <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/portugal\/central-portugal\/faia-brava-in-the-coa-valley-birdwatching-nature-photography\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/portugal\/midden-portugal\/faia-brava-coa-valley\/\">Coa Valley<\/a>, with its impressive prehistoric rock art; the Douro River, with its stunning nature park; and Almeida, one of Portugal\u2019s twelve historic villages.  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hiking and Biking in the Douro International Nature Park<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The area is beautiful for walking, hiking, or biking. It is located in the heart of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitportugal.com\/nl\/node\/156080\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.visitportugal.com\/nl\/node\/156080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Douro International Nature Park<\/a>. The GR22 trail winds through historic villages and stunning natural scenery. This long-distance hike covers a total of nearly 600 kilometers, but can, of course, be broken up into shorter sections. Read more here about an <a href=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/portugal\/northern-portugal\/8-day-hiking-tour-douro-international-coa-valley\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/portugal\/noord-portugal\/douro-international-coa-valley\/\">organized hiking trip to this area<\/a>.    <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Birdwatching at Casa Cisterna<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s also a wonderful place for birdwatchers. <a href=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/portugal\/central-portugal\/faia-brava-in-the-coa-valley-birdwatching-nature-photography\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/portugal\/midden-portugal\/faia-brava-coa-valley\/\">Faia Brava<\/a> is a beautiful protected nature reserve located about 20 kilometers from the village. Many bird species, such as the black vulture, as well as beautiful plants and flowers, are preserved here. A birdwatching spot for vultures was recently set up at Casa da Cisterna. Visiting this area and observing these impressive birds is a unique experience.   <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rooms, suites, and villas: luxury and comfort in an authentic setting<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The authentic rooms and suites are all unique and tastefully decorated. The luxury villas can be rented upon request for four to six people.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>  A comfortable and charming boutique hotel  <\/li>\n<li>  Authentic village near castle ruins  <\/li>\n<li>  Stunning natural scenery in eastern Central Portugal  <\/li>\n<li>  Several authentic houses  <\/li>\n<li>  Communal swimming pool  <\/li>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[225,224,194,189],"tags":[287,229,234,246,226,227,206,207,209,198],"class_list":["post-36663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-stay","category-central-portugal","category-accommodation","category-portugal","tag-socially-sustainable","tag-sustainability-certification","tag-architecture","tag-boutique-hotel","tag-surroundings","tag-vacation-rental","tag-swimming-pool","tag-walking-tours","tag-bnb","tag-biosphere-certified-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturetravellab.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}