Where to stay in Peneda-Gerês national park with a dog

Recently, I’ve taken a trip with my dog to Peneda-Gerês, the only national park in Portugal. We wanted to spend a few days there, so we needed a place to stay in the area.

We chose to stay at Refúgio do Vidoeiro which turned out to be a good choice. I can definitely recommend this apartment for staying a few days in Peneda-Gerês national park with your dog. For a full breakdown of my experience, read the review below.

DOG FRIENDLINESS

My dog was welcome here. I was just asked to be careful, which is fair enough! Of course we always try to be respectful of the places that we stay at and my pup sleeps in her own box – both to minimize any risk of damages and to make sure that she has a place that feels safe and like home.

THE LOCATION

The apartment is located quite deep in the national park and yet close to a few a restaurants, a tourist office and a guided tour company. Very convenient. Do be prepared to drive on some narrow, partially unsecured roads when making your way through the park to the apartment though.

THE APARTMENT

The apartment is very spacious. There is a large bedroom with a big double bed, a closet as well as a dresser, a very large living room/kitchen area, a bathroom and a large terrace. It was very comfortable and we had more than enough space.

Even though there are some restaurants nearby, we actually enjoyed having a full kitchen and being able to make our own breakfast and dinner. Again, it was just very comfortable. The one thing I would still have loved to have in the kitchen is a dishwasher!

In addition to the kitchen, there is also a washing machine. As we have been traveling to a few places in a row, this came in very handy. Although it is a bit of an older model, we managed to get it working.

One important note about the terrace: The door does not open from the outside. So if you are on the terrace and somehow the door closes behind you, you are actually locked out and cannot get back in. I found that out the hard way…

Another thing that would have been great is some mosquito nets on the terrace door. That way, you could leave the door open without letting all the bugs in. This was a bit of an issue and is probably what caused the closed door and subsequent lock-out as I left the door open just a little bit to keep the bugs out….

THE SERVICE

The service was good. The host contacted me a few days before check-in to send me some information about the area as well as some instructions on how to get the keys. It was very easy to self-check-in to the place. The only thing that would have helped me is a sign on the door to see which apartment it is. For reference, it is the one directly on the right as you walk in.

When I locked myself out on the terrace (again, be careful that the door does not close behind you!) the host had someone there within 15 minutes to rescue me. Very much appreciated. Even more appreciated would be a safety feature to prevent the door closing accidentally though.

THE VALUE

At this apartment, I paid 75 EUR per night including cleaning, parking and my dog. To me, this is a good price for such a large apartment in a great location right in the national park.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Overall, this apartment was a good choice. We were there for only two nights, but it was a really comfortable stay and a good base to explore the park. I was grateful for the full kitchen as well as the washing machine. Just make sure to not lock yourself out on the terrace! On balance, I give it a 4/5.