Matos Essence Villa
No. I · Estate Folio MMXXVI · Braga, Portugal

Matos Essence
Villa a private villa, on the green hill of Braga

A contemporary house of wood, light and water — between the cathedral spires of Braga, the granite of Sameiro, and the slow bend of the Cávado. A house for long mornings, long tables, and the slow choreography of a Portuguese summer.

The living room of Matos Essence Villa — vaulted wood ceiling, light pine floor, garden beyond.
Plate 01 · The Living Room afternoon light, looking south to the garden
[ Matos Essence Villa ]
Rua dos Matos 21, Braga São Pedro de Este Six suites · Sleeps twelve Indoor heated pool · Steam · Gym
§ 01 The Dossier
Bedrooms 06 three king suites, a twin, a queen, a children's room
Bathrooms 07 stone, glass and pine, rain showers throughout
Sleeps 12 families, friends, or both at once
Wellness ∞ heated indoor pool, steam room, private gym
§ 02 A Sense of the House
Indoor heated pool with a line-drawing mural and pale wood bench.Plate 02 · Indoor pool
The Water

An indoor pool, year-round.

Twelve metres of still, heated water under a soft daylight ceiling. A steam room and rain shower are set into the adjacent wing — for the cool hours, and the warm ones.

The kitchen and dining room of Matos Essence Villa — bamboo ceiling, long table, valley views.Plate 03 · Kitchen & dining
The Table

A kitchen built for long meals.

Twin ovens, a six-burner range with hood, a Sub-Zero, a marble island. A dining table that seats ten, with a low window onto the valley. The chef arrives with the season's market by ten.

Open living room with curved sofa, wood-burning stove and floor-to-ceiling glass to the garden.Plate 04 · The living room
The Quiet

Rooms made for the slow afternoon.

A wood-burning stove at the centre, a curved velvet sectional, a Sonos zone in every room. Stay in. The world will wait.

§ 03 The Setting
The villa from across the lawn — orange wood-clad façade, hills of Braga in the distance.Plate 05 · The lawn, looking back

São Pedro de Este,
on the green side of Braga.

Rua dos Matos rises on the eastern hillside of Braga, in the small parish of São Pedro de Este — five minutes from the city centre, ten from the baroque stair of Bom Jesus, twenty from the granite outcrops of Sameiro. The Minho rolls north, vineyards to the Atlantic, Gerês climbing east. The villa sits in the middle of it.

"Five minutes from the cathedral, an hour from the Douro, a country away from everywhere."
— from the estate journal
§ 04 Concierge — discreet, on request

A house that arranges itself around you.

i.

Private Chef

Breakfast through dinner. Market-led, Minho-rooted.

ii.

Private Driver

Mercedes V-Class for Porto, Douro, the airports.

iii.

Daily Housekeeping

Two visits a day, turned-down beds, fresh flowers.

iv.

EV Charging

Charger at the gate; Tesla adaptor.

v.

Events

Long-table dinners, weddings, small celebrations.

The full concierge →
An invitation

Come, & stay a while.

Direct inquiry receives the best rate, our full concierge, and the chef's menu on arrival.

Direct Inquiry → View on Airbnb