Holiday apartment for max. 4 persons
Sao Jacinto, Beira, Portugal

Family-friendly apartment close to the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Sao Jacinto, Aveiro

Casa dos Jacintos is located in São Jacinto, a fishing community across the lagoon from downtown Aveiro, in a building next to the Ria de Aveiro waterfront, near restaurants, cafés, and the ferry terminal. The unspoiled beaches of the São Jacinto Dunes Natural Reserve are in walking distance, making this ground floor flat a cozy getaway for active vacations close to nature, romantic weekends, or digital nomad work-ations.

PLEASE NOTE: The quaint fishing community of São Jacinto is connected by car ferry (15 minutes) and bus - with WiFi - with downtown Aveiro across the lagoon. The ferry runs from early in the morning until late at night. It takes about 20-25 minutes to reach downtown Aveiro. If you're looking for direct proximity to Aveiro's downtown area or the university campus, this apartment is not for you. Our guests come for peace and quiet close to nature. They also use São Jacinto as their base camp for excursions in the Aveiro region and to Porto and Coimbra.

House Rules: No pets. No smoking on the premises, including the building hallway and outside entrance area. No parties.

Our guests have their nearby pick of several restaurants with outdoor and indoor seating that serve fresh local fish specialties. You'll find cafés next door and a popular bakery/pastelaria around the corner.

São Jacinto is located on a peninsula across the lagoon from downtown Aveiro. From the international airport in Porto, it is roughly an hour south by car or motorcycle or about 2 hours by public transportation. Coming from Aveiro or further south, you would take the (car) ferry, which runs all day until late at night between Forte da Barra and São Jacinto.

You do not necessarily need your own motor vehicle, though. Aveiro has a convenient bus connection between its train/bus station and the ferry terminal. The buses feature air conditioning and WiFi, and the bus schedules are synced up with the ferry departure and arrival times. For visits by bike, bus, or car to downtown Aveiro or Ilhavo, or to the beach communities of Barra and Costa Nova, the ferry terminal (São Jacinto - Forte da Barra) is only a short walk or drive away. Watch the sun rise over the Aveiro lagoon from the benches on the nearby pier. Enjoy dramatic sunsets from the unspoiled beaches of the São Jacinto Dunes Natural Reserve, in walking distance.

Aveiro, and São Jacinto in particular, are among the most bicycle-friendly communities in Portugal and the European Union. Section 16 of EuroVelo 1, the cycle route that connects the European continent (and straddles the Ria de Aveiro for a good part of it) starts at our doorstep.

This spacious ground floor apartment, upgraded in 2023, features a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with a large bathtub/shower, and a small glimpse of the Aveiro lagoon from the living room window. It includes features free high-speed internet / WiFi coverage in all rooms. Linens & towels are provided at no extra cost.

- The living room features a convertible work desk / dinner table, a large expandable sleeper couch (+2 configuration) with chaise-longue storage space, side tables and a coffee table, an entertainment center with cable TV and streaming services, a wide variety of board and card games as well as puzzles, a reading chair, and a fireplace (for use with the electrical insert only).

- A baby crib / children's travel cot with mattress and bedding (for age 0-3) can be provided upon request FREE of charge at booking time.

- The kitchen features an electrical oven-stove, a breakfast table for to, dishwasher, large refrigerator/freezer combo, microwave, tea kettle, and toaster. The adjoining pantry holds a washer/dryer combo and an iron with ironing board.

- The bedroom includes a king-sized double bed, a dresser with mirror, a closet with hangers, a luggage bench, and a reading chair. USB charging outlets are provided on both bedsides, as are an electrical fan and an air cleaner / dehumidifier.

- The bathroom features a large bathtub-shower combination, a WC, a bidet, a bathroom vanity mirror cabinet w/ power outlet, a towel heater, and several towel hangers and shelves.

- The hallway features a wardrobe area with a bench and shore storage space and a coat rack.

Outside blinds and curtains in all rooms ensure extra privacy.

This ground floor apartment features a glimpse of the Aveiro lagoon (Ria de Aveiro) view from the living room window. While the flat does not include any further outdoor areas, the shoreline and harbor promenade are only a few steps from the building entrance.

Its quiet, distraction-free location, high-bandwidth internet connection, and creature comforts for extended stays make this apartment a favorite of families and couples looking to enjoy an active vacation or "work-ation" in close proximity to nature, yet only a short ride away from the city and most of the region's other attractions. For the youngest travelers, several playgrounds can be found nearby.

Accessibility: The building entrance is slightly elevated, three steps lead up to the building hallway from the street level. The entrance door to Apartment A is immediately to the right after entering the hallway on the ground floor. This makes Apartment A the preferred choice of elderly guests with mobility issues and young families with a child buggy.

On the seaside of the village, the unspoiled - and ECC Blue Flag-winning - São Jacinto Beach stretches all the way to the horizon. It's about 15 minutes away on foot. São Jacinto borders on the São Jacinto Dunes Natural Reserve, which features a network of hiking trails and is also close-by (10-minute walk). The lagoon shoreline and harbor promenade on the Ria side of São Jacinto are onlya few steps away from Casa dos Jacintos, with several restaurants serving local fish specialties in walking distance. The area offers excellent opportunities for hiking, biking, birdwatching, plein-air painting, or just chilling with a book.

Visitors come to enjoy the scenery and observe a wide variety of bird species, including flamingos and herons. São Jacinto hiking trails and bike paths are well-marked and offer stunning views of the coastline and the lagoon. For children, São Jacinto, Aveiro, and its neighboring communities across the lagoon offer plenty of outdoor and indoor attractions and activities to explore, including dolphin and whale watching tours (availability depends on season and migration patterns).

Foodies will love the fresh seafood and healthy dishes on offer at the local restaurants. The village is famous for its sumptuous seafood dishes. The area offers excellent opportunities for hiking, biking, birdwatching, plein-air painting, or just chilling with a book.

São Jacinto makes it easy to shed your car (it is safe) and explore the neighborhood on foot or by bicycle. This includes excursions - or even daily visits - to downtown Aveiro or its sprawling university campus and to the neighboring, more crowded (!) beach communities of Torreira, Barra, and Costa Nova.

Trips to Porto or Coimbra without a car require only slightly more planning and reviewing ferry, bus, and train schedules, but it is worth it.

Hourly speed trains connect Aveiro with both cities. In Porto in particular, finding free parking can be difficult outside the season, and almost impossible during the summer. You will be glad you took public transportation.