After a full day of collecting seashells by the shore, kayaking down the lagoon, catching waves on a surfboard, it's time to go to your Portuguese home, Ninho da Garça. Unpack your suitcases in our monochrome 'casa' by the Atlantic coast in the northwest region of Portugal. Our location is our most precious asset, and for a good reason. The small black-and-white house stands right along the Aveiro Lagoon, which stretches more than 45 km and is considered one of Europe’s last untouched wetland regions. The name Ninho da Garça, or Heron's Nest in Portuguese, is fitting as we share this exotic wilderness with herons, flamingos, other free birds, sea and land creatures.

If you think the definition of a perfect holiday is long walks on sandy beaches along the Atlantic, visiting historic Portuguese towns, swimming in azure water, admiring wild animals, then look no further. Throw in some new flavours - eel in every form (marinated, deep-fried, baked or slow-cooked in a stew), the sweet pleasure of freshly baked Pão-de-Ló de Ovar (sponge cake from Ovar) and fresh seafood. After all these revelations, head back to the little white house, open a bottle of chilled wine and enjoy the salty air. We have a holiday oasis just waiting for you.

Step inside this light and airy open-space concept house and seek refuge from the Portuguese sun. Your home away from home has dark grey natural slate stone floors, rustic wood furniture and high exposed ceiling beams, white walls and grey shutters and frames.

All doors lead to a cosy living room with a wood-burning stove for chilly nights, a sleek kitchenette and a four-person dining table. Upstairs on the mezzanine floor, there are two single beds and a bit of storage space for your things. The sofa bed in the living room provides an additional sleeping option. Our house comfortably accommodates two people and the maximum capacity is 4 people. If there’s only 3 of you, we can also add a travel bed in the living room so you don’t lose the use of the sofa.

To sum it up, we have 2 single beds on the mezzanine (0.90x2.0m), 1 sofa bed (1.40x2.0m) and the option of a travel bed (0.8x1.90m). When booking for 2 people, please let us know if you prefer to sleep on the mezzanine floor or on the sofa bed in the living room.

After a beach day, wash off the extra sand between your toes in the outdoor shower before entering directly into the full indoor bathroom on the ground floor.

Don’t let the kitchen’s size fool you! It’s big enough to prepare full-course dinners with the fresh catch of the day, seasonal vegetables and a refreshing bottle of local wine. Finish off with a few scoops of gelado. The kitchen is equipped with a mini-fridge, electric stovetop, microwave, kettle, toaster, capsule coffee maker, pots, pans, cooking and eating utensils. If you consider yourself a Grill Master, there’s a small grill for outdoor cooking. Dine inside or outside, but we prefer dragging the foldable furniture from the living room onto the terrace and enjoying our meals al fresco. Portuguese food is excellent – don’t just take our word for it, there’s plenty of tried and true restaurants around here that we recommend. Many of them have outdoor terraces or offer takeaway if you prefer to enjoy a quiet night at home.

Our house is located close to the channels of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon and many nearby beaches, so the main attractions here are related to water and nature. Take SUP rides on the canals, kite surf on the main canal, surf on the beach, or simply relax and bask in the sun like a turtle. This is also a prime spot for fishing, or you can learn all about the diverse flora and fauna on a guided tour in the Dunas de São Jacinto reserve. Finally, take a walk through the pine forest that leads to the beach dunes, or you can ride a bike if that’s more your speed – there are plenty of cycle paths to explore.

For a bit more excitement, go to the city centre of Ovar, where you’ll find typical houses with tiled facades, various cultural events (concerts, puppet festival in June, Carnaval in February), and small shops and grocers that sell local products. If you’d like to sip cocktails on a beach terrace with a spectacular view ocean view and munch on fresh seafood, definitely check out the coastal town of Furadouro. If you have a car, the cities of Aveiro and Porto are only about 40km away. Aveiro is called the ‘Portuguese Venice’ because of the Ria channels that cross it. You can visit the salt flats and spend a day having salt treatments in the natural spa.

Children gleefully play outdoors in a safe space where they can run freely, play with sticks, sand and water and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. My daughters like to collect shells on the beach and catch crabs and small fish on the pier that’s right at the foot of our land. We bet your kids will love to do the same! To get away from tablets and phone screens in the evenings, we have colouring books and various board games that you can play as a family.