MAP (DRAFT) For Reference

O Refúgio Guest Rates 2023

O Refúgio offers simple European-style accommodations above the Douro River in the village of Canelas, 30 miles east of Porto. We offer a simple, beautiful place to unplug and connect with God and nature through community, creativity, creation care, and reflection.Eleven rooms in Casa Grande can accommodate up to 26 guests with five shared bathrooms. We also have two newly renovated Studios with private bathrooms and a shared private kitchenette. Each studio sleeps two (two singles or a double). Groups with over four guests can book the Casa Grande, while individuals, couples, or small families would stay in the Studios.Our Maximum Capacity is 24 couples or 30 guests total (Casa Grande plus the two studios), with options for single, double, and triple rooms (depending on the group size).Casa Grande has a dining hall, library, living room area, a small auditorium, and a room that can be used for art workshops. The grounds include many fields, terraces, an organic garden, a fire pit, and a sports court (basketball, football, volleyball.…) that you can enjoy during your stay. We welcome you to volunteer with the organic garden if interested. There are also a few village cafes, a small grocery within a block of O Refúgio, and local hiking in the village from our gate. The Douro River and other local hiking or touristic excursions would require transportation to and from O Refúgio and would be at the guest’s expense. Off-sight excursions will be arranged by the guest or with advanced notice if you need our assistance with local bookings. We request a small fee to help you arrange any local excursions or itineraries for your stay.We do not offer airport transfers or general transportation to O Refúgio, so please plan accordingly. Please allow 45-55 minutes from the international airport in Porto. There are many car rental options at the airport, or you can book a taxi or Uber.Groups over four are required to book full or half-board. Please see the chart below for room rates and full/half board meal rates for groups. Please note that private use of the industrial kitchen is not allowed. Only guests staying in the studios can access the private studio kitchenette (refrigerator, stove, oven, and basic cooking utensils included).

NOTES:
Your reservation is confirmed when 50% is received. The remaining amount is due one week before your stay.• The Professional Kitchen is not available for self-serve access.• Group Retreats are for college-age 18 and above. Children are welcome with family stays and must be supervised by an adult at all times.• Accompanied children up to 12yrs old are half price. Under 3yrs old are free.• The main rooms and bedrooms are heated during winter months. We do not have indoor air conditioning in the summer.• Wifi is available for free in the Casa Grande / Library. Available in the Studios for 5€ a day / 20€ a week.• Full or Half Board must be confirmed with at least a week's advance notice for your group.CANCELATIONS:
• Cancellations prior to 30 days of your stay are fully refundable.
• Cancellations prior to 15 days of your stay are refundable at 50%.
• Cancellations within 7 days are non-refundable.
• Rebooking with no charge with at least 30-day notice is based on availability.DISCOUNTS:
Stays over one week offer 10% discount. Stays for two weeks offer 15% discount (applied to both local or international rates)

OUR MISSION + VISION

At O Refúgio, we want to offer a place where guests can:• Restore relationships to their Creator, nature, and one another.
• Find refreshment, rest, and restoration for their bodies and souls.
• Experience community and cultivate a more thoughtful, intentional way of life.
• Integrate prayer and contemplation into daily living.
• Connect with the land through regenerative farming and work on the vineyard.
• Bless and connect with the local community.
• Explore creativity and engage with the arts.

WHAT WE VALUE:

Faith: We follow Christian contemplative wisdom and practices that support personal transformation and inspire loving action.
Hospitality: We serve each other in love to make everyone feel welcome!
Community: We believe that we grow better together, side by side, by sharing experiences and times of silence.
Creation: We understand ourselves as part of God's extraordinary creative action, with its rhythms and seasons, beauty and mystery.
Creativity: We explore and encourage creativity, inspired by the ultimate artist--endless in creativity, design, and ideas.
Hope: We open ourselves to hope, whatever the circumstances, moved by the certainty that God is with us in all ways.
Restoration: We embrace restoration - in our bodies, our relationships, and our soul, as well as an exploration of restoring the land, the vines, and the buildings of this beautiful, historic property.

WELCOME!

Bem-vindo! Welcome to O Refúgio Retreat. We are so happy that you are here. We hope you will make yourself at home, relax, rest, explore, and enjoy this beautiful place.There are a few important things for you to know during your stay:If you need to reach us during your stay for any urgent matters, please send a WhatsApp message:
- Marta: +351 934 554 724 (Portuguese or English)
- Brandon: +1 323 573 7629 (English only)The main building, Casa Grande, is open from 9 am - 9pm and can be accessed through the front left blue door. Please feel free to use the library or living room as needed. You are welcome to borrow any books during your stay. Please return them and help us keep everything in order for our next guests.While we encourage you to unplug as much as possible during your time here, WiFi is available in the library. (tEthqY3ebMyCc5X4)Please do not eat or drink in the rooms or library. Please use the designated areas of the dining hall or outdoor areas with tables. Thank you.Coffee is available in the dining hall throughout the day as needed. Please help yourself.Our water is safe to drink from the faucets. We are so blessed to have the ongoing source of well water to serve our trees and gardens. Please be thoughtful in your use of water so our well stays happy and flowing for years to come.We strive to be as sustainable as possible, so please help us recycle and minimize any waste or use of one time plastics, etc. We use the organic veggies and fruits for many of our meals served at the retreat. We also source from our local village and farms whenever possible. Any of our green food waste and paper waste is added to the compost pile in our garden, so please feel free to add to the designated compost bin that we will take to the garden.We are a small team and employ people in our local community to help care for the grounds and facilities as well as through volunteers. Please help us keep O Refúgio beautiful for our future guests.For guests in our private studios:Please feel free to use the shared kitchenette in your studio to cook your meals and use whatever basic cooking utensils we have for you. We provide some coffee and tea options as well. You are also welcome to pick fresh produce from the garden or fruit trees when something is ready to harvest.If you need to buy groceries, there is a small market next to our main gate. Otherwise, there is a Continent and Intermarché about 15 minutes drive from here.The industrial kitchen is not available to the public and is reserved for private chefs for larger groups only.If you want to walk to a cafe, there are a few traditional options just a 5-minute walk from O Refúgio if you turn right from our gate: Café Central and A Preguiceira.At the end of your stay, please place your sheets, pillow cases, and duvet cover in a pile on the floor. Please keep your towel hanging to dry so as to not damage any wood. This will help lighten the workload for us and our local helpers.For guest staying with a group in Casa Grande:Please respect our other guests with the shared bathrooms. Please be sure to hang your towel(s) on the hook in your bedroom. You can use the hooks in the bathroom as needed as you use the shower or restroom. If you would like a fresh towel, please let us know.We do not clean your room during your stay. Please use the woven waste bin for non perishable trash items. We do recycle, so please do not place any wet items in the bin. Please dispose of such items in the main bins by the kitchen.At the end of your stay, please place your sheets, pillow cases, and duvet cover in a pile on the floor. Please keep your towel hanging to dry and not on the floor or beds. This will help lighten the workload for us and our local helpers.The industrial kitchen is not available to the public and is reserved for private chefs for larger groups only.Our favorite restaurants in the area are:
A Preguiceira (in our village)
Casa Da Viúva (in Quintandona village, reservations needed)
Restaurante Ponte de Pedra (traditional on the river)
Pizzaria Soares (10 minute drive)
2Rios (nice cafe/restaurant on the river)Nearby Activities:
If you would like to volunteer to help us in the garden or with a restoration project during your stay, just let us know! We always welcome the help, and there is always something to do.We hope you take time to slow down, breathe, and enjoy God's creation. Our property map gives you an idea of where everything is located. You are welcome to explore the gardens and terraces. It is especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset on the upper terraces. (Please note the larger building at the top of the property is rented to a separate non-profit that serves men in recovery. Please do not enter that portion of the property to give them privacy.)For an afternoon trip, you can visit Quintandona, a traditional village with an excellent restaurant and wine-tasting room. There is also a nice hike into the woods from the village there.If you want to go to the river to swim or paddle board, Castelo Beach is just a 15-minute drive. You can rent kayaks (7€/hr) and paddle boards (10€/hr) from 10am-6pm.A nice hike in the village loops back to O Refugio in a few different spots. It is uphill for half the walk and then downhill. It is about an hour's hike. You go through village streets as well as dirt paths. Please see "All Trails" app to view all the other hiking options in our area. www.alltrails.comWe are so glad you are here. If there is anything we can do to help make your stay more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We have prayed for you and will continue to do so during your stay. If you have any specific requests you would like to share, please put them on a paper slip in the library prayer basket. We will be honored to pray for you specifically.Many blessings,Marta, Kirsten, and Brandon
Team O Refúgio