Casa da Ana Boutique Guest House

The Casa da Ana Boutique Guest House is a homely B&B, located in one of the underrated gems of northern Portugal.

The rural town of Barcelos is often overlooked by visitors to northern Portugal, and yet the town’s emblem is familiar to chicken lovers all over the world. The O Galo de Barcelos – the Rooster of Barcelos – was adopted by the Nando’s restaurant chain as their logo, but its origins are firmly rooted in local folklore: in a fable worthy of Aesop himself, a cooked rooster springs back into life, interrupting dinner for the town’s judge but saving a holy pilgrim from an unjust execution.

A stay in Barcelos is necessary to fully embrace the tale of the O Galo, and one of our favourite, traditional-style B&Bs in the town is the Casa da Ana Boutique Guest House. This stout, 18^th century townhouse overlooks the Largo do Apoio, the town’s oldest square, and is an excellent base from which to explore Barcelos on foot: the Museu de Olaria, the Torre Medieval de Barcelos, and the famous Campo da Feira Thursday market are all within easy walking distance.

This diminutive casa has four double rooms, a one-bedroom apartment (with a kitchenette), and a two-bedroom apartment (a good option for families; also with a kitchenette). Owner Ana has expertly combined modern comforts, cosy fabrics and restored antique furniture, with the bare-and-burly exposed yellow granite which characterizes the town’s historic western quarter.