It is not always necessary to cross oceans to find destinations capable of surprising. In Portugal, there is a nook that mixes untouched nature, suspended accommodation in trees, transmontana cuisine and water that has been prescribed for centuries as if it were a real remedy. The name may be familiar to you because of the bottles you see in the cafes, but the origin is a hidden paradise.
Between the mountains and the valleys of Trás-os-Montes
Salted stones is a refuge in the north of the country where the landscape seems to be done on purpose to slow down the rhythm. The pines rise like green walls, the rails serpent between twenty hectares of park and fresh air brings with it the memory of a centenary tradition.
Here, both the body and mind find room to rest, as the ekonomist suggests, a site specializing in economics and finance.
Architecture between past and future
The contrast between the old and the modern is one of the secrets of the place. The historical heritage lives side by side with interventions by architect Siza Vieira, who managed to give modernity without erasing the original identity. The result is a space that respects the past and at the same time opens to the future, as the source mentioned suggests.
Sleep at the top of the trees
Among the available housing, the ekonomist suggests the famous Eco Houses and Tree Houses. Suspended or discreetly integrated into the vegetation, they make it possible to realize the dream of sleeping in a tree house.
The difference is in comfort: minimalist design, wide beds and that feeling of luxury without ostentation. It is nature, but in sophisticated version.
Thermal Spa and Welfare
Another point of attraction is the thermal spa, a direct heir to the medicinal tradition that made this water a national symbol, as the ekonomist explains.
If in the past it was prescribed in medical revenues, today it involves those visiting massages, hot baths and treatments designed for physical and mental balance.
Museum and bottled memory
At Pedras Experience, a small museum core, it is possible to see how water was used for decades as a therapeutic resource, as the source explains. Bottles, medical offices and old furniture help tell the story of a product that has become part of the Portuguese daily life.
Transmontana cuisine
No visit would be complete without enjoying the food in the region. Put to the Mirandesa, smoked sausages and homemade homemade bread are part of the menu, as suggested. What comes to the table is simple, but carries the soul from Trás-os-Montes.
A trip worth
Just over an hour from Porto, the trip to salty stones is short, but it turns into a dive into a different universe.
A place that teaches how to change hurry for contemplation and noise for silence. In the end, there is always the image that remains: a glass of carbonated water served directly at the source, as those who drink bottled history.
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