River Beach Suite · Joe Cocker

Granite and old timber shape this 300-year-old watermill, set directly on the Coura River with its own stretch of river beach. Two bedrooms sleep four: a double for quiet nights, twins for restful ones, sharing one well-appointed bathroom. There is no kitchen here — the house is built for rest, not cooking, with a garden that runs down to the water.

The river curves generously around the property, forming clear, sandy-banked waters good for summer swimming. Vilar de Mouros, the riverside village nearby, hosts Portugal's oldest music festival and otherwise offers little but water and silence. Caminha, with its medieval centre, Clock Tower and ferry to Spain, is 5km away; La Guardia, across the border in Spain, is 20km.

Mornings mean coffee to the sound of the Coura moving over rock, then a walk to the beach for a swim before the day warms. Evenings settle into the garden, watching light fade over the water with nothing else on the agenda.