Culinary delights, wine and incredible scenery in beautiful Alentejo, Portugal
The Alentejo region covers an enormous area of more than 31,000 km². It offers stunning coastlines with beautiful beaches and good surf, fields of cork trees, medieval towns and some of the best food you will ever experience.
Day one
After a direct flight with TAP Air Portugal, who fly from both Heathrow and Manchester, we travelled for around an hour and a half to our first stop at Tapada de Coelheiros, a family owned estate, for lunch and wine tasting. We also enjoyed walnut tasting; the estate grows four different varieties! We were then taken on a tour of the estate in jeeps where we saw their olive trees, sheep, deer and cork trees. This was an incredible start to the holiday. Leaving feeling rather larger than we’d arrived, we headed to the local city of Estremoz which would be our base for the next couple of nights. Before making our way to the hotel, we visited the Castle of Estremoz that overlooks the city, climbing the 118 steps to walk off our lunch and enjoy the stunning 360° views of the city and countryside. Our hotel was the beautiful Caso do Gadanha. With its 11 bedrooms, rooftop terrace, tasteful décor and restaurant which features in the Michelin Guide, this was a fantastic place to stay. The evening meal was divine. I lost count of the number of courses, but each was carefully crafted and mouthwatering, and didn’t disappoint. Huge thanks must go to Visit Alentejo for organising such a well thought out first day after an early start.
Day two
Our first full day in Alentejo offered a mix of breathtaking scenery, traditional towns and villages full of personality, boutique hotels, wineries, amazing gastronomy, hiking and cycling routes, and hosts that want you to make the most of your time there. We started the day in Marvao, a walled city and castle at one of the highest points in Portugal. Spain can be seen within the panoramic 360° views. Next was the small town of Castelo de Vide. Our host here showed us around his boutique hotel, Casa Amarela, and then hosted our lunch in a local restaurant before guiding us around the town.
The next stop was a truly unique experience! We visited the lovely Hotel Torredepalma; an award winning winery, beautifully appointed hotel, spa and restaurant. There, we enjoyed some wonderful experiences including star gazing, personal dining and wine tasting.
We finished the day back in Estremoz for a peaceful evening meal at Restaurant Alecrim.
Day 3
We enjoyed a delightful breakfast at Casa do Gadanha before heading off to Évora (Capital of Culture 2027) for a guided walking tour of this Roman walled city. Extremely pretty and traditional, to see it properly and do it justice would require 2 or 3 nights. We took in the Cathedral and the Chapel of Bones before lunch at Cafealentejo Restaurante. After lunch we headed to the beautiful walled village of Monsaraz, with its stunning views, a small castle, shops and restaurants. From there, it was wine tasting, an evening meal and overnight stay at Herdade do Sobroso. Wow what a place; 1600 hectares of wine production and beautiful natural surroundings, offering exquisite wines, and superb food and hospitality.
Day four
After arriving in the dark at Herdade do Sobroso we woke to the most stunning landscape topped by a wonderful breakfast. Top marks to this venue for its hospitality. It’s well worth a stay as part of any trip to the area.
For our final morning we headed to the coastal village of Porto Covo with its rugged coastline and beautiful beaches and coves. There are many kilometres of walking trails along the coast. It’s a lovely place to unwind for a few days before heading back to Lisbon or the airport.
We enjoyed lunch at Restaurant Lamelas (Michelin Guide recommended) which has a terrace overlooking a pretty cove and a menu to match. It was very reasonably priced, and the service was excellent.
In the afternoon we reluctantly headed back to the airport for our return flight to the UK with TAP Air Portugal.
Thank you again to TAP Air Portugal and Visit Alentejo for organising three jam packed nights for us to sample a fraction of what this area has to offer - beautiful towns, castles, wine tasting, hiking, cycling, nature reserves, wildlife, bird watching, relaxation, gastronomy, authenticity, coastal resorts and so much more, all easily accessible from Lisbon.
