São Lourenço do Barrocal, Monsaraz, Portugal

Oct 02, 2023

With its sharp cocktails and golden, estate-produced honey, olive oil and wine, this rural Alentejo retreat offers a beautiful blend of quietly luxurious R&R and feel-good activities

18 May, 2023

It It must be spring because the swallows are back and nesting atSão Lourenço do Barrocal, a 200-year-old agricultural estate inPortugal's sparsely populated, wine-growing Alentejo region - thekind of countryside where the only road signs you pass are"caution, frogs crossing" ones. With seven whitewashed, red-roofedbuildings arranged on either side of a wide cobbled centralthoroughfare, little, superficially, has changed here in the lasttwo centuries. Maintaining the integrity of the estate's heritagehas not come at the expense of urbane luxury, though: home to twofarm-to-fork restaurants, a spa, outdoor pools, stables and farmshop, the five-star retreat is balm for the city-vexed soul.

Eighth-generation owner José António Uva is today responsiblefor 780 hectares of land roamed by wild horses and Salers cattle,vineyards, a winery, beehives, orchards and an organic vegetablegarden. His family history comes to life through the photos andpersonal objects displayed around the estate. On the wall of theSão Lourenço do Barrocal restaurant is his grandmother'shandwritten recipe for a partridge starter (now a menu perennial);elsewhere are black-and-white snaps of grazing flocks of Merinosheep; the alpine ski resort where a relative was sent to curetuberculosis; gap-toothed little girls in t-bar shoes... The onlyyears missing from the collection are the 30 following Portugal'sCarnation Revolution of April 1974, when the estate wasnationalised and occupied, its inhabitants evicted. Having falleninto disrepair during this time, it took a lovingly executed15-year renovation project to revive the palpably warm sense ofcommunity that is evident from the moment you arrive.

Sit in the sun, sip a Barrocal take on a tom collins - ginswapped out for the estate's own limoncello - and snack onsugar-dusted orange cake as you get your bearings, using thehand-illustrated map of the grounds to help plan your stay. Becausewhile, yes, these surroundings might be conducive to finishing thattricky second novel (or exploring transcendental meditation,poolside), it would be a shame not to roll up your sleeves and givesome of the nourishing activities on offer a go, from beekeeping togrape-stomping. Not forgetting a gentle bike ride through rollingmeadows punctuated by wildflowers and ancient olive trees. Justlook out for those frogs.

There are 22 rooms, two suites and 16 cottages, with spacious,light-filled interiors designed by Lisbon-based duo Ana Anahory andFelipa Almeida. Natural materials such as wood and ceramics arecomplemented by handcrafted objects from the area, includingAlentejo-patterned blankets and rugs made on ancient handlooms in arestored Monsaraz wool factory. Coffee and a French press, withfoolproof instructions, are provided, as are plenty of meatycoffee-table books. Big bathrooms blend solid farmhouse traditionwith 21st-century élan, and come stocked with products from SuzanneKaufmann's addictive Herbal Treats range.

Sheer joy, in abundance, served until 11am. A buffet spread inthe main restaurant offers enough homegrown goodness to set anyfarm worker up for the day. Enjoy your poached pears in cinnamonsyrup on the al fresco terrace, to a soundtrack of Lusitano horseswhinnying, then contemplate the hot menu, which includes eggsbenedict made with speciality black pig bacon. Before leaving,fortify yourself for the day's adventures the traditional Alentejoway, by knocking back a terracotta shot glass of strong localspirit aguardente.

Slow food reigns supreme at both São Lourenço do Barrocal andHortelão restaurants, with much of what's on your plate having beengrown in the one-hectare organic garden or raised on the grounds.Chef Celestino Grave sends out hyperfresh, colourful plates - thinkmelon gazpacho, cod fritters, veal tartare, and wild mushroomsliders. Don't skimp on dessert. Crowd-pleasers - not that you'llwant to share - include a warm blondie scattered with edibleflowers and a melting-middle pumpkin cake.

There are two. Pair botanical cocktails and wines producedon-site with staring at the sepia-tinted wedding portraits andphotos of picnic parties and wine harvests gone by, speculatingabout life, love and which is better, the 2015 or 2016viognier.

Housed in the estate's monastic former single farm workers'quarters, the Suzanne Kaufmann Spa Barrocal, with its fitnessstudio, dry saunas and relaxation room, is a highlight. Carve outsome time for the signature treatment: an aromatic footbath,followed by an exfoliation with olive oil and orange and a massagewith arnica oil. Rosemary from the estate's garden is now used insome of Kaufmann's products, which, until recently, only used herbsfrom the Alps.

Thus purified, sally forth to discover the winery, farm shop andstables, or sign up for one of the Barrocal experiences, whichinclude beekeeping, flower arranging, birding, cookery classes,cocktail workshops, hot-air balloon rides and seasonal olivepicking and grape-treading.

Self-sufficiency is baked into Barrocal's DNA - in the old days,residents would only leave once a year to go to the Monsaraz fairto buy essentials they couldn't grow or make themselves, such assalt and cotton. An ethos of sustainability remains at the heart ofoperations, as seen in the farm-to-table culinary concept,commitment to organic production, mindful management of water andother resources, use of solar panels, strong recycling andwaste-reduction practices, employment of local people (currently inaround 80 per cent of roles) and the use of high-quality,long-lasting handcrafted products.

Some of the communal areas and guest rooms arewheelchair-accessible.

Discreetly stylish: among those we got chatting to were ahandful of erudite Alabama retirees and a well-behaved toddlertravelling with his own canary-yellow bicycle in tow.

The estate. It's huge. History buffs might want to tearthemselves away to visit the museum city of Évora, just under anhour's drive away, or the nearby Monsaraz village, with its13th-century castle and views of the vast, five county-spanningAlqueva Lake, the largest reservoir in Europe.

Part of a Dark Sky Reserve, this is one of the best places inthe world for stargazing. Join the Dark Sky Observatory astronomerand his team at the estate's old beehive garden, where, cosied upwith blankets and mugs of hot chocolate, you'll view star clustersand nebulae through the telescope in perspective-alteringclarity.

Doubles cost from £478 a night. barrocal.pt