About this hotel
General information
São Lourenço do Barrocal is a farm and wine estate in the Alentejo that has stayed in one family for more than two centuries. Its heart is the monte, an old farming hamlet that in the 19th century housed up to 50 families along with their workshops, a schoolroom and a bullring. The whitewashed cottages, barns, stables and olive mill now form a hotel of quiet luxury: doors open straight onto the cobbled village street, and interiors pair Portuguese vintage pieces with contemporary handmade furniture.
The estate covers 780 hectares and is still farmed, with 60 hectares of olive groves, 15 hectares of vines, an organic kitchen garden, an orchard, a beef herd and horses. Among the granite outcrops known as barrocais, the holm and cork oaks, stand menhirs some 7,000 years old and 16 Neolithic dolmens, and 75 bird species have been recorded on the land. Wine is the estate's signature, made in its own winery from hand-picked grapes.
Location
The estate sits in the foothills below medieval Monsaraz, close to Lake Alqueva and within the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve. By car Lisbon is about 1 hour 45 minutes away, Seville 2 hours and Madrid 4 hours 40 minutes. The nearest airport is Lisbon (165 km) and the nearest railway station is Évora (50 km); the hotel arranges transfers from both for a fee.
Spa
Susanne Kaufmann Spa Barrocal is laid out along a single 40-metre vaulted corridor serving three treatment rooms, a fourth room with a shower, a relaxation room and separate wooden dry saunas for men and women. Treatments use Susanne Kaufmann's natural products and include facials, body treatments, scrubs and wraps, classic and sports massage, manicures and foot care. The saunas and relaxation room are free for hotel guests; treatments are by appointment.
Sports & leisure
The studio in the spa is fitted with Life Fitness equipment, TRX trainers, kettlebells and medicine balls, and hosts tai chi, chi kung, Pilates, yoga and personal training, indoors or outside. Mountain bikes are free to use, and the estate programme covers:
- wine and olives – vineyard walks ending with a winery tasting, a blending session to make your own wine, olive oil tastings in the groves, and joining the grape and olive harvests
- horses and nature – guided rides on Lusitano horses past the menhir, vines and olive groves, birding, night walks with the resident biologist, ethnobotanical hikes, beekeeping and stargazing
- crafts – pottery in the tradition of nearby São Pedro do Corval, and workshops in candle-making, flower arranging, cocktails and wool from fleece to yarn
- further afield – dawn hot-air balloon flights, boat trips on Lake Alqueva with a swim stop at an island, sport fishing for black bass and pike-perch, and guided days in Évora, Monsaraz, Estremoz and Juromenha
- picnic baskets of local produce and marked walking routes across the estate
For children
The hotel is family-friendly, with a playroom stocked with books and toys at the centre of the monte and a treasure hunt for younger guests. Paid activities include getting to know the horses and their care, clay play, cookie baking, building animal shelters and a children's vegetable garden. Cots for children under 4 are free on request, and a futon for a child aged 5–12 can be added in Farm Rooms and Meadow Cottages 2BR.
Restaurants & bars
Cooking draws on the estate's organic kitchen garden, orchard and farm, with the rest sourced from small local producers:
- São Lourenço do Barrocal – the main farm-to-table restaurant, traditional Alentejo cooking with contemporary touches and a menu that changes monthly
- Hortelão – a dinner-only summer restaurant between the pool and the kitchen garden, grilling garden vegetables, organic veal, acorn-fed pork and fish from Lake Alqueva; open from mid-spring to mid-autumn
- Hotel Bar – set in the vaulted room of the former olive mill, pouring estate wines and cocktails made with regional produce, with a light menu
- Pool Bar – in a former water wheel beside the pool, light meals and cold drinks from morning to late afternoon in the warmer months, for hotel guests only
A farm breakfast with local bread and organic produce is included in every stay. The estate's farm shop sells wood-fired bread, local delicacies, wines and liqueurs.
Swimming
The outdoor pool is open in spring and summer, with a four-metre granite boulder rising from the water as a reminder of the estate's natural landscape; the Pool Bar and Hortelão sit beside it. There is no sea nearby, but the hotel runs boat trips on Lake Alqueva that stop for a swim at an island.
Pets
Pets are welcome in rooms and cottages for an additional fee; details should be arranged with the hotel in advance.
Rooms
Guests stay in rooms and suites within the former workers' houses, storerooms and winery buildings, or in one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages with kitchens set in old barns, stables and cowsheds. Most open directly onto the village street or a private patio or terrace.
Every room and cottage has Egyptian cotton bed linen, down duvets and pillows, wool blankets, Susanne Kaufmann toiletries, underfloor bathroom heating, individual air conditioning, a TV with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, free Wi-Fi, a safe, a minibar and a French press, with a 24-hour concierge and room service.
Winery Room
Set on the path to the winery, overlooking the grain silos or the reflecting pool, with an entrance hall, a desk and a bathroom with a bathtub and twin basins. Some have a 15–20 m² patio with a pergola; sleeps 2.
Courtyard Room
Handmade terracotta floors, an entrance hall, a desk and a reading chair, with windows onto one of the estate's courtyards. Most have a 25 m² semi-private terrace with a pergola; sleeps 2.
Farm Room
The former farm workers' homes, most entered straight from the village street, with an entrance hall, a desk and a bathroom with twin basins. Most have a 25–35 m² semi-private outdoor area with a pergola and a few look towards Monsaraz castle; sleeps 2, with a futon for a child on request.
Suite
A living room with a six-seat dining table and views of Monsaraz castle, and a bathroom with a freestanding bath, a shower and twin basins. Doors open onto an outdoor area facing the reflecting pool or the vineyard; sleeps 2.
Barn Cottage 1BR
A converted barn with one large bedroom beneath a wide arch, a living room, a kitchen with Gaggenau and Smeg appliances and a six-seat dining table opening onto an inner courtyard. The private terrace looks over the olive trees and the monte; sleeps 2.
Yard Cottage 2BR
At the centre of village life, with two bedrooms each with its own bathroom, a living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a six-seat dining table. Some have a small 13 m² outdoor area; sleeps 4.
Barn Cottage 2BR
A light-filled former barn, stable or cowshed with two en-suite bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen with Gaggenau and Smeg appliances and a six-seat dining table. The pergola-shaded patio faces the village street or the reflecting pool; sleeps 4.
Meadow Cottage 2BR
Two en-suite bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a six-seat dining table, opening onto meadows, olive groves and granite outcrops. The semi-private patio faces the wild meadows; sleeps 4, with a futon for a child on request.
Barn Cottage 3BR
Single- or two-storey cottages in former barns and stables, with high ceilings and arches, three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a six-seat dining table. The patio looks over the countryside or the reflecting pool; sleeps 6.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.