Herdade do Reguenguinho

Rooms

The hallmark here is elegant simplicity: terracotta-brick floors, raw eucalyptus ceilings, shuttered windows and good beds wearing smart white linen. You’ll find contemporary art mixing with colourful arts-and-crafts artefacts: locally-woven rugs, Indian printing blocks, tasselled lampshades, driftwood picture frames. It’s always uncluttered, with one wall given over to a particular piece, as if being exhibited (which it is).

The Six Senses Suite is in the main farmhouse (herdade). It’s enormous, with a proper sitting room and a private terrace with fireplace. The Standard Rooms and Suites are in the adjacent barn; which is connected to the main house by an open courtyard. They aren’t huge, but they’re pretty and homely, plus this isn’t the sort of place where you hide away in your room.

About 200m from the main house are 2 private Palafitas (suites-on-stilts). Named Land and Water, they have wooden decks, hammocks and outdoor hot water showers. Indoors you'll find double beds, sunken hydromassage tubs and kitchenettes (with refrigerators and microwaves). Great for honeymooners.

Features include:

• Fan
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is laid out in the dining room; if the weather is good, spin onto the terrace, if not, keep warm inside. You’ll find the usual Portuguese excess: plates of fresh fruit, sliced hams and cheeses, cereals, yoghurts, and irresistible cakes. Baskets of bread are waiting at the table, as are various homemade preserves.

Light meals are available throughout the afternoon; choose from omelettes, toasted sarnies, salads, burgers and sweet or savoury sweet crepes. Portions are huge. There’s also an honesty bar to keep you cool, so mix drinks, then head out to the pool; Ricardo likes his caipirinhas and will shake one up if you fancy.

For evening meals, you’ll have to head out. There are a couple of excellent restaurants close by and the local food is surprisingly good. In Cercal try Passarinho for good grilled meat and fish. Our favourite is Tasca do Celso, in Milfontes. It draws a devoted crowd for good reason; we loved extremely tasty peasant fare boasting delicious strong flavours.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Honesty bar
• Lunch by arrangement

Activities

• Fabulous beaches litter the coastline. If you want loungers in the sun with a bar on hand head to Milfontes. If you want something wilder, try Malhao; it’s nicely isolated, has impressive cliffs and horse riding on its 15km of sand can be arranged
  
• Milfontes beach also has a surf school - Ricardo knows the people who run it and will book you in
  
• Take to the hills and discover the hinterland. There’s a lake a couple of kilometres behind the house and you can cut across country to Santiago do Cacém, a pretty town with a fine ruined castle
  
• If you keep going, you come to the Tróia peninsula, 30 miles of beach leading north to the Sado River. At the end of the peninsula, ferries cross to the interesting town of Setúbal
  
• Head an hour east to the old hilltop town of Beja; Roman Evora (a World Heritage town) is a little further north, too
  
• Soak up the sun and tranquillity beside the pool, mix a drink from the honesty bar and forget all about the real world

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Golf
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Mountain biking
• Surfing
• Swimming

Kids

Children are welcome and older ones will love splashing in the pool and the varied local beach activities.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Suite Oir has a mezzanine level with an additional double bed; most rooms can fit an extra bed or baby cot.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Herdade do Reguenguinho is 5 minutes from Cercal, close to the Alentejo coast.

By Air:
Fly into Lisbon Portela Airport (180km to the north) or Faro (170km to the south). If this sounds too far for comfort, it’s worth noting that the quiet motorways allow either journey to be completed in 2 hours. We recommend hiring a car to get to the hotel and explore the region.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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