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Santa Clara a Velha, Alentejo, Portugal
Number of guests
Sleeps up to 26 (+ tree house for 3-4)
Property description
The essence of a Quinta is a small, intimate holiday retreat, where guests can enjoy utter peace and relaxation. Quinta do Barranco da Estrada is just such a guest lodge, set in a beautiful lakeside location in southern Portugal, and available for a big group to book exclusively.
The Quinta is surrounded by unspoilt countryside with a wide variety of wildlife and rare birds in its gardens and beyond. The bedrooms are comfortable, cool and relaxing, and all have lake views. The lake offers great opportunities for watersports – canoes, sailing boats and pedalos are available for guests to use free of charge. Back in the house there's a sauna, games and further leisure facilities.
You can hire the Quinta on a self-catering basis, or arrange for a half or full board option. All meals, prepared by a professional chef, are home made, international style, using organic produce from the Quinta's garden as far as possible, complimented by an extensive wine list.
The local area is part of the Montados, the cork forest area that extends down through southern Portugal. This brings a large variety of birds, insects and animals. The resident owner is a professional birder and can offer you guided tours of the region if required.
The Lodge's sheltered position and microclimate allow an abundance of plants to flourish in the fruit and flower gardens, offering peace and privacy to guests, many of whom are happiest lazing in the sun at the water's edge. The house is totally child-friendly, (though being situated on a hillside there are steps), and just as suitable for a family gathering as a corporate think tank, being totally private and quiet.
Even though it has WiFi, this may not be the house for those who love hi-tech gadgets and so on (for example, the bedrooms have no TVs). However, most find that with good food and wines, a family atmosphere, relaxing rooms, free water sports and beautiful gardens, you can't really go wrong at the Quinta!
Location
On the shores of a vast freshwater mosquito-free lake, just under an hour north of Algarve. Faro Airport is 1.5 hours' drive, Lisbon about 2.5 hours. The Quinta can arrange transfers if required.
The nearest neighbour is over a mile away, and being in a quiet rural location, the Quinta’s nearest decent-sized supermarket is a 45-minute drive. There are a couple of mini-markets 15 minutes away in the nearest village, Santa Clara a Velha, which also has a small restaurant.
Nearest airport: Faro (70 miles)
Nearest station: Santa Clara Saboia (10 miles)
Accommodation
The bedrooms are made up as follows:
Two Family suites
One twin + single bed
One double + single bed
Four doubles
One twin
The double/twin rooms all have spacious ensuite bathrooms.
Each Family suite shares a bathroom between its set of rooms, with a bath and a shower. The one known as the “Honeymoon Suite” has a double room and an extremely small adjacent bunk bed room, plus its own private terrace.
The house is decorated in a gentle mix of Portuguese and English, giving an overall ambience of simplicity and welcome. There are two large drawing rooms with antiques and log fires, a vine-covered terrace, a professional kitchen and various lawns within the two-acre garden that drops down towards the water.
Facilities
2 washing machines
Dishwasher
Laundry service
iPod docks
One TV (though hard to find!)
Canoes
Sailing dinghy
Pedaloes
Bicycles
Sauna
Masseuse
Ornithological and Nature Guide
Cleaner waiter/waitress and cook.
NB: The cook can cater for most diets, including vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic.
There is no church on site, though the property has hosted several weddings, blessings, baptisms etc, both religious and civil. The necessary functionaries are brought to the house.
Area
The Quinta is tucked into the wild hills of the lower Alentejo, a sparsely populated region of exceptional beauty, where you can enjoy rural tourism at its best.
The area is a dream for those who want to really get away from it all.
The lake is beautifully warm (28ºC/82ºF for four months of the year), clean, quiet and great fun. The Algarve beaches/high-rises/bars and villas are 40 miles south, and the wild west coast 30 miles due west. Local villages are dotted around every 10 or 20 miles and the nearest small town is 45 minutes away in any direction.
Prices
Approximate price, one week:
Low season £4,150
High season £6,800
Please contact the owner for further details of price, based on your party's requirements re accommodation, meals, length of stay etc.
Minimum stay (low/mid season): 2 nights.
High season: 4 nights.
Contact the property owners
Phone: (+351) 283933065
Fax: N/A
Please note that you cannot rent this property directly from The Big Domain. If you wish to rent Quinta do Barranco da Estrada, or would like to enquire about availability, please click on the Contact the Property Owner button above, and use the form provided to contact the owner directly.
Click here to view the Quinta do Barranco da Estrada website >>
