São Lourenço do Barrocal

If you’re looking to get your little ones away from their electronics and into nature, São Lourenço do Barrocal, an hour and a half away from Lisbon may be just the thing you’ve longed for. Set  in the foothills of the medieval village of Monsaraz and nearby the Alqueva lake, this converted farmhouse encourages its little visitors to discover and explore the great outdoors with fun family-friendly activities like horseback riding, treasure hunting and stargazing. With impeccably helpful and genuinely friendly staff, you and your family will feel more like friends than visitors.

Top tips
• São Lourenço do Barrocal is made up of 24 rooms (including 2 suites). All these rooms are spacious and decorated in muted colours of natural woods, white and duck-egg blue, and are accented by the rust-red floor tiles that run throughout. If you were hoping to cook during your stay or are maybe just looking for some extra room, we recommend booking any of the cottages (that come in 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms) as they all come with spacious living rooms and a fully equipped kitchen. If you’re looking for a quieter stay, previous guests have mentioned booking a room that is further away from the reception and spa for some peace and quiet.
• If you’re coming from Lisbon, you have 2 options to get you to São Lourenço do Barrocal; by train or via car. Trains from Lisbon to Evora (the closest station to the hotel)  take around one hour and 45 minutes, but is is worth noting that the hotel is around 50 kilometres from the station. Because the hotel is in a relatively rural location, we highly recommend hiring a car for the duration of your stay. This will allow you more time and freedom to explore the Alentejo area at your leisure.
• If you are travelling as a family with older children, we recommend booking either the 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom cottages as interconnecting rooms and extra beds are not available. If however, your child is under the age of 4 there are small cots available from the hotel. These can be added to your rooms on request and at no additional cost. Pro tip: if you do require one of these cots during your stay, we recommend letting the hotel know well in advance since there are only a limited number of cots available at one time.
• For the avid wine enthusiast, you’ll be excited to hear that the winery of São Lourenço do Barrocal is an integral part of the hotel and the estate's regeneration. Thanks to region's dry, hot summer days, cool nights and resulting slow-growing grapes, the winery is known for producing first-class single-estate wines that have a great depth of flavour. Do yourself a favour and take your time to visit the winery and enjoy a wine tasting with views across the landscape right till the foothills of Monsaraz.
• Most Lisbonites escape to the region to get away from the hecticity of metropolitan living and escape into the country. Take a leaf out of their book and strap on your walking shoes for a good hike around the São Lourenço do Barrocal estate. The hotel has painstakingly identified many of the best walking routes that run alongside Lake Alqueva (a man-made lake with around 440 verdant islands), so before you head out make sure to ask the concierge for one that suits you best.

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