Craveiral Farmhouse

Style

Quinta with a conscience

Setting

South Alentejo fields

Guests truly dig in deep at Portugal’s Craveiral Farmhouse – perhaps literally if they help out with the resident donkeys, horses and pygmy goats. A labour of love by a former lawyer who fell madly in love with an Alentejo carnation farm, this is a stay with emotional impact. Not just because of the wide open spaces, meditative silence and life-giving green, but due to its environmental care, communal support and authentic way of life. It’s unkempt, but that’s part of the charm, and not without its luxuries: earthy farm-to-table cuisine and pizzas straight from the wood oven, houses filled with fine Portuguese furnishings and local crafts, and outdoorsy activities galore. A country estate with potential for growth in all directions.

Facilities

Rooms

38, including 30 suites.

Checkout

12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

More Details

Rates include a hearty farm breakfast with fruits, fresh juices, salads, an egg station, homemade cakes, pancakes, pastries, cheese and charcuterie. Yoga classes are also available for free.

Also

The hotel is easily accessible for guests with mobility issues; one of the farmhouses is adapted and there are ramps around the property.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Farm, spa with saunas, cold bath, wooden hot tub, kitchen garden, bikes free to borrow (mountain bikes for an extra charge), charged washing and drying service, free WiFi. In rooms: TV, air-conditioning, Delta coffee machine and tea-making kit, organic bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

The hotel has four clusters of houses (Horta, Medronho, Azinho and Cravo), which from the outside all resemble the traditional squat whitewashed buildings in the region. However, on the inside rusticity is a bit more burnished, with minimalist styling, sleek surfaces, very high-spec furnishings and the odd Smeg kitchen. But, the owners’ admirable Portuguese pride is evident in original drawings and handicrafts from local artisans, and a dedication to brands from the country, such as WeWood, Dam, Sachi, Pedroso & Osório, Costa Nova, Meireles and Esporlux. All of which amp up the luxury of this humbling experience. When it comes to choices, we like the Farmloft, a romantic hideaway for honeymooners, with access to a semi-private pool. And families will be cosseted within the Farmhouse, which sleeps up to six.

Poolside

Craveiral Farmhouse has four pools in total. One is indoors, in a barn-style building with a fireplace and loungers round the side. The main outdoor pool is a glittering sapphire rectangle amid unmanicured grasses, with a smaller shallow pool for little ones; and two more are set within clusters of houses for semi-private use. All are open 24 hours a day.

Spa

The concrete and wood spa is a peaceful space for massages that target different areas of healing or parts of the body, with tailored massages for mums-to-be and children, plus shiatsu. After, spend a oh-so-quiet spell in the cork-lined sauna or hammam lit with copper lanterns.

Packing Tips

Bring a suitcase full of outdoor gear, but leave any baggage. Keep a corner free for souvenirs from the hotel's on-site shop that stocks an array of local artwork, candles and sustainable swimsuits.

Also

The hotel's boutique has tasty Portuguese treats, local wine and artwork, swimwear made sustainably using plastic removed from the ocean, and more.

Children

Craveiral is a dream for kiddos, with land to run about in, a farm full of cute animals, an array of tailored activities (many of which are included in the rate), cinema sessions and farmhouses that’ll easily fit a family.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Flump down on one of the cushioned seats on the terrace to wait for the farmland to flood with gold light at sunset.

Dress Code

Farmhand, but make it fashion. The odd grass stain or mud splatter won’t cause any raised eyebrows.

Hotel Restaurant

This is honest-to-god straight-from-the-land fare, where you can feel the knuckles in the dough kneading, the squeeze to check for ripeness, the reeling in from the ocean. Around 70 per cent of the kitchen’s ingredients come from the farm itself, meaning the menu changes day-to-day, and dishes tend towards the low-key ‘peasant’ fare this region’s subsisted on for centuries (a zingingly fresh tomato soup, chickpea salads, tataki, octopus, migas and stews). And, the dining room, designed by architect Tiago Silva Dias, is a stylish spot with an undulating roof and sofas and tables arranged around a warming central fireplace. Or, you could watch the sunset from the terrace, which has heavy rustic tables and low-slung couches with pillowy cushions. It’s here where you’ll smell the flame of the pizza oven – and all the delicious things being paddled out of it. More than just a delicious asset, this is a collaboration between pizzeria In Bocca al Lupo and the charity Vila Com Vida, which provides cookery skills and jobs to young people with additional needs. So you’ll have a hearty and heartening feast.

Hotel Bar

The bar is part of the restaurant. Expect fine Portuguese wines (and port), homemade beers, and drams of Medronho, alongside other local spirits.

Last Orders

Breakfast is from 8.30am to 11am, lunch from 1pm to 3pm, dinner from 7pm to 10pm. Brunch is from 12 noon to 3pm.

Room Service

Dine in your room from 8.30aam to 10pm; request menus from reception at check-in.

Planes

The closest hub is Faro, a 90-minute drive away, from which the hotel can arrange transfers for up to three guests for €180 one way. Or fly into Lisbon, a two-and-a-half-hour trip; transfers are €280 each way.

Trains

Sabóia Santa Clara train station is a 30-minute drive from the hotel; handily there’s a direct train from Lisbon, which takes two-and-a-half hours.

Automobiles

This is very remote territory, so a car will be very useful if you want to explore beyond the farm. In keeping with the hotel’s green ethic, hire an electric car – there are charging points onsite.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Craveiral’s houses might be an urbanite’s vision of the countryside, but make no mistake – the rest of the property is largely a tumbling, thrillingly untamed wilderness ripe for exploring. And, there are many ways to do so: perhaps by bike or mountain bike or on horseback. Staff will take you on a bumpy yet enlightening tour of the grounds and beyond in a jeep, or you can bounce from beauty spot to beauty spot on a Wim motorbike. And for the pinnacle of thrill-rides, book a hot-air-balloon trip. Come back down to Earth with a whisper not a bang, to partake in a yoga class (held once a week), pet the animals on the farm (and perhaps muck in), or get crafty in a ceramics or carving class. Born in a Dalston warehouse, now an international residency, Blank100 is a project that aims to bring contemporary local art to fresh spaces, and the hotel is one of them, so go see what’s on show. Staff can pack you a farm-fresh picnic too, or hold a tasting of Medronho, a potent fruit brandy that’s good for the digestion allegedly. Being close to the Mira River, Santa Clara Reservoir and coast, you could also take a lazy day fishing (for beginners or sport), stand-up paddleboard, or cruise along to see dolphins or the Santa Clara Dam. Surfing and diving can be arranged too; after all, the Alentejo region is a board shorts and bikinis all day kinda place, with breathtaking beaches along the Costa Vincenta: Zambujeira do Mar, Carvalhal, Almograve. And, if the hotel’s given you a taste for more of the great outdoors, set off for treks through the Sudoeste Alentejano Nature Reserve, and the mountainous greenery surrounding Monchique.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .