July 11, 2025

Embrace Your Farmhouse Fantasy at São Lourenço do Barrocal

‍São Lourenço do Barrocal, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, feels like the embodiment of a rural Portuguese #tradwife fantasy—except it has been around since long before so-called tradwives were trending. Spread out over 2,000 acres, the estate has been tended by owner José António Uva’s family since 1822. Located about two hours from Lisbon, deep in Alentejo—Portugal’s answer to Tuscany—it’s the ideal place to embrace slow travel, where days are spent horseback riding through the fields, learning how to turn wool into yarn, harvesting grapes, reading by the pool, and savoring long, leisurely lunches under a shady pergola.

It wasn’t always so idyllic, though. During Portugal’s Carnation Revolution in 1974, the land was nationalized. For around 30 years, it lay barren and neglected, its buildings derelict, but Uva managed to get it back and spent 14 years revitalizing it and transforming it into a boutique hotel where luxury isn’t about having marble bathrooms or Champagne buttons but about eating organic vegetables picked fresh from the garden off of ceramic plates made by local artisans.

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura restored the property with a light touch, making it feel like it’s always been there. The magic of its design is its embrace of vernacular 19th-century Portuguese farmhouse architecture, with ivy covering the whitewashed walls, terracotta tiled roofs, and blue windows and doors. In the summer, there are bougainvillea bursting with fuchsia blooms and vineyards with grapes growing on big bunches. Rooms and suites feature hand-carved wooden headboards, blankets woven by Portuguese artisans, and farmhouse-tiled bathrooms. In the main restaurant, a “wall of curiosities” displays family artifacts, including black-and-white photographs, taxidermy, and farm tools.

“I only wanted to work with local materials. I didn’t want to buy anything off the shelf. So the way it was rebuilt was very idealized by this sense of place, by this history,” Uva says, explaining that the entire property is organic. The gardens grow about half of the food that guests consume, and the rest is sourced locally. Solar panels produce 60% of the energy used on the estate. Water gets recycled and used to irrigate the gardens. The vast majority of the staff—around 80%—are locals eager to share their unique culture with guests. The spa offers treatments developed with Susanne Kaufmann, a natural beauty pioneer who created an organic skincare line using Alpine ingredients.

As you would expect, the food is genuinely delicious in its simplicity. If you’re the kind of person who prefers laid-back meals composed of ingredients you can actually identify on your plate over fussy multi-course tasting menus, you’ll be very happy here. There are two restaurants—the main restaurant and a grill—plus the hotel bar and the pool bar. Lunch might start with a simple green salad, fresh tomatoes with sea salt drizzled in olive oil, and a cheese and charcuterie board, followed by traditional Portuguese tomato rice or slow-roasted lamb with potatoes. Wash it all down with one of the property’s own wines made using autochthonous grape varieties such as Arinto and Touriga Nacional.

For a place that’s all about slow travel, it would be easy to fill your days with activities. On an ethnobotanical walk with the naturalist, you’ll learn all about the native plants and their uses. Year-round activities include olive oil tasting, wine blending, and pottery workshops. If you come in the fall, you could participate in the grape or olive oil harvest. Birding, beekeeping, horseback riding, flower arranging, stargazing, and hot air balloon rides are also on offer. There’s so much to do, you might find that two or three days aren’t enough.

Fast Facts

Location: Monsaraz, Alentejo, Portugal

Rating: Five-star

The vibe: Bucolic Portuguese farmhouse.

Dining: Rigorously farm-to-table.

Amenities: Bar, restaurant, pool, spa, gardens, vineyard, boutique

Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: It’s a toss-up between the picnic lunch and the pool.

What’s Nearby? The hilltop village of Monsaraz, with Spain just beyond the hill. Évora (about an hour away) is known for Roman ruins and a Gothic cathedral with a mysterious chapel of bones.

Any personal neighborhood recs? No, you go here to stay here.

Rooms: 40 rooms, suites, and cottages.

Pricing: From about 530 USD per night, including breakfast.

Closest Airport: Lisbon Airport. Transfers can be arranged on request.