A dream in the Alentejo
"Those of us who work here do so so that the experience is unbeatable, whatever the reason for the trip." Anna Faustino He welcomes us with the same smile that any right and left employee gives you as soon as you arrive at Sao Lourenco do Barrocal , an agricultural estate located at the foot of Monsaraz , in Alentejo, recently converted into impeccable paradigm of what we understand today as luxury or: goodbye, evidence and shrillness; hello, contention and exaltation of the (sometimes so difficult) simplicity.
The one Ana calls 'boss' is Jose Antonio Uva , eighth generation of the family that owns this place that, with its large cobbled path, suddenly leads us to the Villa Vignamaggio of Much ado About Nothing . But not, we are not in Tuscany, but in the granite landscape that surrounds the colossal Alqueva reservoir , almost a sea dotted with olive trees and vineyards that is part of José António's life.
The great promise of Portuguese rural tourism is Ana Faustino's project
Hence his determination to convert these 800 hectares in an unusual accommodation . She thought that the remodeling works, directed by the architect Eduardo Souto de Moura , they would last two years... but you know what this reform thing is like: they lasted for fourteen.
For its part, Ana , who studied at the Superior School of Hospitality and Tourism in Estoril and worked at the Four Seasons Ritz in Lisbon, arrived here last January with part of his homework done: Susanne Kaufmann's commitment to organic products in the spa and the amenities, the proximity kitchen of Jose Julio Vintem or the luminous and almost monastic interior design by Anahory Almeida.
His mission of hers? Direct so much perfection without the client noticing. We tell her and, discreetly, she smiles again. She knows that it is
(From €154 per person. Small Luxury Hotels of The World).
Anna Faustino
*This report was published in number 110 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (October). Subscribe to the printed edition (**11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website**) and enjoy free access to the digital version of Condé Nast Traveler for iPad. The October issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device.