Family Friendly Farm Stays: Beja (2023)

Herdade dos Grous, near Beja, Alentejo, Portugal, is a 5 Star luxury hotel on a 1700-acre organic farm estate that produces award-winning wine and olive oil and has an outdoor swimming pool in the extensive gardens, and an artificial lake on the farm. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a range of top-class suites and rooms, all of them with private bathroom, minibar, WiFi, and satellite TV, plus the suites have a spacious seating area with an open fireplace. There is a high-quality restaurant and bar on site which serves the finest local food plus all of their own award-winning wines, and a snack bar open throughout the day. Or guests can entertain themselves by playing tennis on the estate’s courts, playing billiards, table tennis, or going for a swim in the pool followed maybe by a visit to their sauna where massages are available for an extra fee. THE FARM: This huge estate has a fully working farm, breeding Alentejo cattle, merino sheep, and of course horses. They provide horse riding lessons and guided trails around the estate and the surrounding countryside, which you can also tour by bike with bike rental available at the hotel. They have extensive vineyards and olive groves too, that allow them to produce their own Herdade dos Grous award-winning branded wines and olive oil. Guests are welcome to tour the estate and the winery and to take a look at the production of the wine and olive oil, along with tasting sessions of both. Much of their produce goes into their wonderful meals and you can also buy some to take home from their on-site farm shop. THE LOCATION: The farm stay is just south of Beja in the centre of Portugal’s Alentejo region. Alentejo is the country’s undoubted rural heartland and is particularly famous for its cork and wine. The cork trees here actually produce half of the world’s supply and its wines though still not completely mainstream are growing in popularity, and its wine tourism industry has also been developing quite rapidly in recent years, with the help of estates like Herdade dos Grous. The region is not on the mainstream tourist trail, READ MORE

On a cork farm in Portugal‘s Alentejo region, just a few kilometers from the border with Spain, Herdade da Negrita Agroturismo is a peaceful farm escape with B&B and self-catering accommodation. Surrounding it is the 3500 hectares of farm that not only contains a huge amount of cork trees but also cattle, pigs, barley, oats, wheat, and olives. THE ACCOMMODATION: Their accommodation is tastefully decorated in rustic style in keeping with the low-key, rustic atmosphere of the place. The B&B rooms are all super comfortable, with air conditioning, TV, study desk, and private bathrooms, and there is plenty of space around the cottages and the gardens to walk around or lounge around. There’s an outdoor swimming pool in the gardens and an indoor lounge area which includes a billiards table, and a large terrace with lots of seating space. Their self-catering accommodation is in separate, 5 and 6-bedroom, cottages that are spacious, stylish, and comfortable, with their own kitchen, lounge area, and terrace, and guests there can also make use of the facilities at the main farmhouse should they need. THE FARM: The huge farm is open for guests to explore themselves, or with a guided tour, and they can learn a lot about looking after farm animals and the production of cereals, olives, and of course the world-famous Alentejo cork. THE LOCATION: The surrounding area too is beautifully remote and peaceful and is great for a long meandering walk or cycle. The farm owners are always ready to give advice about what to see and do in the local area and can help organise fishing trips and canoeing around the local rivers. The nearest city to Herdade da Negrita Agroturismo would be Moura, about 40 km away, the city of Beja is 80km, while Evora, the capital of the Alentejo region, is just over 100km to the north west. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Everything extraordinary. Perfect for resting and being away from the world. Very quiet setting, beautifully decorated. Extremely clean and neat. Great breakfast. Very cozy space, we felt at home. I strongly recommend. We will definitely return….” “The remoteness of this place is fantastic and it has READ MORE