A farm that still works
An olive grove, an orchard, a pond, chickens, 2 donkeys and a workshop where machines are still put right. 4 rooms, a pool, and the quiet that only exists this far from the road.
15 hectares that still make work
Portela Nova is an Alentejo farmstead 2.8 km down a dirt track, between Ourique and the hills. It is not a hotel dropped into the countryside: it is a working farm that happens to have 4 bedrooms for anyone who wants to stay.
There is an olive grove that gives the house its oil, an orchard that gives breakfast its fruit, a pond where the herons drink, chickens laying every morning, 2 donkeys who demand carrots, and a workshop where machines still get put right, and where yours can be too.
The sea is 50 minutes away. The quiet starts at the gate.
4 rooms, 2 houses
Olive Grove Room
First light in the morning, filtered through trees older than the house.
Orchard Room
Figs at the window in August. Quinces in October. Quiet all year.
Pond Room
Frogs at dusk, herons at dawn, and the window fogged first thing.
Threshing Floor Room
The big room, for families. It looks onto the eira, the donkeys and the sunset.
The workshop is open
Bench, vice, trolley jack, compressor, and spanners in both imperial and metric. If you have arrived by van, bike or bicycle and something needs attention, here is where you do it, with shade, light and nobody watching the clock. We do not charge for it.
The land keeps you busy
The Workshop
A real mechanics workshop, with real tools, and the door open.
The Chickens and the Donkeys
Eggs still warm before breakfast, and two donkeys who never refuse a carrot.
The Olive Grove
From the November harvest to new oil in December, and you can be in the middle of it.
The Orchard
Figs, oranges, pomegranates, quinces and an almond tree that flowers in February.
The Pond
Living water with herons, dragonflies and fish. For swimming, there is the pool.
Tracks and Bicycles
You leave by the gate and walk. There is no traffic to get in the way.
Where this actually is
We are inland. That is what makes the silence. But the sea is closer than it looks.
| Destination | km | min |
|---|---|---|
| Ourique | 15 | 20 |
| Vila Nova de Milfontes beach | 55 | 50 |
| Zambujeira do Mar beach | 58 | 55 |
| Odemira | 40 | 40 |
| Beja | 65 | 55 |
Who you are staying with
Portela Nova
We live here. There is no reception desk and no call centre. Write, ring or message — we answer ourselves, the same day, in Portuguese, English and a good deal of gesturing.
Oil, eggs, and 2 donkeys with names
House olive oil
We bottle our own. If you want some, we sell it at the door, without ceremony.
On arrival
Morning eggs, orchard fruit and house oil on the kitchen counter. It is not a served breakfast: it is what the land gave, for you to use.
The donkeys
Azeitona · Bolota
They are not for riding. They are for brushing, carrots, and a walk to the grove.