Many tourists drive from Lisbon to Algarve without stopping in Alentejo. If the beautiful landscapes you see from the highway tempt you to make a detour, you’ll be richly rewarded. Alentejo is a place where days are blessed by warm light and nights bejeweled by precious stars.
The best way to discover Alentejo is to stay at a local farm. Being surrounded by nature helps us put aside schedules and to-do lists to go where our senses take us: follow the scent of lavender, the sight of a stork in flight, the shade of an olive tree, or the chant of a local brook.
If you don’t have friends who own a farm in Alentejo, we can introduce you to Helena and João Borges. They receive guests in their beautiful farm near Alter do Chão through a program called Perfect Moments. You can take horseback ridding lessons, taste wines with their enologist, try the farm’s magical olive oil, eat wonderful meals cooked with local produce, and stroll through pristine fields painted with colors that no artist can rival.
Our friends Helena and João are wonderful hosts who are passionate about the land that has been in their family for centuries. If you visit them, you’ll have a great time and we bet you’ll become their friends.
Click here for the Perfect Moments web site.
Salt of Portugal 
It looks really amazing. I’ve never visited Alentejo. I would like to go there one day.
I wish we’d done something like that instead of driving up to Aveiro (from the Algarve). We will just have to come back!
We hope to see you back soon!
We are still in Portugal but making an early departure from Aveiro tomorrow to Sintra and then heading back home on Wed :(. But had a wonderful visit!
Have a great time in Sintra! If you like sweets, do not miss the travesseiros at Piriquita. Here’s our post about them https://saltofportugal.com/2012/06/29/heavenly-pillows/
We didn’t get a chance to have one, but it reminds me of the pastries in Aveiro, many of which had an egg/sugar center. They were incredibly sweet!
That will be for our next trip to Portugal…
Reblogged this on The Portugal Years and commented:
This part of Portugal is so much better than you can imagine. But make sure you bring a translator. It is not the routine you might be used to!
That sounds delightful!