São Lourenço do Barrocal
Our hotel and 'monte alentejano', located in this beautiful wild corner of the Alentejo, which we like to call home: Monsaraz, Portugal.
Our hotel and 'monte alentejano', located in this beautiful wild corner of the Alentejo, which we like to call home: Monsaraz, Portugal.
Seventh-generation family-owned, the property – including a once-bustling farming village – is being sensitively transformed into a rural retreat.
The interior design is inspired by family heritage and tradition, incorporating quality materials, natural looking, and combining vintage pieces with contemporary crafted furniture and accessories.
Organic granola, fresh seasonal fruit, honey straight from the honeycomb and coffee brewed slowly are just some of the goodness served in our farm to table breakfast. Enjoy!
The outdoor pool, designed by Souto de Moura, gives relevance to a granite rock that rises from the water, a silent testimony of the ‘barrocais’ landscape.
In the open landscape of this 780-hectare estate, horseback riding is an incredible way of wandering through the landscape, its lakes and castles, the cattle, the vineyards, menhirs and ancient olive trees.
The swallows visit São Lourenço do Barrocal every Spring bringing nature closer to home. They bring joy with their chirp, flying among the arches, the walkways and the whitewashed architecture of the old farm buildings.
Rich in traditions, culture, and crafts, as well as breathtaking natural features, the uniquely unspoiled Alentejo region extends an irresistible invitation to slow down and savour a better quality and pace of life.
Sprawling across cork-dotted hills, wildflower-covered meadows and shady olive groves, the 780-hectare Barrocal estate has passed down through seven generations.
Once home to the Alentejan agricultural families who worked the Estate’s fertile lands, the transformation of the monte allows for a thriving modern community while retaining the handsome nature and patina of the original buildings.
Each architect involved has taken their own distinctive design approach, but are united by a desire to preserve and augment – rather than disturb or tame – the rugged beauty and rich history of the Barrocal Estate.
Explore the model that highlights the scale, proportion and detail of these affordable, beautiful homes.
Avowed minimalist John Pawson discusses his choice of plot, materials, and the sensibility of his residence.
An example of one of the houses is brought to life in this animation, exploring the scale, proportion and detail of these reasonably priced, beautiful homes.
Balancing a desire to live harmoniously within the landscape with his simple, modern aesthetic, architect Eduardo Souto de Moura discusses his approach to the residences he designed for the estate.