Paradise in Portugal B&B Lakeside Quinta Alentejo Algarve, Portugal

Paradise in Portugal B&B Lakeside Quinta Alentejo Algarve Large group Family friendly Pet/Dog Friendly B&B in Santa Clara a Velha, Beja, Portugal

Welcome to "Paradise in Portugal"!

This is a "one-off-place" if ever there was one.

Built from scratch by it's present owners over the last 30 years, the Quinta's an award-winning retreat where peace and relaxation are the order of the day. It boasts a blend of traditional hospitality, 'International home-cooking' cuisine and a friendly, family atmosphere with excellent service. Set in a beautiful lakeside location in Southern Portugal on the border between the Alentejo and the Algarve, it's surrounded by unspoilt countryside with a wide variety of wildlife and rare birds in its gardens and environs. 

The Quinta's ten en-suite rooms are airy, cool and comfortable and the bathrooms are spacious. There is a Family Suite, a Honeymoon Suite and seven other rooms, doubles, triples and twins. It has a large Yoga Shala and a wood-fired Sauna, 2 large drawing rooms with log fires, a roofed terrace, a vine covered terrace and various lawns within the 2 acres of garden that drops down towards the water. The lake, right on your doorstep and one of the largest in Europe, (with an average summer temperature of 82ºF), is a refreshing change from the sea, but for those who like beaches, the Algarve, as well as the spectacularly unspoilt West Coast, is only an hour away.

Not that you'd notice it, but the Quinta is entirely off-grid and eco-friendly. 

Nowadays everyone seems to be conscious of their green credentials and carbon footprint, so it's nice to know that since the beginning the Quinta has always been this way.

It's over 90% solar powered, both for power and heating, and it has always re-used and re-cycled, as well as done its utmost to support the local economy.

In short, the Quinta doesn't just pay lip service to these ideals but actually lives them to the full, promoting as low a carbon footprint as humanly possible in such an isolated venue.

We have a professional chef at all times at the Quinta and can provide all your food while you're here. Most of our guests opt for this as the food is good-value, scrummy and there's loads of it. The style is 'International Home Cooking', i.e. our meals are prepared on site with, as far as possible, local ingredients. There's lashings of it - you won't go hungry - and it's not from packets. 

The lake itself is one of the largest and cleanest in Europe, but even though it's so close to the Algarve, it's relatively unknown, with a busy day being the sight of over five boats. Wandering down through the Quinta's mature fruit and flower gardens you'll come to the shore where a variety of watersports are on offer, overlooked by the lawns close to the water's edge. If you want to be active there's plenty to do - canoeing, fishing, swimming and walking and there are a variety of speciality courses on offer, notably Birdwatching, (and Nature Loving in general), and Shiatsu massage. But whatever your interest - however you like to 'get away from it all' - for total relaxation in a truly idyllic part of the world there are few places to rival Quinta do Barranco da Estrada.

One more point to mention is the Quinta's adaptability. If what you're looking for isn't described exactly here, but you're looking for that somewhere special, either just for you or for a group of friends or family, drop us a line and let us know what we can do for you.