Quinta do Barranco da Estrada Sta. Clara a Velha, alentejo, Portugal

Quinta do Barranco da Estrada

Paradise in Portugal... unspoilt heaven by the lake.

A small lakeside hotel set in unspoilt countryside, with wonderful views over one of Europe's cleanest lakes.

The lake is relatively unknown, with a busy day being the sight of five boats. In summer the mature fruit and flower gardens lead guests down to the shore where there are a variety of water sports on offer. Winter is not to be outdone, however, as it offers marvellous local walks – there is a complete absence of traffic noise all year round. Quinta do Barranco also offers a variety of speciality-guided courses, such as bird watching.

The resident owners, Frank and Daniela, who live in and run the establishment with personal care and attention have meticulously built up the Quinta into what it has now become, "A Paradise in Portugal".

They also offer a variety of year long courses such as bird watching and massage. It really is a lovely place and this small intimate retreat for peace and relaxation serves up eight double en-suite rooms, a Family Suite and a Honeymoon Suite.

It has 2 large drawing rooms with log fires, sauna, one roofed terrace, one vine covered terrace and various lawns within the 2 acre garden that drops down towards the water.

Quinta do Barranco da Estrada Comentários

Not Just pleasing to the eyes but the ears too

spent 22 days at Quinta and enjoyed every minute of it. As a solo traveller, it was ideal for me as I could get the benefits of having time alone but also getting to meet several different nationalities and personalities at the communal dinners. The food was fantastic, prepared by Daniela, and I never had the same starter, main or dessert twice, which I was amazed at.

The lake was always warm, which meant that kayaking or swimming before breakfast was always possible. The mist burning off the surface of the lake as the fish jumped at sunrise was always amazing to see. The garden has a wider variety of flowers, and several paths through it allowing you to see all the different flowers and wildlife. I was lucky to capture photographs of an ocellated lizard, thanks to Frank letting me use his hide and spare tripod.

Wifi and limited mobile reception is available so you are not completely cut off from the world, although with such settings I found I never checked my work email once (and that is saying something for me). Electronic beeps are very rarely heard here, which makes you notice them all the more once you leave. The dogs are friendly, although could be quite excitable, and seemed to behave with the other guest's dogs. The parrot, Uncle Harry, almost barked as much as the dogs and it does not take long to learn who she is copying when you here it call Frank.

Frank is also a wealth of information, full of great stories and knowledge, not just on birds and cork, but a multitude of plants, animal life and other topics. This leads to many interesting dinner conversations. If you are lucky, you get a musical after dinner show from the children.

Most guests during my time there stayed 2-4 days, a wide range of ages from 30-retired, couples and families, nationalities and it was interesting to see how the dynamic of the place constantly changed as different guests arrived and left.

It is not a question of will i go back but when I go back, as I am already trying to work out when I can go at the earliest possible time

CalumEM / Limerick / Ireland Ficou em Quinta do Barranco da Estrada a 27-08-2011

Amazing 3 night stay

We had an amazing 3 night stay at Quinta do Barranco da Estrada. It does exactly what it says on the tin - Paradise in Portugal. Don’t be daunted by the long dirt track to reach it - once you arrive it is definitely worth it. When we got there Daniela greeted us with lunch and Frank pleasantly informed us that we had been upgraded to the honeymoon suite. Excellent start!

Once we’d finished lunch it was down to the reservoir (and it’s where we spent most of our time for the rest of the holiday too!). It was very hot when we arrived, about 35C, so we spent our time between chilling on the sunbeds whilst reading our books, admiring the stunning views, and swimming in the reservoir to cool back down again!

There’s a few little row boats and pedaloes if you fancy being a bit more active. We took the kayak out a couple of times, and were even joined on one occasion by one of the dogs who swam the whole way with us! We were slightly concerned that Peshka looked like she was about to drown at any given moment, but judging by the lack of heavy breathing once she hit dry land, she’s fitter than we are! One of the mornings was a bit cooler and cloudier, so Daniela asked us what we wanted to do and we ended up going for a nice walk in one of the valleys. They had selection of local walks with full directions set out on a laminated card. Frank recommended us one not far away and we had an enjoyable morning ambling through the countryside.

The owners Frank and Daniela really couldn’t do enough for you, and really completed the whole place. Not only were they welcoming and helpful but they were also great fun and very good company in the evenings over dinner – and along with their three children, 1 parrot and 4 dogs, it certainly made for an interesting dinner time! It also helped that Daniela is a very good cook! The whole place was just magical and so very peaceful. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to escape from the world (no TV, no phone signal) and just switch off. We’ll definitely be going back again.
Katherine Hair, UK

Ficou em Quinta do Barranco da Estrada a 29-09-2010

Absolutely beautiful

After reading the recommendation on Secret Places I stayed at the Quinta do Barranca da Estrada for 3 days July 2006. It was absolutely beautiful. A real remote retreat, with beautiful almost tropical gardens, a clean huge freshwater lake, lovely rooms and fantastic food and service. It's hard to do the place justice, but it would come heartily recommended from me.
Rebecca Morris, UK

Ficou em Quinta do Barranco da Estrada a 01-07-2006

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Desportos e Comodidades

Animais aceites

Bar

Churrasco

Aquecimento central

Play center crianças

Cartões de crédito (Visa, Mastercad) aceites

Lareira

Jardim

Acesso para deficientes

Internet WiFi

Biblioteca

Salão - Lounge

Sala de reuniões

Estacionamento

Restaurante

Sauna

Terraço

Comodidades dos quartos

Chaminé

Internet WiFi

Quartos não fumadores

Quartos para deficientes

Room service

Actividades e Desportos

Bicicletas

Pesca grossa

Observação de pássaros

Canoagem

Cursos de culinária

Pesca

Massagem

Natação

Trekking

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Quadro do Hotel

A informação foi publicada por Quinta do Barranco da Estrada

20% "Week or More" Promotion

There's a 20% reduction for any reservation of a week or more at any time of the year, apart from during August.

Late Availability

There's a 10% promotion on late availability - if we still have the space of course! If a reservation is made within a week of arrival for a minimum stay of two nights we offer a 10% reduction on our basic price.

Groups

We offer a very good promotion for Group Bookings; for any reservation of 3 rooms or more for four nights or more, (apart from August), we're offering a 25% reduction on our basic room price - you can't beat that!

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Quartos do Hotel

Suite

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Andorinha is the Quinta´s largest double room with views to the lake. It also has another small room attached to it with a bunk bed and therefore offers the possibility of either being a Honeymoon suite or a Family suite. It benefits from being the only room that has a totally private terrace, ideal for either those who are looking for extra privacy or those with young children who wish to fully relax.

Duplo

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Javali and Borbaleta are two of our largest rooms with views to the lake and are ideal as either a Family Accommodation Suite, a Honeymoon Suite or accommodation for a group of friends. They share a large bathroom with both a bath and a separate shower. The two rooms are priced the same as our other Family or Honeymoon suite, "Andorinha".

Abertada

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Abertada, one of the Quinta´s double rooms.

Aguia

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Aguia, the Quinta´s smallest double room

Gato

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Gato is a double room with views to the lake.

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