São Lourenço do Barrocal
For 200 years the São Lourenço do Barrocal farm has belonged to the same family, 780 hectares dedicated to the exploitation of cork oaks, olive trees and vines.
Here, the feeling of being at home is intimately related to the sense of belonging to the immensity of the earth. In Alentejo, the farm and the landscape soon become home.
The rehabilitation of this dreamy rural hideaway was entrusted to one of the great Portuguese architects, Eduardo Souto de Moura. The house was created from the traditional Mediterranean way of life in Alentejo, combining it with the modernity of the hospitality project of which it is a part. It reflects a sensitivity to sustainability, respecting the environment, the local culture and community.
Its interior, almost monastic, was decorated by the disbanded Lisbon studio AnahoryAlmeida, which invited artists, artisans and designers to collaborate in the creation of the space, made fundamentally of wood, marble and ceramics in a mixture of artist objects and traditional pieces from Alentejo, which sinks its roots deep into the earth.
Located a short distance from the walled town of Monsaraz, on the border with Spain, the hotel today offers 22 rooms, 2 suites and 16 independent cabins, with a private terrace overlooking the castle of the beautiful town. Guests can enjoy Egyptian cotton sheets, linen blankets and underfloor heating, ensuring a comfortable stay in winter, and when the sun shines, the ideal refuge is the swimming pool in which a huge granite rock penetrates.
Location: São Lourenço do Barrocal, Alentejo, Portugal
Designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura and Studio AnahoryAlmeida
Photography by Marina Denisova for Barefoot Living
