8 stylish places to stay in Portugal’s Alentejo region

Today I’m continuing my series rounding up stylish hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and holiday rentals in Portugal by focusing on the Alentejo region – the second leg of my recent Portuguese road trip with my friend Becky.

This was actually my second visit to the Alentejo, having travelled there with my mum back in 2015, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time around. One of most sparsely populated areas of Europe, it covers roughly a third of the country and is largely rural, with vast cork forests, lakes, olive groves, wildflower meadows and cattle snoozing under trees. It’s perfect for relaxation, but there are also plenty of interesting things to explore, including castles, hilltop villages, the historic whitewashed city of Évora, and the sweeping dunes and wave-lashed beaches of the coast, much of which is a protected natural park. And, like other parts of Portugal, it has an array of beautiful places to stay, especially for fans of minimalist design like me. Here are eight of the best – some of which I’ve experienced for myself, others which I came across while researching the trip and which are now firmly on my radar for future visits.

[Please note I haven’t included the Alentejo coastal resort of Comporta in the below selection, as I’m going to cover it in a separate post.]

Aljana GuestHouse

This beautiful family-run B&B sits just beneath the bell tower in the pretty little town of Beja, central Alentejo. It’s arranged around an inner patio scented by orange trees, with terracotta-tiled floors, cushioned bench seats and open fireplaces beneath arched ceilings. The seven bedrooms are calm havens spread across the main house and an adjoining building, and some have mezzanine levels and their own terraces. The design throughout is pared-back and gently rustic, with rattan lampshades, vintage wooden furniture, painted shutters and old urns filled with textural grasses. There’s also a plunge pool for cooling off in summer, and a breakfast room with ‘Wishbone’ chairs where fresh local produce is served up each morning.

See more of Aljana Guesthouse and make a booking here [AD – affiliate link].

Casa do Roxo

Around 20km from Beja is Casa do Roxo – a rural Alentejo hotel where we spent a very relaxing 24 hours. Hidden in the tiny lakeside hamlet of Mina da Juliana, it’s a contemporary twist on the traditional single-storey buildings that characterise the area, with crisp white walls, large picture windows and swathes of polished concrete offset by gnarled olive trees. The six guest rooms (some twin, and some with space for an extra bed) are strung across one long wing, with cork-clad walls, simple furniture and their own entrances; there’s also a communal lounge and dining room with soaring ceilings, sofas, a wood-burner and an honesty bar. But the biggest treat is the outdoor swimming pool, flanked by loungers and cushioned daybeds with views over the surrounding fields. It’s incredibly peaceful and, with rates starting at €90 per night, it’s surprisingly cheap, too.

Book a stay at Casa do Roxo here [AD – affiliate link].

Imani Country House

Another Alentejo hotel that I’ve stayed at myself (though on my previous visit) is Imani Country House, set amid a sea of orange trees a 15-minute drive from Unesco-listed Évora. Occupying a whitewashed country manor, it mixes pared-back style with eclectic touches such as an old motorbike parked up in the dining room and a collection of vintage sewing machines in a bathroom. The seven double rooms and suites are spread across the former stable block, with smooth concrete and glass panels beneath exposed rafters; all have private terraces, and some encompass sitting rooms with wood-burners. There are also two outdoor pools (one in an old stone tank once used for laundry), shaded nooks strung with hammocks, and an on-site restaurant serving classic Portuguese fare alongside lighter salads and wraps.

Make a booking at Imani Country House here [AD – affiliate link].

Évora Olive Hotel

During this most recent trip we were keen to stay in Évora itself, so we booked a night at Évora Olive Hotel. Located in a converted 1960s shopping centre, with a stunning spiral staircase at its core, it’s one of the few places within the old city walls with easy – and free – parking; it also has the added bonus of two swimming pools (one outdoors, one in the subterranean spa). Inside it’s minimalist and almost Scandinavian in style, with polished concrete floors, grey mid-century modern armchairs and lots of blond wooden panelling – though local ceramics, occasional cork sculptures and black and white photos of olive groves remind you you’re in Portugal. In all honesty, it’s not the most characterful or luxurious Alentejo hotel, but it’s convenient, comfortable and very good value. What’s more, there’s an array of room types (including twins, singles and some with balconies) to choose from, and all are fairly spacious for a city-centre hotel.

Book a stay at Évora Olive Hotel here [AD – affiliate link].

Cucumbi

Set on a working organic farm halfway between Évora and Lisbon, this rustic-minimalist guesthouse is all about unwinding amid nature. It’s run by husband-and-wife team ToZé and Catarina, who have lovingly restored the old house at the centre of their land to create a calming retreat with textural rattan, linen and driftwood alongside vintage furniture and concrete floors. There are four suites with double bedrooms and private terraces, plus a duplex with a kitchenette, a two-bedroom apartment, and a self-contained lake-view house. Meals in the vegetarian field-to-fork restaurant include fruit from the orchard, veggies from the garden and eggs from the resident free-range hens, and you can borrow bikes to pootle around the estate or paddle boards and canoes to try on the lake. There’s also a saltwater swimming pool, as well as a ceramics studio where you can unleash your inner creativity.

See more of Cucumbi and book a stay here [AD – affiliate link].

Casas Caiadas Open House

This minimalist gem of a B&B sits in the ancient town of Arraiolos, 20 minutes north of Évora, in a 19th-century building that once housed a bakery. On the ground floor are various whitewashed communal areas, all dressed in a soothing mix of rustic wooden furniture and contemporary pieces, with colourful works by Portuguese artist Graça Paz on the walls. Above are four guest bedrooms, including a family suite with a balcony and sofabed, a terrace room, and a beautiful double with an ingenious glassed-in bathroom beneath a curved ceiling. And right at the top is a panoramic roof terrace with easy chairs, a sparkling plunge pool and spectacular views of the town’s unusual circle-shaped castle.

Find out more about Casas Caiadas Open House and make a booking here. Hosts Paula and Mario also own a cluster of self-catering houses for two-six in a converted watermill outside Arraiolos, the details of which you can find here.

Casa no Tempo

To the east of Arraiolos, this design-led holiday rental for two-eight is perfect for those seeking solitude in a stylish setting. Part of Silent Living, whose portfolio also includes Lisbon boutique hotel Santa Clara 1728 and the stunning Casa Na Terra, it was once home to founders João and Andreia Rodrigues’ grandfather and has been reimagined by renowned Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus. The result is a sensitive fusion of past and present, with local clay floor tiles, pristine white walls, pared-back furniture and panoramic picture windows that blur the boundaries between the interior and the surrounding countryside. Inside are living and dining areas, a fully equipped kitchen and four bedrooms with ensuite walk-in showers; outside are shaded terraces and a vast infinity pool that almost seems to merge with the landscape. But the biggest draw is the tranquility, with nothing but fields, birdsong and gently braying cattle for miles around.

See more of Casa no Tempo and make a reservation here.

Pa.te.os

Also designed by Manuel Aires Mateus, this collection of angular wood-clad holiday homes sits near the coastal village and lagoon of Melides, with views over sand dunes to the Atlantic Ocean. There are four different houses, which you can rent separately or together: two with one double bedroom, one with two doubles or twins, and another with three doubles or twins. All feature lime-washed walls, soothing neutral palettes, low-slung sofas, sleek wooden kitchens, stone bathrooms (some with freestanding tubs) and walls of glass looking out over the landscape. Outside is a shared wedge-shaped infinity pool and private terraces positioned to capture the sunset. Breakfast is set up in your house each morning, and there’s a concierge service to arrange anything from wine deliveries to massages.

Find out more about the houses and book a stay at Pa.te.os here.

I’ll have more round-ups of stylish places to stay in Portugal soon. In the meantime, browse my top accommodation picks in the eastern Algarve, Porto and Lisbon.

Please note this post contains affiliate links (all clearly marked), which means I will receive a small commission on any resulting bookings. You won’t pay any more by clicking on these links than you would by visiting the websites directly, and it helps to support the free content I create here.

All Casa do Roxo images, Imani Country House images one and three and Évora Olive Hotel images one and three by Abi Dare; all other photography courtesy of the respective hotels and rentals.