Herdade Dos Grous

Stopped between evora and Algarve for a special lunch. Don’t bother. The restaurant was cafeteria in feel especially with families and kids. Noise accentuated by the tile floors and large open room. The winery was not open for tours or tastings and the bar area had dirty tables and no bartender. The grounds where we (were allowed to) walk were meh. The food was good. Ordered the black pork which was cooked nicely. Came will grilled Vegs and French fries. Certainly not fine dining but perfectly acceptable.

We stayed in a junior suite. It was a very large space, functionally furnished. Nothing luxurious or stylish about the decor, but the bed was comfortable and the room adequate. We were about a mile from the main hotel building, which meant a drive for breakfast each morning (we could have cycled on the bikes that are provided). As birders, we were delighted by the mix of habitats and variety of bird life. We appreciated the marked trails around this extensive estate. We also enjoyed dinner one evening in the hotel restaurant, authentic Alentejo cuisine, prepared simply and tastily. The staff were friendly and helpful. So, why only three stars? Well, it felt as though we had intruded on a German holiday camp. The pool area near our accommodation was a no go zone for the first 24 hours. A large group of holidaymakers, clearly all travelling together, had taken it over, were drunk by late afternoon and absolutely plastered by 11pm. We were kept awake until midnight by their drunken singing along to loud pop music. The huge number of empty beer bottles on show at dawn the next morning, as we went for a walk to spot bird life, bore testimony to their partying. It was a great shame, because the pool was attractive and as my photo shows, when empty, it’s a lovely view onto the lake. Thankfully for us the drunks left the following day. They were replaced by what seemed to be a new coach load on some sort of corporate away trip. It seemed as though we alone were there on holiday and had intruded on some German corporate bonding trip. We navigated the phalanxes of cyclists and watched them all troop into a building with their notes and clipboards. We stayed away from the estate, returning for bed and breakfast. If you like German corporation team bonding venues, you should book here. If you are in search of peace and quiet or a bit of luxury, steer well clear!

We stayed at another hotel, but we drove here for dinner one evening. The service was spectacular, as was the food. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, and all of the items that were recommended by our server. We even came back the next day to buy olive oil and wine from the wine shop. The ambiance is a little more family-friendly than couples/romantic, but that was ok for us.