Rural A Velha Fabrica

The meals were mixed at best. The Iberian pork was the one good dish, though it came without the red berry coulis listed on the menu. The goat was chewy and mostly bones; the cod and octopus were nice, but portions came with very few vegetables. The €6 desserts rescued the meal. We found the experience expensive and uncomfortable, and felt discriminated against because we weren’t Spanish or didn’t speak Spanish. There’s an old milling wheel and machinery visible through a window by the toilets. We came after visiting the village to take our olives to the local Lagar, curious about the restaurant after hearing of the substantial European funding, including €91,000 for the kitchen. At lunchtime the huge building was completely dark and empty, and its vaulted space felt cold and soulless. A waitress eventually came over to ask if we had a reservation. We didn’t. We tried broken Spanish, then Portuguese, English, and French, but she couldn’t understand us, so I called my daughter, who lives in Spain and is fluent. We were gestured toward a table and left waiting in the empty restaurant, unsure anyone had understood us and close to leaving. Then a party of six arrived. They were Spanish, greeted warmly, and had drinks, starters, and mains brought out while we still had nothing, not even bread or olives. I asked for the menu in Spanish, and the waitress brought a plate with a code to scan on our phones. Our order was eventually taken, and bread arrived with the local oil, which tasted grassy and wasn’t very pleasant. The kitchen was clearly willing to serve lunch without a reservation. When we left, the other party was having coffee in the adjoining area with a friendlier waitress and what they called a Robotic Valet. It looked absurd and out of place in such a beautiful historic building. What a shame if European funding went toward that garish bit of technology. An old wooden tea trolley would have done the job and suited the building’s age and feel much better.

The setting has a lovely atmosphere, and the cheesecake was probably the best we’ve ever had. The Iberico surprise was excellent, though it arrived without the red berry salsa named on the menu. Bacalhau was lovely, but the polvo was cold, its sauce tasted like it might have been mushrooms, and the goat was tough. The plates were small, too. We were unhappy with the service. The waitress seemed unwilling to serve English or Portuguese speakers and was rude. A Spanish table that arrived about 25 minutes after us got served first. There was also a ridiculous robotic valet bringing coffee to the lounge under a waitress’s supervision. We’re not sure we’ll return, and we’re glad we didn’t drive 300km for such a mediocre meal.

The spacious rooms and outstanding value for money make this a great rural hotel. It’s set in a converted olive oil factory, with a superb restaurant where you can enjoy excellent Iberico pork. There’s plenty to see nearby, though the hotel itself is almost a destination.

It’s a beautiful place, just not my favorite.