Hotel Rural Quinta de Santo Antonio

A great ranch-style place to stay when crossing between Spain and Portugal. The night receptionist was amazing, and I'd definitely stay here again.

The staff are friendly and helpful, and the place isn't dirty, but it's run-down and clearly needs a lot of maintenance. If you're expecting everything to be neat and tidy, you may be disappointed. It might once have deserved four stars, but as it is now, I'd give it two at best.

We've stayed at Hotel Rural Quinta de Santo António several times over the last few years, and it's always been a pleasure. On our most recent visit, reception was extremely helpful, especially Tracy, who paid attention to every detail and suggested other activities. The location, buildings, and atmosphere are excellent, and there's lots to do in this interesting area.

The food at Quinta de Santo António was a real highlight. Sónia, the resident chef, cooks regional dishes at the restaurant, from seafood "Cataplana" to Iberian pork cutlets, baby lamb steaks, Quinta-style steak, and an exquisite pâté. Breakfast was great too, with a wide choice including fruit yogurts, freshly cut fruit, and eggs made to order, fried, boiled, or poached. You can also have breakfast delivered to your room for a reasonable fee of 5 euros. For me, the Quinta has one of Alentejo's best-kept culinary secrets, perhaps even in all of Portugal. The room was pleasant and comfortable, with a brand-new TV and hundreds of channels. In this very hot region, every room has efficient AC. AC wasn't allowed in the shared areas to help prevent the virus from spreading, but if you get too hot you can cool off in the 30-metre pool or head back to your room and set the AC to 22 degrees Celsius. A nap is refreshing and gives you the energy to enjoy the Quinta fully. After Portugal eased its COVID lockdown, I chose to spend the June bank holidays away from home at Quinta de Santo António in Elvas. I enjoyed the experience right from the start. Reception emailed all the new COVID safety precautions and procedures after I booked. I arranged my arrival time so I would be alone at reception, and we handled everything else during the stay, including billing and ordering breakfast, over WhatsApp. Read the rules and procedures for the Safe & Clean seal if you're planning a stay with your family during these difficult times. With all of that, and the price, I felt the value for money was hard to beat in a COVID-free environment. I'll be back, that's for sure.