Quinta do Xarrama

We spent a wonderful family afternoon at Quinta do xarrama, a welcoming place where you can relax even in the evening and enjoy the Alentejo warmth. The pool was a real relief from the heat, and D. Dolores made us feel very well looked after. The motto here is “take it slow.” Nuno and his sister, the hosts, were attentive and always ready to help with what guests needed. It left us with lovely memories, and we’d happily go back.

The pool area is well cared for, with loungers and a pretty gazebo, and there’s also a lovely porch. Breakfast was generous and really good. This is a comfortable, pleasant rural stay, and the hosts were very friendly. The location works well: you can walk to the center in about 20-25 minutes, and there’s a supermarket nearby within walking distance. There’s also a small shared kitchen where you can store food or chill drinks. I recommend it!

The owners made the stay special, from a warm welcome to spontaneous gin and tonics by the pool. We arrived late after a delay, and the owner brought us a drink, cheese, ham, toast and fruit. Breakfast had a generous selection of sweet and savory food, pastries, fruit and other extras. The rooms are traditional, very clean and well equipped, and the pool with its sunbeds was a lovely spot to cool down and relax. This small hotel on the edge of Évora is a real find and makes a great base for seeing the city and nearby area. They went out of their way to make our stay memorable. We’d love to return and highly recommend it.

It ended in a truly awful way. The breakfast was good, but the owner treated us with suspicion the whole time. After we’d paid €300 for two rooms for two nights and checked out at 11 on Sunday as requested, she rudely told us to leave the pool. Then, to make matters worse, she used a hose and soaked our personal belongings and those of another family in the same situation. The way the services are presented is misleading, and hygiene was practically nonexistent, with hairs in the bathroom and dishes that hadn’t been washed properly. Horrible!