Crato - Alentejo

In a time when everybody talks about stress, nothing like a break for deep relaxation. Alentejo in Portugal, might just be the answer!
We would say this getaway is perfect for 2 or 3 days! You have more days available?!! Wonderful, yes, here may be the place you've been looking for so you can pause and take a deep breath!

We're staying at a monument hotel, located in the Alentejo, in a region of plains that inspire calm and serenity, more precisely in the village of Flor da Rosa (Rose Flower, the name is already a good auspicium), in the county of Crato, district of Portalegre.

Upon arrival, we were blown away by the imposing monastery! There it was, the Pousada Mosteiro Crato, built in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Flor da Rosa. Beautiful, truly imposing and timeless!

As a curiosity to our readers, the Pousadas de Portugal are indicative of unique places, loaded with history and synonymous with quality, such as ancient convents, monasteries and castles. Prices reflect quality, but nothing like being aware of the deals. That's how we did it to stay at Pousada do Crato. ;-)

This little treasure, a Small Luxury Hotel, is divided into 3, if you can say so. A Gothic-style church-fort, a Gothic castellated palace with alterations from the 1500's and the rest of the monastery grounds, in Moorish and Renaissance styles. Being in this Pousada, which was once the headquarters of the Order of the Hospital, later Order of Malta, gives us the feeling of almost being part of history! In this National Monument, you can also visit the Nucleus of Medieval Sculpture of the National Museum of Ancient Art.

The Pousada has rooms in 2 very different wings, the new wing, near the pool, and the old wing, inside the convent. Needless to say, that we were most excited by the rooms inside the convent! From what we could tell, since we were shown some rooms, all with very generous areas, with a lot of comfort and minimalist décor.

Room in the new wing

The common areas are beautiful and well decorated, nothing exuberant, but with elegance and taste.

The pool is fantastic and very well framed! It's a generous pool and in the Alentejo in the middle of summer, it is impossible to resist! The atmosphere is super quiet and relaxing. The only thing you can hear are the sounds of nature. The conjugation of the "old" with the "modern" is extremely pleasant. Top notch!

The spa area is a bit small but tastefully done. We didn't do any massage, with much pity, however we almost melted in the water. :))

As for the room, we couldn't have asked for better. The room was super comfortable, cozy and very spacious... Indeed very spacious!! Starting with the keychain itself, ginormous lol.

The room we stayed in also has a very small peculiarity lol..., it has 2 exclusive terraces, which are nothing more, no less than 2 towers of the Monastery!! Perfect for catching some sunshine, with excellent privacy, since neighbors... just a few storks that were in their nest.

The view from our two towers is unique. The Alentejo at our feet, as well as the small town of Flor da Rosa.
The sunset was mesmerizing!

But as usual, all that is good ends quickly, our time here is coming to an end. What a wonderful experience this was! We highly recommend this getaway and we will definitely return, whether it be on the way to other places or as a "complement" to a slightly larger vacation!!!

Where to eat at Crato?

In the restaurant of the Pousada, for a more cozy and fancy atmosphere, or if you prefer something simpler and traditional, like Migas and a Sericaia with plum, you can try in the village the restaurant "O Recanto".

For now that's all, but our journey through the beautiful and grand Alentejo has not finished yet...

To be continued... ;)