North London Food & Culture

Free Weekend? Explore the Alentejo, Portugal


I’m driving down one of those big, wide, freshly tarmacked motorways that’s so new the Sat Nav doesn’t even know it exists (neither does anyone else by the looks of things, as we’re the only vehicle around). It’s lunchtime and I’ve been in Portugal long enough to know that a great restaurant is where you need to be come one o’clock, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, as the entire Alentejo happily is.

You’ve heard of Lisbon and the Algarve but this is the sleepy swathe of Portugal right bang in the middle. And now we’re a stone’s throw from a vast sandy stretch of rugged coast and have set our sights on finding the perfect spot to tuck into the catch of the day.

The road forks and we instinctively follow the path beachwards, and soon enough discover where all the traffic is flowing – in the car park of Kalux and Co., a deceptively simple cafe (if I was in Greece I’d be calling it a taverna). We settle in for another of the languorous lunches that define our trip.


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Olives, local quijo and pão (cheese and bread) provide a hearty pre-starter; slow food is very much a way of life here. As a wine-producing region, small bottles are easier to come by than single glasses, decimating the chances of anything happening quickly come afternoon. It’s for this pace as well as scenic drives along dusty roads past fields of cork trees, and for world heritage towns and whitewashed villages, that we’ve come to this part of the country.

Evora

After a straightforward drive from Lisbon our first stop is the UNESCO Site of Evora – capital of the Alentejo’s Alto region. Inside the Roman fortifications, which keep 21st Century life firmly at bay, I feel the closest I’ve ever been to colonial Central America on European soil.

It’s hard to tell where the bright stripes of each building end and the scorching light of the sun begins, so after ducking into a shady spot for Portuguese-style tapas, we step out into the less intense afternoon heat to explore the cobbled streets, manicured gardens, palaces and galleries of the town before plotting our next move.

Farther into the hinterland the town of Alvalade is hosting one of Portugal’s celebrated medieval festivals. For three days the entire town is dressed in straw bales and hessian, with wenches eating food fresh from the fire, while menfolk with swords quaff ale from terracotta tankards. If there’s a more authentic and enthusiastic place to re-live the Middle Ages I can’t imagine it – and we join the party as a band of minstrels play into the night.

Next day ye olde hangover is washed away at the beach – or in this case beaches. The town of Vila Nova de Milfontes is in a prime position on the Alentejan coast between the deservedly popular Zambujeira do Mar and the River Mira’s collection of beaches and inlets, each with its own character though all with matching rugged cliffs as a backdrop, and perfect sand underfoot.

The town is perfectly set up for surfers and sunbathers without a hint of – what I call – resortyness; it’s a simple place with seaside rhythms of days spent in the water and evenings in the open air, quickly merging into one long salty memory once it’s time to move on.

Driving back to the airport I’m reluctant for these straw-hued vistas of cattle, cliffs and cork trees to give way to motorway – but this time the Sat Nav knows just where we’re going; the adventure is well and truly over. Even if we do have Christ the Redeemer to welcome us back to Lisbon and, once again, the pace of city life.

Getting There & Accommodation
Sunvil Holidays offer 4 nights in the Alentejo including scheduled flights with TAP Portugal, car hire and four nights in a deluxe garden-view room at the 5 Star Convento do Espinheiro historic hotel. Package includes breakfast, four-course gastronomic dinner, wine tasting, a wine-therapy spa session, use of the spa and transfers to and from Evora. The price is £455 per person in January and February, based on two sharing.

Words & Photography: Jaillan Yehia
If you enjoyed this feature, check out travel expert Jaillan’s site Savoir There.


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