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Alentejo - Western

The vast golden plains of the Alentejo - literally - Além Tejo, beyond the (river) Tejo, - with its sea of wheatfields is the bread basket of Portugal. These fields also yield cork from the bark of the cork oaks and wonderful olives. From its coastline in the west, with the beautiful beaches of Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes - just to mention a few,  to its long backbone of craggy hills in the East that form a natural frontier with Spain is a hinterland that has a slow little changing pace of life and neither gets nor expects many visitors. Yet this area encompasses a third of the total area of Portugal while containing only about one-tenth of the country's population.

Beach at Porto Covo

This time we have decided to explore the Alentejo a little more then what we had done in past trips. There is something about this hinterland with its little changing pace of life that intrigues me. Maybe this is that kinder gentler place that they talk about.

For the first leg of this trip we will drive down the western edges of the Alentejo. Then after a brief visit to the Eastern Algarve we will re enter the Alentejo from the south and proceed along the edges of the Spanish border passing through Mertola and Serpa and then on to Elvas. I've called it the Eastern Alentejo.

Alentejo Landscape

We picked up the AVIS rental car at the Hotel Ritz. In a short time we had crossed the River Tejo using the 25th of April bridge and followed A2 east until the E1 cutoff. Then we turned south toward Alcácer do Sal. 

Alcácer do Sal

This is a quaint Alentejo town on the banks of the Rio Sado. We had decided to spend a few days in the Pousada D. Afonso II and enjoy the peaceful country side.

Alcacer do Sal

The Alentejo countryside was truly beautiful. It has beautiful gently rolling green hills and fields. The fields reflected the various colors of the rainbow. One day we took a ride south on N120 and we found this little Restaurante e Salão de Festas Estrada Nacional 120 Junto à bp 7570-124 Grandola, we had a wonderful meal there and would return for another.

Herdade de porshes

Some with deep green crops just starting to grow, rich brown earth that had been freshly tiled for planting or and fields of flowers - white, purple, yellow and poppies that were enhanced by manicured olive and cork trees that stood majestically against the horizon.

Alentejo Landscape

We had driven in this area before but it was in the early fall and the crops had already been harvested and the hot summer had turned them brown. We continued on toward Grandola saw the sign for N 120 and turned on to it and headed for our destination that day of Santiago do Cacém.

Vale de Guizo

Torrão

Driving only 30km from Alcácer and over the the Vale do Gaio dam, stands this beautiful Pousada Vale do Gaio. It is a perfect place for resting, walking, cruising, fishing or shooting. The sunsets at the terrace overlooking the dam make your stay at Torrão Pousada unforgettable. You can hear the slience of the night.

Alvito

Only a short drive from Torrão is the Pousada at Alvito. This Pousada Castelo de Alvito is another wonderful place to stay.

This Pousada is located in the quaint little town of Alvito and is within reasonable driving distance of Evora and also Beja.

Santiago do Cacém

This pleasant village is situated near the beautiful beaches of the S. Vicente Coast. We had decided to spend a few days at the São Tiago Pousada. This is small very comfortable Pousada situated on a hill within walking distance of the town.

The Moorish castle which is high over the city provides some panoramic views of the Serra de Grândola to the northeast of the village. At this point in my travels I have become very skillful driving up steep cobblestone streets. We drove up to enjoy the view. The castle walls also enclose the cemetery of the adjacent 13th Century Igreja Matriz.

A short distance from the center of the town you may view the ruins of the Roman City of Miróbriga. They are in the process of excavating, and it is well worth a good look.  

Sines

We had usually driven past Sines on past trips. Friends had said if you want great beaches you should go below Sines.

Since then I read that Sines was the birthplace of Vasco da Gama so my curiosity got the best of me. To my amazement  I was pleasantly surprised. Yes there is a heavy industrial zone but it is very clean and neatly put together. Once past the industrial zone the old town and its popular sandy beach are available.

I was very impressed by the beauty and cleanliness' of the town. Since it was now the lunch hour I started looking for a restaurant. We found one. The Restaurante E Marisqueira "Varanda do Oceano" Largo Nossa Senhora das Salvas Tel: 069 632 303. Actually the restaurant is very easy to find. There are signs to it all over the town. I have eaten a lot of Porco à alentejana over the years and theirs was the best that I had ever had. We had a very pleasant day on this first exploration.

Vila Nova de Milfontes 

This town is one of the loveliest places on Portugal's west coast. It is located where the River Mira meets the sea. The resort is located on a sleepy estuary, is low keyed and unassuming but offers many places to stay.

We had stopped here a few years back, but only for a lunch break. The town then caught my eye and now since we were in the area I decided to return for a slightly longer look.

It is turning into a very wonderful beach front and summer attraction especially with the surfers. I was also impressed with the cleanness of the town as I was with all the towns in the Alentejo.

We had spent a few hours in this town a few years ago. Now we decided to get a little better acquainted and really enjoy the area. We walked and drove around a lot of the streets and wandered in and out of the stores to get the feel of things. Finally we got hungry and found a nice little restaurant for lunch. It is the Restaurante A Fonte on the R. Custódio Braz Pacheco, 39 Tel: 283 996 265. We had a very pleasant lunch and then I noticed an office where you could rent apartments. Since I have gotten numerous e-mails on this subject, I will provide you with the address. Apartamentos - R. Custódio Braz Pacheco, 57 7645 Vila Nova de Milfontes -  Tel: 283 996 374.

Santa Clara-a-Velha

Santa Clara-A-Velha

This is one of the most peaceful and tranquil places in all the world let along Portugal. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen.

View from the Pousada

It borders on a huge man made lake. The little town of Santa Clara lies at the entrance to the road leading up to the Pousada Santa Clara-A-Velha. The Pousada is built on the Santa Clara Dam and offers a location ideal for water sports, shooting, fishing or merely enjoying the peaceful surrounding. I've heard that they are stocking the lake with Bass, an American fish. For more information on boat and equipment rentals contact Paulo Jorge Ramos who has a store in Santa Clara where you may rent boats and other equipment.

Lake at Santa Clara

If you ever wanted to observe closely a Portuguese town then Santa Clara is the place to do it. One it's small and you can walk around the whole town in about 5 minutes. We ate a number of meals at one of the two restaurants in town Restaurante Casa Pepe and had the opportunity to get acquainted with its' two lovely owners. You will not only enjoy the food but you will also enjoy their company.

I've concluded that it is impossible to capture the beauty of this area on film, you must go there and see it for yourself. However, one of the advantages of going there you will also experience the beauty of the Portuguese people.

Lake at Santa Clara

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