Lisbon will be your first crush on Portugal. However, its large Atlantic coastline will also make you fall in love with the countryside.
2023 was my second consecutive year visiting Portugal and my first time driving away from the sweet dynamics of Lisbon to the South. No, I wasn’t headed to the Algarve, regardless of the fact that it’s one of my closest friend’s favorite spots to spend the summer.
Scrolling to the feed of the lovely Emily Yates I set my eyes on Alentejo. A neighboring area near the West coast of Portugal that boasts cute towns and fisherman’s villages and offers the perfect vacation backdrop for introverts and nature lovers. Yes, I’m both.
It was a 2 and a half hour’s highway drive starting from the gorgeous Vasco da Gama bridge. An exciting road trip that will bewitch you with slowly changing landscapes… from dried uninhabited fields to picturesque red soil, pine trees, and random olive groves.
We arrived at San Teotonio (the closest town to our destination) passing through the vibrant Odemira. A tad exhausted from the past 4-days business trip and the few hours’ drive, I was impatient to get to our home away from home – Teima, Alentejo.
Set in Vale Juncalinho, a few kilometers from Zambujeira do Mar, Teima, Alentejo is a family-owned hotel amid a peaceful pine forest, spanning a few acres of land… Teima didn’t originate as a business. No, it was a vacation home for its owner Luisa’s family. Designed by a Greek architect, the main house was later developed by an Italian architect into 5 separate guest houses – providing visitors with spacious suites consisting of a sleeping and living area, closet, and large bathrooms.
The cozy design – a beautiful combo of cabin meets boho/beach style, the outdoor area that leads through an olive grove path to the infinity pool, the local farm, open for guest visits and donkey petting shows that high-profile hotels can also demonstrate a version of meaningful modesty.
The hotel’s reception will meet all requests, providing restaurant recommendations and day-trip suggestions for Alentejo’s signature spots such as the hiker’s dream Rota Vicentina. (Check some video content in the IG posts at the bottom!)
Yes, Teima lacks a restaurant yet the nearest one – Azcena do Mar, is only a 7-minute drive from the property. The breakfast on the other hand, served in the gorgeously landscaped yard, pleases guests with a rich selection of local fruits, cheeses & salami, jams, freshly made bread, omelets, and whatever comes to your mind. You can have it all by checking out desired options on your room’s personal menu card.
Teima, Alentejo is the epitome of quiet luxury where local pets – 3 dogs and a white clingy cat, add a touch of cuteness to the overall stay. My 4 days there were not enough to fully embrace the beauty of Teima. But I made a promise to return.
Who would have known that 2 weeks after my visit, a horrific wildfire would extinct a large area of Alentejo, burning to ashes my precious Teima and leaving the hotel’s founders with insufficient funds to recuperate the property created in a span of 15 years… Many of Teima’s visitors donated to Luisa’s family charity cause in an attempt to revive not only the business but also the beautiful nature sanctuary that Teima used to be.
Here is a link to their GoFundMe campaign.
Please, share & support. Teima needs to shine again. And I’m sure it will. Sooner than expected.
Photos: ND
