Need to know
Rooms
38, including 30 suites.
Check–Out
12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
More details
Rates include a hearty farm breakfast with fruits, fresh juices, salads, an egg station, homemade cakes, pancakes, pastries, cheese and charcuterie. Yoga classes are also available for free.
Also
The hotel is easily accessible for guests with mobility issues; one of the farmhouses is adapted and there are ramps around the property.
At the hotel
Farm, spa with a sauna and hammam, gym, kitchen garden, bikes free to borrow (mountain bikes for an extra charge), charged washing and drying service, free WiFi. In rooms: TV, air-conditioning, Delta coffee machine and tea-making kit, organic bath products.
Our favourite rooms
The hotel has four clusters of houses (Horta, Medronho, Azinho and Cravo), which from the outside all resemble the traditional squat whitewashed buildings in the region. However, on the inside rusticity is a bit more burnished, with minimalist styling, sleek surfaces, very high-spec furnishings and the odd Smeg kitchen. But, the owners’ admirable Portuguese pride is evident in original drawings and handicrafts from local artisans, and a dedication to brands from the country, such as WeWood, Dam, Sachi, Pedroso & Osório, Costa Nova, Meireles and Esporlux. All of which amp up the luxury of this humbling experience. When it comes to choices, we like the Farmloft, a romantic hideaway for honeymooners, with access to a semi-private pool. And families will be cosseted within the Farmhouse, which sleeps up to six.
Poolside
Craveiral Farmhouse has four pools in total. One is indoors, in a barn-style building with a fireplace and loungers round the side. The main outdoor pool is a glittering sapphire rectangle amid unmanicured grasses, with a smaller shallow pool for little ones; and two more are set within clusters of houses for semi-private use. All are open 24 hours a day.
Spa
The concrete and wood spa is a peaceful space for massages that target different areas of healing or parts of the body, with tailored massages for mums-to-be and children, plus shiatsu. After, spend a oh-so-quiet spell in the cork-lined sauna or hammam lit with copper lanterns.
Packing tips
Bring a suitcase full of outdoor gear, but leave any baggage. Keep a corner free for souvenirs from the hotel's on-site shop that stocks an array of local artwork, candles and sustainable swimsuits.
Also
The hotel's boutique has tasty Portuguese treats, local wine and artwork, swimwear made sustainably using plastic removed from the ocean, and more.
Pet‐friendly
Up to two pups and cats are very welcome in the houses and public areas (including the restaurant) for €20 a pet, each night. And they’ll get a bed, food and water bowl. See more pet-friendly hotels in Alentejo.
Children
Craveiral is a dream for kiddos, with land to run about in, a farm full of cute animals, an array of tailored activities (many of which are included in the rate), cinema sessions and farmhouses that’ll easily fit a family.
Best for
From toddlers upwards.
Recommended rooms
The Farmhouses, which are the largest, but also the most stylish in our humble opinion.
Activities
The hotel might not have much in the way of baby kit, but it knows how to keep kids entertained. They can ride horses and bikes, immerse themselves in the rural life on the farm (and pet the cute donkeys, pigs, goats and other residents too), play mini chef, paint the surroundings, mould in clay, or watch a movie.
Swimming pool
There’s a dedicated shallow – though not supervised – pool for smalls.
Meals
There isn't a specific children's menu, but most of the locally sourced meals from the restaurant can be adapted for little Smiths.
Babysitting
Not available.
No need to pack
Bring any essential kit or toys; there’s little onsite and no shops in the near vicinity.
Sustainability efforts
The hotel practises a ‘circular economy’, attempting to produce all they need onsite. An impressive 70 per cent of food is sourced from the onsite kitchen garden and the rest comes from local fishermen, markets and suppliers. They compost (up to 50kg of organic matter every two days for fertilising the grounds) and recycle thoroughly (their eventual aim is to have only glass, paper and plastic trash), use solar energy and have a water-treatment station, old trees become fuel for the wood-burning stoves, and houses were built so as not to disturb the surrounding nature. On the grounds, there’s a human-free area where the animals can thrive and special initiatives are in place to protect native bats, snakes and bird species. Part of the property is set on an area of protected biodiversity too, where they’ve managed to reintroduce rare plant life. Learn more about it in the Nature Interpretation Centre. And, humans are cared for too: during the pandemic, the owner sent out pizzas to locals, the hotel’s farm is used to educate local youths, and in collaboration with Associação VilacomVida and bio-pizzeria In Bocca al Lupo, the hotel creates job opportunities for young people with additional needs. Plus, staff zip about using electric cars.
