Where is your favourite destination and why?
My most recent discovery is Alentejo in rural Portugal which is still unspoilt and undiscovered by the hordes. It’s going to come because it’s beautiful; the wine is amazing, it’s such a draw. But it hasn’t just yet. I would love to go back. I really want to go and learn more about the vineyards and do a proper wine tasting.
When was the last time you were there, and who were you with?
I was there in the summer with my husband Nadeem for a few sunny, idling days.
Where do you like to stay there?
São Lourenço do Barrocal. It’s a haven that looks like it’s been plucked from the pages of Architectural Digest. I think the property used to be an industrial commune, so there were 200 families living and working there. It was all this land that has remained in the family for all this time; for 200 years. It’s spread out among vineyards, cork trees and orchards. I fell in love with their design, food, genial team and their authenticity — their culture of existing in harmony with nature and doing things the way their ancestors did.
What has been your favourite meal there?
The barbecue restaurant at the hotel. It’s an organic estate and they try to do as much as possible with what’s available. I still remember the barbecue pork belly, crackling with an off-the-Richter crunch and the swatches of gelatinous meat that were as tender as the night. They have an array of vegetarian sides that come out, like beautiful barbecued avocado — that was a first for me.
Where would you go for breakfast, lunch and supper?
Breakfast at the hotel is unsurpassed — a banquet of fruits, charcuterie and local cheeses, traditional cakes and organic honey from their own estate. Lunch would be at Hortelão — the slow food restaurant with a view of the pool — and dinner at Lagoa ò Marin Melides for seafood rice with an uninterrupted view of a pristine stretch of the Atlantic Ocean.
Favourite place for a drink?
Tatiana, who runs the bar at São Lourenço do Barrocal, has a garden-to-glass philosophy. She goes and gets herbs, flowers and shrubs from the estate, then makes dilutions and syrup, and uses them in delicious, thought-provoking cocktails. I found that really impressive.
What would you do if you only had 24 hours there?
Explore the medieval mountain village of Monsaraz with its sun-dappled steep cobbled streets and panoramic views. You drive right up to the top and there’s an incredible view of the Atlantic Ocean. When we were there, we stopped for a drink. On one of the little cobbled streets, there was a place with a window that jutted out with this incredible panoramic view. So we stopped for a glass of local wine.
What is the one unmissable thing you recommend doing?
It’s the centre of ceramics — visit all the potteries and go with an empty suitcase. You can go to the main pottery studio and they’ve got a museum of ceramics, and they give you a map, but a lot of these places are people’s homes and they’re unmarked. So we were walking around trying to find this one specific pottery studio. We ended up on this wild goose chase because my husband asked a woman who didn’t really speak that much English, and she was like, “Oh, follow me.” We followed her for ages, and it turned out she just wanted to show us a new swimming pool she had built in her house. So that was definitely a lost in translation moment, but then again, you kind of go, well, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Where do you like to let your hair down?
In my suite at the hotel, so I can be in bed at 10pm and up early for a walk on the extensive grounds. I live life on the edge.
Who do you call to have a good time there?
My friends Nitin Sawhney and his partner Elle — we always have a great time with them and they love food and adventure so it would be perfect. Nitin would have to bring his guitar.
Favourite shops?
The hotel has a wonderful shop curated with a selection of Portuguese designers, local ceramics and textiles, wines and honeys. You’re in those bedrooms like, “Wow. This is so chic. This is so beautiful. Oh my god, I love that,” and then you go to the shop and it’s all available to buy. I coveted everything and bought some very special ceramic pieces, a giant cork tray, a gorgeous woven blanket by Burel factory that you also find in the bedrooms, some wine from their estate and a brass cowbell... I literally stuffed my suitcase with as much as I could. I think I bought half of the hotel shop.
The one thing you would bring home as a souvenir?
You can’t go to Alentejo and not buy the beautiful ceramics. There are factories and studios and then there are people’s homes and they’ve just got their one potter’s wheel and they’re wheeling out lots of stuff and then their antiques that you can buy, like antique pots. They’re really beautiful. Everything is very cheap. I’ve seen stuff, for example in Liberty or The Conran Shop, which is very expensive, and it was comparable to what we were seeing in the ceramic stores, but these were for under £10. You can also commission personal pieces if you have time: I didn’t have time because I was there for was four days. I was like, damn, I could have changed the whole restaurant’s ceramics.
Your favourite beauty spot?
The panoramic view from the top of Monsaraz is breathtaking and dizzying too.
Your packing essential?
Jurlique skincare and Mauli supreme skin serum. Also Blink Brow ultimate brow arch definer and brow gel because groomed brows are next to godliness.
A song that reminds you of the place?
It’s actually wonderful to rise early, unplug and appreciate the sounds of nature. The symphony of bird calls and the hum of bees, the thud of ripe fruit surrendering to gravity is spectacular. Just seeing things like how big the sky is and how blue. Here, I’m so guilty of even when I go for a walk, I always have a podcast on. There I was hyper alert to it. I have missed that sound. I miss waking up to that sound; I miss being alert to that sound.
Your dress code for the destination?
Cotton dresses by Daydress and Alemais, and flat sandals by Aquazurra. My Aquazzura sandals have seen a lot of action on my holidays, they’re so comfortable. They have buttery soft leather so even if you’re walking around a lot, they’re not going to give you blisters or rub on your feet. And kaftans; when I go to India on my holidays, I always buy lots of silk kaftans. They’re really easy to wear; they never need ironing which I love. And you can just roll them up in your suitcase and then pop them out and just sling them over a bikini as a cover, or dress them up with the pair of heels and giant top knot on your head and a nice pair of earrings for the evening.
Building you would like to live in?
If I could I would move into São Lourenço do Barrocal. Perhaps the family could adopt me.
Do you have a top wellness tip for the area?
The spa at São Lourenço do Barrocal offers Susanne Kaufmann treatments and also has treatments using poultices of flora and fauna picked from the organic garden. Heaven!
Ravinder Bhogal is a food writer, chef, restaurateur and stylist. Rates start from £388 per night elegantresorts.co.uk
