At check-in you can make available an all-terrain bike, a buggy or a quad bike, and that alone says something about Malhadinha Nova. With space to lose sight of, the estate spreads over 450 hectares in Beja, produces 350,000 bottles of wine a year, has vineyards, olive groves, cows, horses, organic production, winery, restaurant (where the consultant chef is michelin star Joachim Koerper) and since 2020 five new houses to join the charming hotel. So, yes, it’s best to accept a ride.
The project has now grown and is part of the Relais & Châteaux network, one of the most prestigious in the world, but it remains familiar and in the hands of Soares, Algarves who discovered in alentejo “the passion of a lifetime”. All different, the new houses were born from existing ruins and were inspired by different aspects of the property, with the décor integrating contemporary brands and designers – Vitra, Flos, Ferm Living, Philippe Starck, Vincent Sheppard, Eames, and so on – in a rural and Alentejo setting.
Where this is most evident is in the Mooring House, crown jewel with 880 square meters, seven suites, piano and swimming pool, in which the floor was handmade by a master of Beringel, in the same terracotta found in the surrounding landscape, and where a lamp designed by Marcel Wanders for moooi coexists with furniture from a grocery store.
In Casa da Ribeira, terracotta gives way to blue and wood, or was not inspired by the neighboring stream, while in the House of Arts and Crafts – the smallest, and still with 180 square meters – the green of clay and olive trees painted up to the walls. All houses are reserved exclusively, have a private pool and equipped kitchen – so equipped that each has a different Vista Alegre service.
With so much space, and in the luxury segment, the new Malhadinha Collection concept also brings new experiences, including horseback riding and picnics in the vineyards, with the right to net mosquito net and white towel on the table.