Less than an hour from Lisbon, Casa Palmela is both a throwback in Portuguese history and a deep immersion into nature. The boutique hotel in the heart of the Arrábida Natural Park occupies a 17th-century manor house that was turned into a family home before finally being opened to the public, and the cousins who own and manage it are eager to share childhood memories of the time growing up there.
Even if you don’t get a chance to speak to any of them, the history is palpable: the 400-year-old stone floor in the reception area, the original furniture and family objects, cabinets of memorabilia, and hundreds of 18th-century tiles from the Calhariz Palace. They liken it to a living museum, but the feeling is more like a home: welcoming, intimate, and residential.
Its 21 hotel rooms—some of which are quite large, with freestanding claw-foot bathtubs beneath the living room windows—are in the main manor house, while five additional houses, each with two or three bedrooms, accommodate larger groups. The decorators were not afraid of florals and toile, but there’s also a feeling of timelessness, helped along by lovely natural light.
The Zimbral restaurant celebrates fresh local ingredients and Portugal’s rich culinary traditions, though there are also plenty of vegan dishes on the menu. They’ve also committed to wellness, via a clever massage room built within shipping containers and occasional retreats in partnership with holistic powerhouses like Ananda in the Himalayas.
For more information, visit the Casa Palmela website.
Casa Palmela
Quinta do Esteval
Arrábida
Mobile: +351 969 298 381
Phone: +351 265 249 650
Email: info-casapalmela@ouh.pt