Olive oil tasting
Taste three oils from our grove and neighbouring farms with bread, salt and a short walk through the trees. Ninety minutes, every Tuesday and Friday.
per person€28
Boutique hotel · Twelve rooms · Near Loulé
Slow days among
Slow days among
the olive trees
A restored farmhouse in the barrocal hills, surrounded by centuries old olive groves. Twenty minutes to the sea, a world away from it.
Welcome
A house that grew out of the land
Thick limestone walls, cool tiled floors and shutters that open onto silver green trees. We kept what was beautiful about the old quinta and added only what makes a stay effortless: deep beds, good showers, a saltwater pool and breakfast that lasts as long as you like.
12 roomsEach one different
8 hectaresOlive groves and carob
20 minutesTo the beaches of Quarteira
10 minutesTo Loulé market
Stay
All rooms
Rooms with a view of the grove
Included in every stay
The small things, done properly
- Long breakfast on the terrace with our own olive oil, local cheese and fruit from Loulé market
- Saltwater pool, sun loungers under the carob trees and an honesty bar
- Bicycles to borrow and hand drawn walking maps of the barrocal
- Personal tips from our team for beaches, restaurants and quiet villages
“We planted nothing new. We simply listened to the trees and built the quiet around them.”
Our story
Three generations, one grove
The quinta was a working olive farm for more than a century. Today it is a small hotel, but the harvest still happens every November.
From press house to guest house
The old lagar, where olives were once pressed by stone, is now our breakfast room. The heavy granite millstone still stands in the corner and the beams above it are the originals.
Restored by hand
We worked with local masons from Querença and Salir, using lime plaster, reclaimed terracotta and chestnut wood. Rooms are cool in August and warm in January without fighting the house.
Twelve rooms, never more
We keep it small on purpose. It means we know your name, remember how you take your coffee and can always find you a quiet corner of the garden.
How we host
Rooted in the barrocal
Local first
Bread from Loulé, honey from Alte, wine from small estates in the hills. We buy close to home.
Light footprint
Solar heated water, rain collection for the garden and a pool cleaned with salt rather than chlorine tablets.
Unhurried
Breakfast until eleven, late check out when we can and no televisions in the rooms. Bring a book.
Rooms and suites
Twelve rooms, four characters
Every room has air conditioning, linen sheets, a rain shower and a view of the trees. Breakfast is always included.
Experiences
Days worth remembering
Stay in the garden all day or let us arrange something a little different. Book any of these at reception or add them to your booking.
Barrocal walks
Guided morning walks to Rocha da Pena or along the Fonte da Benémola stream. Leave at eight, back for a late breakfast.
per person€35
A day on the coast
A picnic basket packed by our kitchen, two beach towels, an umbrella and directions to our favourite coves past Vilamoura.
per couple€45
Supper under the trees
On Thursday evenings our cook prepares a long table supper of Algarvian dishes. Cataplana, grilled fish, almond cake.
per person€48
Loulé market morning
Saturday at the Moorish style market hall with one of our team, coffee at the square and a basket to fill.
per person€20
In room massage
Sixty minutes with a therapist from Loulé, using oils made with our olive oil and wild rosemary.
per session€85
Gallery
Light, stone and silver leaves
Journal
Notes from the quinta
Harvest week at the quinta
Every November the nets go down under the trees and the whole team joins in. Guests are welcome too.
Read moreClose
We pick by hand and with long rakes, shaking the branches so the olives fall onto the nets. By afternoon the crates go to a small cooperative press near Loulé, and within a day we taste the new oil: green, peppery and almost bitter. If you stay with us in harvest week, bring old clothes and an appetite. Lunch is served in the grove.
Five quiet beaches within forty minutes
Even in high summer there are stretches of sand where you can hear the waves. Here is where we go.
Read moreClose
Praia do Barril near Tavira, reached across a lagoon on foot or by the little train. Praia da Falésia early in the morning, before the crowds. Ilha da Culatra by ferry from Olhão. Praia do Ancão on the edge of the Ria Formosa. And on windy days, the long walk along the dunes at Praia de Faro. Ask us for the parking tips.
Why we serve carob cake at breakfast
The carob trees on our land are older than the house. Their pods were once the barrocal's chocolate.
Read moreClose
Carob was once a currency here: the pods fed animals in lean years and the seeds were so uniform they were used to weigh gold. Today our cook grinds the dried pods into flour for a dark, gently sweet cake with almonds and orange zest. Guests ask for the recipe almost every week, so we now print it on a card for you to take home.
Reservations
Book your room
Choose your dates and room. You will see the estimated price immediately and we confirm availability within a few hours.
Contact
Find us in the hills
Quinta das Oliveiras
Sítio da Tôr, 8100 Loulé, Portugal
+351 900 000 000
hello@quintadasoliveiras.pt
25 minutes from Faro airport. Follow the N396 towards Querença and turn at the old well.