Best Cercal Hotels

This is our 3rd (or 4th?) stay at Herdade da Matinha over the years. It has grown and changed, but kept the wonderful simplicity and farm-stay (not your usual, ‘comercial’ resort!) feeling that make it such a special place. Don’t be put-off by the dirt road - it’s a rural setting, the road is well kept and good enough, and you wouldn’t want to spoil the area with yet another tar road in such an important ecological spot. The road to Praia do Malhao is much worse but you shouldn’t miss it either, by the way! Besides the 3 sweet dogs Gina, Paz and Dino (who will disappear at night ), there are at least two cats, horses, sheep roaming in a nearby fence and some wild animals if you are so lucky to spot them. This was a bonus point with my kids. Also, it’s very safe for kids - my boys loved wondering about with a map to explore every corner. The 3 pools (one for adults only) have comfortable decks with shaded areas. Our bedroom was a ‘family farmhouse deluxe’ - simple, no TV, but spacious enough for a mother with two young kids. Breakfast is good - many options available also upon request. Dinner was very good most days - great improvements here since our last stay. Even the kids’ meal is now proper food; tasty, healthier and better balanced! My only suggestion would be to offer a choice of salad to replace the soup (even for children) and a choice of fruit to replace the desert (to help reduce the sugar intake for people staying for longer periods). It’s a set menu (with a vegetarian option), but it worked fine for us. I find laundry too expensive. No ironing is available… There’s a new art gallery in the Herdade as well - be sure to check what’s going on there. Finally, everyone is super nice, cheerful and professional. Thank you all for your commitment. We’ll be back, hopefully!

We had deliberately chosen to make a smaller hotel as the end / last stop of our trip to Portugal. Maybe the contrast to the other hotels before it was too big, but we cannot join 100% of the other reviews. We were quite late - at 18:00 - and were therefore a little exhausted. The way there is adventured (and this information is urgently on the homepage!!). We were happy that we had a mini SUV as rental car, but when it rains there is probably not feasible the street. Specifically in the evening it became even more difficult. And yes you have to keep driving off again in the evening because you've been completely divorced and the first rooms in Millefort are (about 15 min.). We were welcomed by a very nice lady and have tried to understand with a few English brocks. Login was then via mobile phone and a colleague in one of the other hotels. The first impression of the room - clean, but it smells muffy. The outer area slightly down (table broken, the wall broken). The bathroom is very old and the bathtub is flack. There is no air conditioning, but only a ventilator. The large refrigerator is browning in front of itself. When we go to sleep, we noticed that the double bed is not only uncomfortable but also very small. According to estimates, the bed is 1.40 x 1.90. The single bed for our daughter was much longer. Beside it called up to about midnight a dog. So sleep quality is rather poor. Breakfast next day is familiar and has tasted well. The possibility of pressing orange juice itself was especially great for our daughter. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that great experience in all and we wouldn't do it again!