São Lourenço do Barrocal

View from my room. A gorgeous moon and lots of stars.

Star-gazing at my retreat

Clear skies and no light pollution. There is even an observatory near the hotel.

A Place to Get Away From it All

Winter days can be foggy or sunny

I went to São Lourenço do Barrocal to work on my content ideas and do some significant brainstorming for my blog and newsletter. I had been to this hotel in the summer, fall, spring, and now I wanted a taste of winter.

Winter is the rainy season in the Alentejo, and it’s also an excellent time to visit because the landscape is so green. I knew that the cold weather would not be an issue because the floors in the hotel are heated, and I just had to bring the right clothes and shoes for rainy days.

Foggy morning

Planning my Two-Day Retreat

I planned my retreat a few weeks before going. I scheduled exercises in the room, massages in the hotel, walks, and meals around my working schedule. I had a break every two hours and some longer than others.

My schedule was flexible so that I could change things according to the weather. Longer walks on a sunny day and more indoor stuff on a rainy day. Retreats need to be well planned, but they also need to have flexible components

Sometimes it was hard to stay in the room working and thankfully, my room was beautiful so I just opened all the windows and doors to get fresh air and continued to work.

This was an interesting thing to do should I ever want to do a photo or a sketching retreat. The constant breaks were crucial for me but I don’t think that I would need that many breaks on a photo retreat!

Tourism

I knew the area, so I did not make any time for tourist outings. I’m happy with my planning, and I got a lot done. I even made a few short videos for my Facebook and Instagram stories.

Why I Went

It’s easy to get distracted at home, and this is why I decided to go to this beautiful place to work. I chose an area that I already knew so that I would not be tempted to leave the hotel. I needed to focus on many things and I decided to test the idea of a personal retreat.

Shopping

São Lourenço do Barrocal make their own olive oil and wine, so I always buy a few bottles at the hotel store. They carry Suzanne Kauffman products in the spa, and I never leave without a little something from them.

Eating

During this trip, I ate all my meals at the hotel. Their food is fantastic! The hotel’s service is impeccable, and they were very conscious and careful due to the pandemic. The dining room was never full, and the staff was attentive.

There are great restaurants nearby, and you should ask the concierge for recommendations. Due to the pandemic, I do not know what is still open.

The Region

A few “must visit” places: Monsaraz, the medieval city up on the hill, São Pedro do Corval for beautiful ceramic pieces, megaliths stones inside the hotel property and around Monsaraz.

The two megalithic stones in the hotel in August.

When you go make sure to drive around the area aimlessly and, get to know one of the most beautiful regions in Portugal.

Marguerite

PS I am not affiliated with the hotel. I just really, really love going there!

Links for you

Sao Lourenco do Barrocal

Monsaraz

Observatory OLA They offer many activities.

Almendres Cromlech in Evora

photo by Katryn Beaty