In late September of this year, a friend and I flew to Lisbon and rented a car. We traveled south to a place neither of us had visited; in fact, we’d barely heard of it.

For those who know Adagio well, the fact that I fell for the Alentejo region of Portugal will come as no surprise. Barely discovered. Spontaneous hospitality. Wide-open spaces. History and culture. Surprisingly tasty food and wine. REALLY kind people; but not too many people! I fell in love!

In Portuguese, the name Alentejo means “beyond (além) the Tagus river” (Tejo). We reached our destination after a two-hour drive from the Lisbon airport. Plus some getting lost time. Throw out Google Maps and call wherever you’re headed in this less-developed part of Portugal unless you’re good with taking the scenic route!

Forbes calls Alentejo “Portugal’s Secret”, stating: “Moors, Romans, Carthaginians and other great civilizations have been drawn to its natural beauty. It retains a distinct dialect; unique countryside and flora; a slower pace of life; and kind, welcoming people.” We wanted to understand why.

Sleeps on the Alentejo sojourn were at Herdade do Sobroso “Luxury Boutique Wine Hotel”. “Herdade” in Portuguese means “large estate”, and this one delivered in spades. Almost 4,000 acres of vineyards; grazing land for wild boar, deer, and mouflon; hilly forests; all nourished by the largest artificial lake in Europe, which is right next door.

Our junior suite was tastefully decorated with traditional furniture, fabrics and accessories. The bed was very comfy and the bathroom extra spacious and modern. We looked out over rolling hills and an infinity pool, with the sunrise visible from the bedroom and the sunset from the other side. Dinners and breakfasts were super fresh and tasty; we tried one of the most renowned regional dishes: Carne de Porco a Alentejana (pork and clam stew) to satisfy lovers of both meat and seafood.

Loved having a bottle of Sobroso’s Riserva red wine greeting us in our room! In fact, turns out Alentejo is one of Portugal’s finest wine regions. We ventured out on our first full day to nearby Quinta do Quetzal. Hiding inside the winery’s sleek buildings were a gorgeous boutique and tasting room, and one of our best meals of the trip (see octopus photo above). I’ve never had more delicious or more beautifully presented octopus! Paired perfectly with their vino. Heaven. Yes, we brought a few bottles with us!

After lunch we daringly took a drive on dirt roads through the cork forest next door. Two-thirds of the world’s cork comes from this region, and any visit here has to include a lesson on how that came to be, how the process works, and the future of cork. We had to turn back, by the way. Roads here have a way of … well, not being ideal for a lightweight rental vehicle! We finished the afternoon visiting some Roman ruins – they had a huge influence here – before heading back to Sobroso.

We never could have guessed what awaited us at the estate. Friendly hotel manager Julio bundled us into his 4WD vehicle and off we went on a wildlife safari! My favorite photo may have been this deer:

We realized at the end why Julio picked up the safari pace – check out the sunset picnic his team had prepared just for us!

The day could not have ended better!

We’ll have to return to Sobroso for more of the luxury experiences – a massage or yoga by the lake; hot air balloon ride; or maybe star gazing. On this trip, we moved on to explore other Alentejo wonders over the next couple of days – Monsaraz (a white-washed medieval hilltown), Evora (a World Heritage Site with a Roman temple smack in the middle of town) – and cannot wait to return for more of the magic!