Albernoa, Baixo Alentejo
Herdade da Malhadinha Nova
The word 'estate' undersells it. Malhadinha is a working proposition: wines that go to Michelin restaurants across Europe, a stud farm of Lusitano horses, an olive press, a vegetable garden that supplies the kitchen, and six different places to stay that each tell a different chapter of the same story.
- Location
- Albernoa, Baixo Alentejo
- Best for
- Wine lovers, couples, slow travel, nature, equestrian experiences
- Best season
- Ganzjährig · Frühling & Herbst ideal
- Price
- €€€
- Visit hotel website
- malhadinhanova.pt
“The spread of the estate: five properties on the land, each with a distinct character, from the original countryhouse with its wellness spa and wine bar to the four private pool suites of Casa das Pedras.”
Our take
Why we love it
The spread of it — five properties on one estate, each with a different feel, so guests return and stay somewhere new each time.
The wines, which travel to Michelin restaurants across Europe and are available to buy in the cellar shop.
The Michelin Green Star restaurant, serving a menu built almost entirely around what the estate grows and raises.
Spa & Sport
Wellness & Activities
M Wellness Spa at Monte da Peceguina. Two shared swimming pools. The open countryside is the real spa — morning rides through the vineyards on Lusitano horses, walks through the cork forest at dusk, the silence that arrives after dinner when the lights of the estate are the only lights visible.
Your time here
What your days could look like
Morning: breakfast on the terrace with views across the vineyards. Then: a guided walk through the estate or a horse ride. Midday: wine tasting in the cellar, then lunch at the restaurant or a picnic beside the olive press. Afternoon: the hammock, the pool, the silence. Sunset: aperitivo on the terrace with a glass of Malhadinha Rosé. Evening: the tasting menu.
People
The Hosts
The Soares family has run Malhadinha since they acquired the estate in 1998. João Soares oversees the wines; his wife Lídia the equestrian programme; their daughter the hospitality. The estate's Assouline book, "Malhadinha: The Heart of Alentejo", published in 2024, reflects how they think about the place: not as a business, but as a legacy project, with every building, vine and horse part of the same long intention.
Location
The Area
Albernoa, Baixo Alentejo
Albernoa sits in the Baixo Alentejo, one of Portugal's most sparsely populated and least-touristed regions. The landscape is wide, flat and ancient. Cork oaks, olive groves, wheat fields. The nearest town of size is Beja, 20 kilometres away — a hilltop city with a Roman tower and a remarkable museum. The Guadiana river, forming the Spanish border, is 40 minutes east. Évora, the Alentejo's medieval capital, is 90 minutes north.
The Destination
Alentejo
Portugal's slower side.
Portugal has places that announce themselves immediately — Lisbon with its hills, Porto with its riverfront, the Algarve with its coastlines. Alentejo does something else entirely.
Explore Alentejo