L'And Vineyards Resort

L'And Vineyards Resort

In the Sky Suites at L'And Vineyards Resort, the bedroom ceiling opens above the bed, and guests fall asleep watching the Alentejo stars rather than a painted one, a detail no other five-star property nearby offers. The resort sits outside Montemor-o-Novo, three kilometres from the castle and about an hour's drive from Lisbon, on a sloping valley of vineyards where the hotel's own winery lets guests blend Alicante, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Syrah into a bottle of their own choosing. Built in 2016 and run to Small Luxury Hotels of the World standards, it holds just 22 rooms across a single floor, so service stays personal rather than programmatic. Chef Miguel Laffan, back at the stoves after his 2011 to 2019 stint here, cooks at MAPA, the Michelin-starred restaurant that traces Portugal's old spice-route voyages through the menu, with a lighter Café da Viagem wine bar on the lake deck for afternoons that don't need a tasting menu attached. Beyond the suites, the Land Villas and Lake Villas add private pools and full kitchens for anyone who wants space rather than ceremony, though families chasing splash parks and buffet lines will find the mood too quiet, despite a playroom and childcare on site. Days can run toward a Vinoble spa treatment built on grape extracts, a hot-air balloon drift over the plains at sunrise, or nothing more than the tennis court and a picnic hamper packed with regional charcuterie. Couples marking something, and travellers who would rather taste a region than tour it, will get the most from a stay here. What stays with you afterward isn't the wine, it's the sky. A five-star retreat near Montemor-o-Novo where Sky Suites open to the stars and a Michelin-starred kitchen reworks Portugal's spice-route past. Suited to couples and slow travellers, not families chasing noise and splash pools.