Herdade do Touril

The Touril estate was built in 1825 and has belonged to the same family for five generations. It runs to 365 hectares inside the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park, and about three kilometres of its boundary is Atlantic coastline, which in a protected park means cliffs, empty beaches and no development in any direction.

It is still a working farm. Around 150 cattle are bred here and are visible on the land through the summer, which is worth knowing if you have children and worth knowing if you don't.

Accommodation amounts to 19 rooms spread across five whitewashed houses with tiled roofs and ceramic floors, the walls tinged with blue in the local manner. Categories range from doubles through suites with kitchenettes to one and two-bedroom houses, and all have private terraces. Superior rooms have ocean views and some open directly onto the pool and garden. Because the units are so different, it is worth reading the descriptions rather than booking the cheapest.

There is a heated saltwater pool with a bar open through the summer serving light meals all day, a breakfast room using regional produce, and a sitting room with a fireplace and a DVD collection. Scattered around the property are model animals made from wood and tin, sheep and chickens and pigs, which is an odd touch that children reliably love.

The estate is a partner in the Rota Vicentina, the network of more than 340 kilometres of walking trails along this coast, including the Fishermen's Trail that runs along the cliff edge. Several routes start from the property.

Zambujeira do Mar is 4 kilometres away, Vila Nova de Milfontes about 25. Faro airport is around 90 minutes and Lisbon roughly two and a half hours.