M'AR de AR Muralhas ★★★★

Évora is one of those places that you may never have heard of before you visit it, but you will do your best to cure this ignorance among your friends as soon as you return. The vibrant, youthful university city strides effortlessly into modernity unhindered by the weight of its omnipresent history. This is a city that does not dwell on the past, never mind how glorious. I loved walking slowly around the city, a friendly size for a tourist. I wandered map-less, besotted with the quaint streets, letting my intrigue and appetite serve as my tour guide. This was a me-time holiday, taken while my husband was away on business, a little treat to myself for working so hard. A friend had recently returned from Évora, she couldn't stop raving about it and cornered me into looking at pictures on her phone. When I told her I was planning to visit, she recommended the M'AR de AR Muralhas **** hotel.

One of the defining features of this hotel is that it borders the city's ancient defensive wall. This makes sitting in the Mediterranean garden grounds, with old trees, perfect lawns, and an azure swimming pool, feel extra special. I could sit for hours with a coffee on the veranda of the restaurant and let myself drift between my book and the sight of the great beech trees up against the battlement walls. At sunset it became an especially pretty place to be, with lamps up-lighting the bare brick. Seeing the wall created in me what it may have done for citizens all those years ago, when it served more than the eye... a certain peaceful sense of security. I didn’t imagine for one minute that there were marauding armies approaching, but the historic wall created a lovely atmosphere.

I had my own view of the wall and treetops from my room. I could have lived in that room, and for the duration of my stay I felt as though I was a student on a foreign exchange who lived in this gorgeous little apartment. The décor was feminine and elegant, with a dusty pale blue and white colour pattern. The bathroom was pretty, and I started considering how I might find the same terracotta tiles for my bathroom back home.

Like Évora, the M'AR de AR Muralhas hotel rightly accentuates its heritage, as its legacy has left a wealth of beautiful architecture and features that deserve to be in the limelight. Its entrance, with a vaulted brick ceiling, grand white pillars and ornate candle holders made me feel like I’d stepped back in time every time I walked through the arched doorways. Who knows how much has really changed since these walls were erected? There's one thing I'm grateful for about the present day though, and that is the food. I just can't imagine that the chefs of yesteryear could rustle up something as scrumptious as what I enjoyed, sitting among the cloisters under the gaze of the wall. I could almost hear them telling their story.