Pousada de Vila Viçosa

I am moving away from the typical tourist destinations of Porto and the Algarve in favour of exploring some of Portugal's lesser known treasures. This adventure has brought me to the verdant rolling vineyards and hills of the Alentejo Region where I will be staying in none other than the 'Fertile Valley', Vila Viçosa, an enchanting ancient town steeped in history and romance, far from the madding crowds. I am bringing my love with me, as we both escape the incessant bustle of the city to get lost in some remote corner of the world where we can forget about pollution, blaring horns, blazing advertisements, busy crowds of commuters and the daily rush. Instead we can be reminded of the eternal beauty of life in its purest sense, of fine food, delicious wine, sweet siestas, old tales and love as it's told in the fairytales. For this we have found the perfect place at the Pousada D. João IV. Set in a former convent built in the early 14th Century that has been tastefully renovated into a luxury hotel.

Sure enough, no sooner do we arrive, than all my hopes are answered. Retaining all of its antique allure and fascinating stories of days gone by, it nevertheless has a fresh and warm feel that has as much to do with the friendly staff as the glowing white washed walls and comfortably furnished rooms. Our room is a spacious, classical affair with a vast wrought iron bed with a wonderfully cosy mattress and fluffy bedding that assures us once more that as far as pampering is concerned, there is nothing of the convent here. Indeed along with a sumptuous marble bathroom with bath there is also an LCD Television with cable, air conditioning, safe and mini-bar, which most certainly wouldn't have been allowed back then! Neither would my lovely man, who wraps his arm around me now as I gaze out of the wide window at the lovely view of the garden. Yes, this is truly the ideal way to have a taste of the past without sacrificing the considerable benefits of the present.

Love has to wait as our travels have left us starving hungry and so we nip down to the hotel Restaurant D. Carlos where we have a mouth watering meal that include recipes from the convent, which entirely defy our idea of sparse living and simple gruel for the nuns. With flavours like these, convent living begins to take on a much rosier hue and the delicious wine has me literally seeing la vie en rose. By the time we have made our way out into the golden late afternoon sun to lie on the large deckchairs by the glistening azure pool I am almost floating. Although I have not yet begun to explore the beautiful sights of the region, such as the stunning white marble quarries that have given this town its nickname of the Museum Of Marble due to its radiant houses, I am smitten. The unruffled serenity broken only by birdsong, this secret hideaway and my love by my side, I feel I've serendipitously slipped into my very own fairytale at the hotel Pousada D. João IV.