Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

In short… Herdade da Malhadinha Nova is a beautiful wine estate in the southern Alentejo with 24 rooms scattered throughout the 1,800 acre property

The surroundings… Bordering the Algarve and Spain, you can drive for miles without seeing a single car—all you see is golden hills and fields with chestnut, acorn and cork trees.

The backstory…Rita and João Soares bought this abandoned estate in the late ‘90s to grow grapes and create a winery. Around 10 years ago, they opened up the hospitality part of the venture with five different places to stay around the property. They are so deeply in love with this project and you can feel their passion in every single part of it—from the architecture to the wine labels (featuring illustrations from each of their kids) to the vintage Land Rovers that bring you around the estate. 

The vibe… This is a very relaxed, almost meditative place. Given that the property is so huge, you barely see any other guests, even when it is at capacity. People come here to relax, to be in nature, to ride horses, take long walks, and drink incredible wine.

The design… Renowned Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus designed the spa and many of the spaces within the property. Owner Rita Soares has such a specific and unique point of view—especially when it comes to palette and all the room details. Some rooms have a more pistachio/green tone, others a burnt orange—and all reflect some aspect of the landscape. Between all of the guest quarters, there is a thread of warm minimalism.

The rooms… On our first night we stayed in the Casa das Pedras, a modernist bungalow with a plunge pool that looked out onto the landscape without a single manmade structure—just nature. It was heaven. The second night we stayed in the Malhadinha Country House, which was also lovely—and though it wasn’t as private, we loved that there was a restaurant and we didn’t feel like we had to leave or order room service if we wanted to eat. Stylistically, they are both very chic—earth-toned palettes in the rooms and, instead of robes, kurtas to wander around in. I loved the Claus Porto products in the bathrooms and some of the soaps, with their fantastic packaging, which definitely made their way into my luggage.

The food & drink… When you come here, because you’re in such a beautiful place so far away from everything, you don’t really want to leave the property, which means you really get to experience the food and wine. There is one main restaurant, which was awarded a Michelin Green Star (their award for gastronomic projects committed to sustainability), with a farm-to-table menu that uses so much that comes from the estate, including their olive oil and honey, Barbela wheat, Alentejo beef, white and black Merina lamb, black pig, and vegetables and fruit from their gardens and orchards—all with PDO (protected designations of origin).

The dishes they create let the ingredients shine—I’ll never forget the tomato soup I had at the first lunch, with the most delicious poached egg in it. We loved their wine so much we ordered some to be shipped to New York, even though the shipping cost as much as the wine itself. I’d say their whites, for me, lean more Burgundy, and their rose was right up there with Domaine Tempier.

The gym/spa/wellness… There is a proper gym, but honestly, long early morning walks where we saw only cows, horses, and birds was my preferred exercise. There’s a very small but impressive spa that has yoga classes, a sauna, and sensory showers. They also have two massage therapists, who are so intuitive and excellent—maybe one of the best I have ever had. If you’re a rider, there is a very impressive equestrian program here.

Is it family-friendly? Yes, especially if you book one of the houses—you’re so far away from any other building you can be as loud as you like. There were people there with babes in arms, little kids, and teens—all of them seemed very occupied. 

Any details to note? I loved the hand-written note with a small nosegay of flowers tucked into it. Also there are so many activities that you can do here, none of which I participated in as I was on crazy deadlines.

Date of stay… June 23-25, 2026