3 Best Hotels in Estremoz, Évora and the Alentejo

If there's one pousada in all of Portugal that you splurge on, this should be it; dubbed the "museum of all pousadas," this hotel is housed in the medieval Castelo de Estremoz. Each room is different, some with massive four-poster canopy beds and all of them decorated with lavish 17th- and 18th-century antique furnishings that comprise a world-class collection in their own right. The ornate dining room seats 260, amid stone pillars and high arched porticos adorned with chandeliers. From the floor-to-ceiling windows behind velvet curtains in the bar area, or outside on the sprawling terrace with its swimming pool, you have a view across Estremoz below and out across what was once the king of the castle's domain. Another architectural highlight is the soaring, blue-and-white azulejo-bedecked stairway leading from reception to the second floor. The restaurant's emphasis is on traditional Alentejo dishes like perdiz caçador (partridge in red wine).

A mile from the historic quarter, this hotel is housed in an 18th-century manor house with sprawling gardens, a heated outdoor swimming pool, and plenty of period charm. Bicycles are free for guests who want to cycle up the road to the walled old city. The main building has colonnaded Arabic-style arches out front, huge hearths and tiled floors inside, and is chock-full of local antiques. You can rent a room or a suite in the main building, or an entire cottage out back. It has one of the biggest and best breakfast spreads in town, with homemade bread and jam.

In a restored 19th-century manor near the old city walls, this lodging has a huge swimming pool and patio overlooking vineyards and farmland that slope down from the edges of Estremoz. Some rooms have their own fireplace and whirlpool tubs. The lovely restaurant, open to the public, is decorated with intricate tile mosaics and a roaring communal fireplace. The luxurious spa is decorated similarly. Friendly, multilingual Belgian-Portuguese manager Evangeline can help arrange wine or ceramics tours, or hiking trips into the neighboring countryside.