Monte do Serrado De Baixo

My husband and I travelled to Portugal (from Canada) for the first time this May and loved out time at Monte do Serrado de Baixo. We booked the Turaventur 5 day/4 night Cycling in Paradise self-guided tour and it was our favourite part of a 2½-week Portugal trip which also included visits to Lisbon, Aveiro and Porto. The farm is charming and wonderfully laid-back. We especially enjoyed the little sitting area beside our room (the Wine Room) where we could relax under the huge tree shading the garden while sharing the highlights of the day’s ride over a glass of wonderful Alentejo wine and treats from the farm (after a dip in the sun-dappled pool). Our only complaint was that the bed was too hard for our liking (rather like a dorm-room mattress that needed a foam topper), although the fresh air and cycling tired us out enough that we still slept well. We rode 3 days in a row and the loved all of the routes that Teresa and her team had prepared: we did the Megalithic Monuments route, Evora and its Surroundings (with an additional out-and-back on the nearby Ecopista do Ramal de Mora added on), and the Conquest of Valongo Castle route. We were self-guided so loaded up the custom GPS tracks Teresa’s team provided on our cellphone and mounted it to the handlebars of with the mounting bracket they also provided. The bikes they provided were great for all the different types of terrain we covered (smooth paved roads, very patchy paved roads, dirt roads, gravel paths, winding cow tracks and rocky trails through vineyards and olive groves – there really was a bit of everything!). All the staff at the farm and supporting the cycling were friendly and helpful throughout. We felt very well taken care of. Breakfasts and dinners at the farm were also great and the picnic lunch Arabella packed for us was tasted especially delicious as we sat watching the swallows wheel above the walls of the Valongo Castle. We would love to return to Portugal and do more cycling tours with Turaventur and would jump at the chance to stay at happily stay at Monte do Serrado de Baixo again.