This small farmhouse, once owned by the Silva Gomes family, was built in 1920 as a wedding present to the owners’ only daughter and it remained a working farm until 1970. After 40 years of neglect, the memories of those more prosperous times have been preserved and incorporated into the current architectural project by Atelier Rua. On the shady terrace next to the farmhouse, guests can enjoy a delicious, generous breakfast, or take other light meals by the plunge pool (heated in winter). All comings and goings at Pensão Agrícola are done under the watchful eye of Ernesto, the farm’s faithful guardian donkey, who – if invited – won’t hesitate to take a walk with guests.

The fertile agricultural zone of the Sotavento (eastern) end of the Algarve, has recently borne fresh fruit – a new, rural hotel called Pensão Agrícola. This undiscovered spot, framed by orange, fig, almond and arbutus trees, nestles between the historic town of Tavira and Cacela Velha, a picturesque clifftop fishing village, just 1.5km from the Formosa delta and the deserted beaches that are its best-kept secret.