Name: Casa da Ermida de Santa Catarina
Address: Herdade da Rocha, Elvas, Elvas, Elvas, 7350-451, Portugal
Rating: 9

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Heating

Chapel

Garden

Terrace

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

Outdoor furniture

General

Bridal suite

Rooms

Bottled water

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Spanish

Portuguese

Languages Spoken

Library

Hiking

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Darts

Sports

Kids' TV Networks

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Badajoz Airport

Evora Monte Castle

Casa da Ermida de Santa Catarina

Elvas

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

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29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Incredible country house bordering on the edge of a lake. Serene, peaceful and (sorry for cliche) but food for the soul. Isabel and Joao are fabulous hosts. Dogs, cats, chicken, sheep. Canoeing, walking, picnics. Blue skies and night skies festooned with stars. Rabbits in the road. Fire places and oak trees. Sunsets like paintings. Highly recommended for those who find peace and stillness in nature. 

A dream venue in dreamy location

Let's start from the beginning: you arrive after a wonderful 10' drive across the countryside, only olive and cork trees for miles and the water. Joao welcomes you with an energy that is addictive, shows you around proud of this paradise, nothing is left unthought of, we had the suite and wow, what views. Then along comes Isabel and if possible she is nicer than her husband. There are lovely restaurants nearby, but to dine at sunset in this peace and tranquillity has no price. Thank you Carlos for creating such an amazing place and for allowing us to share it, even if only for two nights. Thank you Joao and Isabel for making this amazing place "Casa". 
Whoever writes a negative review is a criminal!!!!! 

A masterpiece under every possible angle

Everything was perfect: the location in the middle of olive trees, the view on the lake, the sunrise from the Suite room and the sunset from the terrace, the milky way in the sky at night, the staff, the breakfast.

Perfection

Set in a remote position on a promentary on a huge lake, Casa da Ermida consists of a huge, architecturally interesting communal space with a kitchen and single story bedrooms attached.  There is a penthouse suite above the communal space.  It is indeed quite a drive along the unmade road to reach it, but the turning is well sign-posted and easy to find.
Not staying in the suite, our room was quite small and basic but comfortable enough.  Although there was no air conditioning, the ceiling fan kept our room, which was on the shady side of the building, very cool.  
Joao and Isabel were extremely welcoming.  Although they spoke little English, they did speak Spanish and French.  Breakfast was good with lovely freshly squeezed orange juice and lots of choice, although we disappointed Isabel greatly by our inability to do it justice.  We drove out to a restaurant our first evening and stayed at home the second, opting for the 'picnic' which was served outside on the veranda overlooking the lake.  It was good and filling, but possibly over-priced for what we ate (some salad or tomatoes would have been nice to accompany the chicken pies, hard boiled eggs, cheese and bread).
The countryside, in September, was quite bare and the lake a glittering jewel.  With the temperature hitting 38 degrees whilst we were there, we enjoyed swimming in the cool lake.  At this time of the year, the lakeside was very steep and stony, so possibly not suitable for young children.  Unfortunately it was too hot to do much walking but we strolled along to the old chapel nearby, and also enjoyed sitting on the veranda watching herons, chiffchaffs and other birds.  It was a bit hot for kayaking.  Overall, a very relaxing stay.

It's all about the location

Two dogs, two lazy-as-it-should-be cats, two welcoming owners, two slices of cinnamon cake, we were two (almost three), and a house like an ark. Wide, strong and silent, walls like a book of stories, pierced by mysterious lights, just waiting for the water to rise, just saving us all.
On arrival, leaving the road of tar, the learning of sailing begins floating up and down the gentle slopes of the Alentejo hills; then one must feel the hot breeze while gazing the still waters; finally it is allowed to jump aboard the suspended balinese beds and oscillate wildly. 
We two took the magical mystery suite, or better said, sweet.
(everything else, good, has been said)

The sweet.

I am a home design blogger and I'm used to see and publish beautiful houses.
Me and my boyfriend have a beautiful house ourselves, by a river, and enjoy every day spent there (unfortunately not as many as we would like...).
So, it is very hard to find a place we feel it's worth the trip. It takes hours of research and comments reading. It has to fill a long list of requirements! To be inspiring is one of them.
Casa da Ermida was worth it. One of the most beautiful houses in the world. There are many houses by lakes, but very few are so well connected to the environment in such a simple and balanced way.
Alentejo is my favorite spot in the country. Now, there is one place more to stay any time I feel I have to go there.
Just one more thing: I love animals, so I appreciated the cats company, and the sheeps, and the chickens and ducks... It makes the place even more special.
Nice bedroom. Very good breakfast. Love the kaiak and the hanging beds, by the water. Joao e Isabel were there, without being there, making us feel we owned the place.  
Have diner 20km away (Taberna do Adro) and it was nice.

Casa da Ermida de Santa Catarina

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