our history
A love story at first sight
Quinta de Montemuro spreads over 11 hectares with orchards, gardens and centenarian olive trees, where two intelligent donkeys and a herd of sheep walk leisurely. You can watch them while strolling around the property or sunbathing in one of our two pools. On the outside porch, you can lie down on a hammock, play foosball or have a drink in the honesty bar. In the lounge of our restaurant, there is music, you can play a game of snooker, read a book or drink wine next to the fireplace.
This is the current scenario, but when Mariana Roxo and Zé Pedro Vasconcelos arrived here for the first time, this scenario was quite different: the farm was abandoned, the houses were in ruins and the vegetation had grown wild.
Quinta de Montemuro gained its name as an agricultural property in the early twentieth century and came to have half a hundred full-time workers, but the exploitation is much older, as we know from a complex underground system of mines, wells, and tunnels of Roman irrigation, which still today guarantees the excellent distribution of water throughout the farm and make it a green island in the middle of the golden Alentejo fields.
For others, it would be just another ruined farm, but for Mariana and Zé Pedro it was love at first sight.
The early days on the farm were dedicated to cleaning up the thicket that covered everything, hiding a beautiful tank or the old stone benches spread through the paths. The roofing tiles of the buildings were all cleaned and recycled, and the eaves and chimneys kept in the original shape. It was hard, but the reward was priceless. Naturally, they didn´t do it all on their own, they had a lot of good helping hands, like Andrew Shore, an Australian architect who fell in love with Alentejo and signed on the recovery project. But much of what we see here was born from the imagination of the owners - and from their hands.
Above all, preservation and respect for nature have always been a priority - and so these remain. At Imani we do not use pesticides or chemicals, hot water is preheated by solar panels and wood comes from forest cleanings, to name just a few of our concerns.
Mariana and Zé Pedro have always believed that this farm is a special place, unique in Alentejo and in Portugal. With that passion came the desire to share it. This is how Imani was born, which, on purpose, means 'believing' in Swahili.
We have already been awarded the prizes of "Best Rural Tourism" by Turismo do Alentejo and "New Private Project" by Turismo de Portugal. We also made part of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler USA "Hot List". And your votes - nº1 of Alentejo on the TripAdvisor site and 9.5 out of 10 on Booking.com -, the clear recognition from our guests, make it all worthwhile!
