Companhia das Culturas

Forty acres of pine, cork and carob, olive trees plus a biological garden give an immediate clue as to what the Companhia das Culturas is about. It’s about nature, sustainable agriculture and getting stuck in the nitty-gritty of growing things.

In short, guests that want to participate in a number of agricultural activities can do so (see activities below). All this in the southeast part of the Algarve, in São Bartolomeu, a small village snuggly tucked in between the Guadiana River and salt marshes. It may not be your idea of a typical Algarve holiday, given its ecological credentials - no cement, fast food and mass market here – but even so Monte Gordo Bay, one of the least commercial areas of the Algarve boasting warmer water beaches (the cold Atlantic meets the Mediterranean here which raises the water temperature) is close by (around 1.5 km) so a stay here certainly does not preclude sand and sea. Yet on top of all this, the Algarve hills also provide an open invitation for long pleasant walks away from the madding crowd.

It is an ideal place for relaxation, reading, conversing - there is no TV for example – and the whitewashed Algarve of yesteryear is at your feet. Pedro Ressano Garcia, an architect by profession, has certainly done a fantastic job in keeping the soul of the Companhia das Culturas.

No TV but plenty of nature.