Our Blog

There’s a particular kind of traveller who doesn’t just take holidays- they take their life on holiday.

The Ultimate Guide on How to Be an All-Year-Round Bon Vivant

While most people press pause on pleasure the moment the boarding pass disappears, the Bon Vivant finds a way to stretch that glow all year long — from February fog to August aperitivos.

Catarina Varão

3 min read

The Summer Pause We All Forgot We Needed

Poets call it solitude. We just call it necessary. To slow down, deliberately. We’ve always been enchanted by the quiet luxury of small hotels. The kind with ivy-draped balconies, linen curtains that dance with the breeze, and owners who know your name by the second morning. There’s something deeply restorative about these spaces. They don’t demand performance. You don’t need to “do” anything to earn your stay. You simply arrive. You soften.

Catarina Varão

2 min read

Old wine cellar now a swimming pool at Morgadio da Calçada wine hotel

Wine Fever (and thirst)

When we talk about emotional wellness and healthy retreats, often we think that alcoholic beverages should not be part of these adventures. Not all drinks have the same effect and purpose, such as wine. Considered the nectar of Gods by the same who praise "happy body, happy mind"

Catarina Varão

1 min read

hotel's narrative should be about people and stories that happen. And things have a source and happen for a reason, let it be told and true. Embracing locality creates a sense of belonging and neighbourhood that isn't just about four walls and a bed. Selling experiences is creating the sense of meaning with the place the hotel is established. Some stories you might not relate, others need to be shaped to be told, but the hotel too is part of the locality now.

Locality and Culture: Sustainability Main Factors in Hotel Experiences

If you are a small hotel why not challenge staff to different roles inside the organisation. The capacity to be polyvalent is undervalued and works perfectly here.

Catarina Varão

2 min read