Our Story
A love story at first sight
Quinta de Montemuro stretches across 11 hectares with orchards, gardens and century-old olive trees, where two intelligent donkeys and a flock of sheep roam freely. You can see them while walking around the property or while sunbathing at one of our two swimming pools. On the external veranda you will find a hammock bed, a table football game and the honesty bar, to enjoy a drink. In our restaurant's dining room you can play a game of snooker, read a book or have a glass of wine by the wood stove, always accompanied by good music.
This is the current scene, but when Mariana Roxo and Zé Pedro Vasconcelos first arrived here, the scene was very different: the estate was abandoned, what are now rooms and suites were ruins of stables and vegetation had grown wild.
Quinta de Montemuro gained that name as an agricultural property at the beginning of the 20th century, and once had around fifty full-time workers, although the exploitation is much older, as we know from a complex underground system of Roman mines, wells and irrigation tunnels, which still today ensures excellent water distribution throughout the estate and makes it a verdant island in the heart of the Alentejo plains.
For others, it would be just another ruined estate, but for Mariana and Zé Pedro it was love at first sight.
The first days at the estate were dedicated to clearing the weeds that covered everything, hiding a beautiful tank or the old stone benches scattered along the paths. The curved tiles of the houses were all cleaned and reused and the eaves and chimneys kept in their original form. It took more work, but much more pleasure. Naturally they did not do everything alone, they had many good helpers, such as Andrew Shore, an Australian architect who fell in love with the Alentejo and who signed the recovery project. But much of what we see here was born from the owners' imagination - and also from their hands.
Above all, the preservation and respect for nature have always been a priority – and they remain so. At Imani we do not use pesticides or chemicals, hot water is preheated by solar panels and firewood comes from forest clearings, to name just a few of our concerns.
Mariana and Zé Pedro have always believed that this estate is a special place, unique in the Alentejo, in Portugal and, with that passion came always the desire to share it. This is how Imani was born, which, quite appropriately, means 'believe' in Swahili.
We have been awarded the "Best Rural Tourism" prize by Turismo do Alentejo and the "New Private Project" prize by Turismo de Portugal. We have also been part of the prestigious "Hot List" of Condé Nast Traveller USA. And the ratings - #1 in the Alentejo on the TripAdvisor website and 9.5 out of 10 on Booking.com – are the clear recognition of our clients that makes it all worthwhile!