4 Best Hotels in Alcobaça, Estremadura and the Ribatejo

This imposing complex in the countryside between Alcobaça and Nazaré housed the country's first agricultural school—founded in the 14th century by Cistercian monks—and is now a comfortable rural retreat. Rooms and apartments are spacious and decorated in country style. There are several trails to walk in the leafy surroundings. 

This family-run guesthouse 5 km (3 miles) outside Alcobaça is named after a baker who tackled invading Spaniards with a wooden shovel—pushing them into her oven—at the time of the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. You're free to wander the well-tended gardens and mingle with the family. The large guest rooms in the main house, a few of which have balconies, are simply decorated in white with splashes of bright color. Homemade bread, fresh from the oven, is the highlight of breakfast.

A five-minute walk from the Mosteiro de Alcobaça, this charming B&B has guest rooms in period style, while the more spacious lodgings in the new wing—including two suites with balconies—are more classically decorated. Originally built by returning Portuguese emigrants to show off their newfound wealth from Brazil, the main house reflects a style that was popular in the South American country at the time. The downstairs honor bar—complete with a pool table—opens out onto a terrace and the centuries-old "new fountain" that gives the place its name.

Housed in a long-empty wing of Alcobaça's Cistercian monastery, this hotel opened in 2022 following a seven-year makeover---projected by Pritzker laureate Eduardo Souto Mouro to the last detail and preserving the original austere aesthetic---and combines a monastic atmosphere with the necessary comforts. Guest rooms are mostly in high-ceilinged former monks' cells (some with a view of the neighboring cloister), while the spa is where the ovens and bell foundry used to be. The hotel restaurant also draws on tradition, transforming locally sourced fare such as pork, apples, and cherries.