A week in Monte Velho Equo Resort will keep you smiling for the rest of the year

Contents

Facts • Introduction •  Monte Velho Resort in pictures   •  Horses   •  Riding   •  Surroundings •  Cork!  •   What to do in  Alentejo   •  To bring

Good to know

• Monte Velho is located in the Alentejo region,  c. one hour ride from Lisbon.
• The nearest town is Arraiolos, 7 kilometers from the resort.
• The pretty, small town called Évora lies 30 km from the Monte Velho Resort and is well worth a visit. Évora is filled with a number of Arab and Roman buildings and monuments, such as Diana Roman Temple. The historic centre of Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Monte Velho Equo Resort is owned by the archtitect Diogo de Lima Mayer who also designed the facility. His wife Margarida is an interior designer and thus responsible for all the fine details in the houses.

Introduction

Monte Velho is a small boutique resort which breeds lucitanos and welcomes dressage enthusists from all over the world. The horses are beautiful and well trained and the same goes for the riding instructions.

Upon booking the trip, I wanted to ride both in the morning and in the afternoon which turned out to be perfect. In addition to the morning and afternoon riding lessons, I wanted to experience the surroundings on a horseback and it was easy to just to book an extra trail ride on the spot.

The level of the riders is high; many of them I met during our trip had a horse of their own and were competing in dressage. I neither have a horse nor do I compete but it didn’t matter because the instructors will adapt the lessons according to riders’ needs.

I was travelling with my husband and another couple and combined the riding holiday with a few days in Lisbon before driving up to Arraiolos. Our spouses do not ride which wasn’t a problem as they made excursions of their own. Furthermore, it is great just to lie by the pool and relax if you don’t feel like doing anything.

Also, having non-riding spouses with is a huge advantage since you can make them take photographs and film you when you are on the horseback!

Monte Velho Resort in pictures

This is the view from my terrace. Horses are grazing and making small noices of satisfaction, the earth smells good and the warm breeze is perfect for taking an outside shower after a riding lesson.

I woke up one morning to the sound of someone screaming and horrified, I rushed out to the terrace only to find a handsome peacock lieing outside, minding his own business. Have you ever heard how a peacock sounds like?

The door to the right is leading to the dining room. The menu consists of Portuguise dishes and all the vinho verde you can consume.

The dining room seen from the riding track.

Horses

Riding

Most often than not, you will be two people riding at the same time, never more than three though.

Coralie explaining something to Ann, a veterinarian from Belgium.

If only one instructor is present, one rider trains at one end of the riding track while the instructor drills the other rider at the other end. After a while you switch places.

The riding track measures 60 x 30 meters.

Ann is training piaff.

When you are not riding you are sitting in the audience watching.

Outside the stables after a riding lesson. The staff will help you to take care of the horses.

Gullbritt with her favorite, Vodka.

The surroundings

Full throttle, right?

The horses are waiting patiently while the rest of the gang ……

…is drinking Portuguese rosé under a cork tree.

Not that easy to take a group photo.

Cork!

Portugal is the number one cork producer in the world. The oldest cork oak in the world is supposedly growing somewhere in Alentejo, 230 years old. The cork oak is called a whistler tree because of the birds who love to rest on the branches.

70 % of all world cork comes from Portugal. 40 million cork for wine bottles are produced daily.

For the tree, it takes 7 to 9 years to produce new cork which means that the raw material can be harvested every seven years at the earliest. In accordance with the 2 000 year tradition it is only men who cut the bark with a sharp ax, machada.

What to do in Alentejo?

• Drive to Évora, stroll around, visit all the ancient remains, and have some Portuguese special dishes at Restaurante Fialho. Top tip: In Portugal, tapas are often served without you having placed an order. These are not complimentary so if you don’t want any make sure to inform the waiter about is.  
• Visit one of the vineyards in the area.
• Visit the Algarve coastline, the city of Faro is particularly worth a visit.

To bring

• Riding cap
• Several pairs of riding breeches, socks and other riding apparel, of course.
• Spurs
• Two pairs of riding boots. Because you will sweat and you want to air out the boots. And because the zip will break (take my word for it).
• Fluid replacement. Because you sweat.
• Sun block.
• Bathing suit.
• Sun glasses with a string. Because you sweat and the glasses will glide down your nose and you don’t want to be adjusting them all the time.
• Chic evening wear and cute sandals.
• Yoga-/workout clothes. You can hire a yoga instructor and the suppoundings are just perfect for a morning run.
• There are no shops close by so if you have a sweet tooth make sure to bring some candy, etc.