Casa das Penhas Douradas
The Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela is the largest protected conservation area in Portugal. Covering around 1,000 km2, it’s a stunning landscape of sprawling forests, deep glacial valleys and towering peaks, with the mainland’s highest summit, the 1993m high plateau known as Torre, at its centre.
Casa das Penhas Douradas takes its name from the granite summit it sits atop. Husband and wife team Joao Tomas and Isabel Costa constructed their new-build hotel on the 1500m high Penhas Douradas: the ‘Golden Cliffs’ which form the northern boundary of the Vale Glaciario do Zezere – one of Europe’s longest glacial valleys. They were drawn here by the seasonal ebb and flow of the mountain, and by its longest-standing residents: the Bordaleira sheep which have populated this landscape since Roman times.
Indeed, the birth of the hotel is closely intertwined with the sheep: in parallel with the building of the hotel, the couple also purchased the ‘Lanifícios Imperio’ textile mill, down in Manteigas at the foot of the Penhas Douradas. On the verge of insolvency, they restored the mill and revitalized the traditional art of weaving burel – a traditional fabric made from Bordaleira wool – helping to preserve time-honoured manufacturing techniques which were in danger of being lost forever.
It’s a symbiotic relationship – the interior design of the hotel owes much to the ‘Burel Factory’. Bordaleira soft furnishings, throws, rugs and cushions have been thoughtfully matched with post-modern furniture, giving the hotel an elegance which is both traditional and contemporary, with a calm, homely atmosphere.
Being far from the hustle and bustle of Coimbra and Porto, Casa das Penhas Douradas isn’t for fans of city life. For dedicated hikers who enjoy wild, remote trails, it’s a secluded mountain idyll where you can relax and recharge after conquering some of Portugal’s most-challenging walking routes.
