Next, I talk to Ana from Cooking and Nature Emotional Hotel in beautiful Alvados, Portugal!
This modern, boutique hotel is the perfect luxury escape that Mosaic Travellers have been enjoying for years! Slow down, relax and enjoy a delicious dinner made with fresh, local ingredients.
Dinner is served to you or by you if you choose to partake in their cooking class!
“Serenity, a certain slowness, as inseparable from man’s life as the succession of the seasons is inseparable from plants or from the birth of children”
Ernesto Sábato 1911-2011
Can you tell us a little about how Cooking and Nature, Emotional Hotel began and where the idea came from?
Both Rita and I have ancient ties with this region and so we decided, a couple of years ago to start our own small guest house here in Alvados (Casa dos Matos).
As time went by and felt like we could welcome more people and make these people enjoy a different experience here in the heart of Serra d’Aire and Candeeiros Natural Park. That’s how the idea of creating Cooking and Nature came along. We knew we wanted this place to be focused on nature and cooking, two of our biggest passions. We wanted to keep it small, cozy and emotional and we think we have accomplished just that with our 12 themed rooms, lounge areas, kitchen and relaxing area Banhos d’Aire.
With a focus on well being and relaxation, how is this achieved at your hotel?
“Relax” is one of our mantras here at Cooking and Nature and that can easily be achieved in any area of the hotel. Either in our cozy rooms, in our library, at our garden or the pool deck, guests can always find some peace.
And then there the Banhos d’Aire area (pictured) where guests will find an indoor hot pool circuit which they can have all for themselves and also a massage room. We also promote some themed workshops focused on mindfulness, well-being and other subjects like yoga, for instance.
Other than this we have the great outdoors, what can be more relaxing than sitting alone on top of a mountain overlooking a majestic landscape and listening to the silence?
Food is another main aspect of your hotel, which local ingredients can guests expect to sample in your cooking lessons and restaurants? Are many of these grown on-site?
Yes, it certainly is. We are food lovers and also nature lovers and with that in mind, we try to bring into our kitchen and menu the best local, fresh, seasonal and whenever possible organic ingredients. We grow our aromatic herbs and we are also working on our veggies garden.
We love food here at Mosaic Travel! What is your favourite dish currently on the menu for guests to cook during their stay with you?
Humm. That is a tough question. We love all the dishes our executive chef designed to be prepared by our guests. If we had to pick a menu we’d probably pick the tart of Alcobaça apple caramelized onion and rice pudding to start. Then we’d pick the duck pies with berries and orange salad as a main and top it off with some nice red wine pears, vanilla mousse, and almond snaps.
While in the area, what are some things you recommend visitors should see and do?
There are many things to see and do around!
First and foremost, make the most out of this fabulous Natural Park we stand at! To do just that we have just launched an app with all the trails you can do either on foot, by bike or e-bike in the surroundings of the hotel. The app is already available at Google Play and soon it will also be available at App Store.
The natural caves of Alvados, the lovely village of Porto de Mós are also mandatory! Not far from the hotel guests will find plenty of World Heritage Sites like Alcobaça and Batalha Monasteries and the Templar City of Tomar. For beach lovers, we recommend a visit to any of neighbouring beaches such as world-famous Nazaré and Peniche/Baleal. A day in Obidos is always a good idea, also!
So as you can see there is plenty do see and do around!
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