LUX Hotel & Spa Awards 2016

LUX - Hotel & Spa Awards 2016 5 Graça Jalles cites her passion and love for her work as a major reason for the hotel’s success. “Since I came here 16 years ago, I have tried to give the most that I can, and transmit to guests my love for nature and my own experience here, which makes it even more unique because it comes from the heart.” Being located in one of the most protected areas of the Natural Park, most of the clients are people seeking for nature, silence and privacy. This aligns well with Graça’s specific goal. “The focus is all about pure nature with a human touch and for people to connect again with nature. Not being afraid of the silence and make peace with the silence. It’s a kind of retreat space in a genuine environment where besides nature the local original community, the Alentejanos, has a lot to give and to teach.” To Graça, it is also about peace, adventure, and a lack of other intrusive humans. Alentejo is the most isolated region in Europe, with the least people per square kilometre. This means that the Casas de Cerca offers far more than a simple accommodation, but also a holistic retreat – a place of healing. This attitude inspires Graça to think about the sort of service that her customers come to expect. Best Rural Accommodation - Portugal & LUX Location Award for Outstanding Surroundings Casas da Cerca started 9 years ago with a single house. Over the last five years, this property on the banks of the River Mira boasts a trio of quaint, thick earth-walled Alentejo houses, outfitted and maintained to the highest standards, set dramatically against the Southern Portuguese landscape, flanked by a grape arbor and quince trees. Best Rural Accommodation - Portugal & LUX Location Award for Outstanding Surroundings Acknowledging that many of them are coming from stressful lives and are looking for a chance to escape and relax under their own steam, she walks through “We always try to think of the phrase ‘treat others like you would like to be treated yourself’, but because people are different we have to adapt each time. Because it’s a retreat space, we try as much as we can to be attentive, and try to strike a balance between giving them what they ask for and also let them alone enjoying and discover the place. “A small example of this is the breakfast that we offer. We always go to the guest’s room in the morning and leave fresh Alentejano bread on top of the table outside. If it happens that they are already awake, we may interact a little bit, but after that we disappear and let them enjoy the place on their own. They know that they can always call us at the main house, located one and a half kilometres away from Casas da Cerca. “We are very attentive to details. Upon the guest’s arrival we explain a lot of things and make a first introduction to the place. We give them all the information, like maps, telephone numbers, etc. We also try to introduce a little bit so that there is no problem just in case something goes wrong. It is all a part of living in the countryside, where unexpected things happen and you cannot always control them.” Company: Troviscais – Actividades Turísticas do Alentejo Unipessoal Lda. Email: info@ casasdacerca.com.pt Phone: 00 351 283975263 ; 00 351 919990418 Web Address: www.casasdacerca.com.pt Address: Herdade de S. Nuno Caixa Postal 2410 Troviscais, 7630-435 S. Luís Casas da Cerca