Olhao is a salty, soulful (and sometimes smelly!) working fishing town on the Eastern Algarve. Olhao is not quite 15 minutes by cab from Faro international airport. Olhão enjoys around 300 days of sunshine each year. It does rain sometimes, but rarely for too long. Spring is long, as is summer, when a shady corner or a splash in the pool become very welcome. Autumn is often glorious: the year before last we were still swimming off Culatra on November 15th. 1/10 WHERE Olhao is a salty, soulful (and sometimes smelly!) working fishing town on the Eastern Algarve. Olhao is not quite 15 minutes by cab from Faro international airport. Olhao is thriving markets, a cobbled Arab medina, friendly barrios and a sauntering seafront where thousands of swifts greet each sunrise and dusky pink sunset. As the tides slide out, the seabed reveals herself as miles of gardens where a thousand generations of Olhanenses have dug for juicy clams. As you ride the slow ferry to the island village of Culatra there’s time to breathe the briny air, then to stroll the boardwalk over lonely dunes to share her wild, white sandy beach with oystercatchers and cockle-draggers. As the pristine sweet waters of the Rio Formosa National Park mix with Atlantic waves you can be perfectly alone. A sprinkling of bars that will serve you a jarro of wine, a long caiprinha or just a freshly presse orange juice. Aromas of salted sardines grilling gently over charcoal fill Olhao’s evening air. Plates of just-dug clams swimming in garlicky olive oil are yours for the asking. For a few euros, super-fresh fish from Olhao’s abundant seas are your for the asking, too. They arrive with juicy salads and potatoes that taste like potatoes ought. The Eastern Algarve has a kind climate, where fruits, vegetables, animals and people live happy lives. Olhão enjoys around 300 days of sunshine each year. It does rain sometimes, but rarely for too long. Winters are mild, and Convento has underfloor heating throughout. Spring is long, as is summer, when a shady corner or a splash in the pool become very welcome. At this time, there are festivities all around the Algarve with the peak in August when Olhão hosts the Festival do Marisco, the largest seafood feast in the country. Autumn is often glorious: the year before last we were still swimming off Culatra on November 15th. For prices and booking see BOOK

Convento’s bedrooms are located around a central patio on the ground and first floors of an old restored building. Two Rooftop rooms are accessed by a traditional winding staircase leading to the roof terrace. Each room has a double bed (which can be separated into 2 twin beds), a seating area, a private bathroom with shower, and is equipped with a silent ceiling fan and floor heating, but no air conditioning.There is WIFI but, for a more serene stay, no TV. Double room Rooftop Ermelinda bathroom 1/15 WHICH Convento’s bedrooms are located around a central patio on the ground and first floors of an old restored building. Two Rooftop rooms are accessed by a traditional winding staircase leading to the roof terrace. Each room has a double bed (which can be separated into 2 twin beds), a seating area, a private bathroom with shower, and is equipped with a silent ceiling fan and floor heating, but no air conditioning . There is WIFI but, for a more serene stay, no TV . Bedrooms Double (Odelinda & Otilia) Double rooms are among our most secret rooms, tucked away on the side of the patio. One of our first guests called them the “Novice” rooms. 28 sqm Large Double (Nascimenta & Natevidade) Large Double rooms are luminous, south facing, with large traditional wooden doors opening onto the patio, as well as sliding windows. These rooms have a spacious seating area. We baptised them the “Mother Superior” rooms. 32 sqm Suite (Salgadinha, Sezaltina & Edvirgem) Suites are the grandest rooms of Convento. Their gilded bathroom, large draping curtains and translucent fabrics are worthy of bishops. The comfortable seating area is discreetly separated from the bedroom. 45 sqm Rooftop cabin (Natercia & Ermelinda) Rooftop cabins will touch the romantic in you. These 2 rooms preside over the Ria Formosa and are brushed by its cooling breezes. One of them (Ermelinda) has its own small private patio with outdoor seating, the other one (Natercia) has a sea view. Only for those travelling light: you will find it impossible to carry large luggage up the narrow staircase. 20-22 sqm For prices and booking see BOOK

My favorite things to do here My favorite restaurants

Explore our services and get in touch Our Services 01. Custom Project Bring your unique business ideas to life with a tailor-made solution. We collaborate closely with you to understand your specific requirements and deliver a project that perfectly aligns with your vision and goals. Show more 02. Personal Solution Planning Get a roadmap designed exclusively for your individual needs and objectives. Our process involves in-depth discussions to ensure we capture the essence of your situation and devise a plan that sets you up for success. Show more 03. Expert Guidance Package Leverage the deep knowledge and experience of our specialists to navigate complex challenges. This package offers insightful advice and strategic direction to help you make informed decisions and achieve optimal outcomes efficiently. Show more

1/4 WHAT Convento is a few light, white, airy bedrooms. A townhouse, a family home, a place to be yourself. Convento is a roof terrace to gaze over the sea and the white roofs of Olhão. Two miradouros, a place to catch the soft sea breeze. Convento is a hidden courtyard and a smiling fountain under the high southern sky. A pattern of hand made tiles in washed indigo, a whitewashed bench, a place to read, and chat, and think. Convento is our home, where you’re welcome to make yourself at home. PRESS 2017 THE TIMES & SUNDAY TIMES They centre on an open courtyard where pink bougainvillea blooms up three storeys to the blue skies above. Up the winding stone staircase is a rooftop pool and white sofas from where, across the flat roofs of the squat Moorish townhouses, you can watch the sun sink into the lagoon. Mary Lussiana . 19 Aug 2017 2016 THE GUARDIAN The best hotels in Portugal for under £100 a night A leading (if reclusive) Portuguese architect and his family run Convento, a very sexy riad-style, nine-bedroom ex-convent house hidden in the medina of this charming, salty fishing town. Kevin Gould . 18 Jun 2016 2015 JAMIE OLIVER MAGAZINE Come Cook with us in Portugal! Olhão is a hidden gem, so we’ve chosen it again for its amazing markets, undersea clam fields, its easy access to Faro International Airport, and, of course, its gorgeous, sensual boutique hotel. Convento is exclusively ours for this weekend. Jamie Magazine, 12 Jan 2015 2014 THE TELEGRAPH The top 5 food and drink holidays in Portugal Shellfish in the Ria Formosa If you want to try your hand at digging for raz or clams or finding cockles and mussels, try the warm waters of the Ria Formosa. Recently named one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal, the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve is made up of lagoons, marshes, saltpans, islets and channels on the south coast...” Mary Lussiana, 23 Dez 2014 2014 THE GUARDIAN Five little-known gems in Portugal Ria Formosa, Algarve Good for: unspoilt beaches and natur e Most people head west from Faro airport unaware of the peaceful, estuarine national park – a twitchers’ heaven – on its eastern fringes. The laidback fishing town of Olhão feels a world away from Algarve’s tourist droves; beyond it is the car-free sand island of Culatra. Gaby Koppel. 10 May 2014 2014 THE GUARDIAN Walking the Algarve: to Portugal’s land’s end The Algarve Way has walked us through deliciously old places with their fine old ways. As the magnesium-fringed clouds glow on the horizon, the sea’s surface turns to burnished chain mail. Kevin Gould. 11 May 2014

Convento The Architect 1/3 WHO We are a local family and an extended family from around the world. We are two architects, a teacher, and an agronomist fond of history. We are an entrepeneur and wellbeing therapist couple, passionate about traveling, well-being and hospitality. We are the stonemasons and artisan carpenters, the gilders and painters, the poet and the church candle-stick maker that have come together to help Convento to be. We are your hosts, who will help you feel at home. The welcoming friends you will meet in Olhão. Your private guides with the best tips and suggestions to enjoy the best of the city and Ria Formosa Reserve. Like you, we love travel, but not tourism. Like you, we find luxury in simplicity. Like you, we adore peace, light and very fresh, local food. We first came to Olhão a decade and a half ago, since when we’ve been faithfully restoring and managing a handful of quietly simple houses and B&B's for our guests and friends. To know what we like in Olhao click HERE . (For Guests Only) For prices and booking see BOOK

1/4 WHEN The Eastern Algarve has a kind climate, where fruits, vegetables, animals and people live happy lives. Olhão enjoys around 300 days of sunshine each year. It does rain sometimes, but rarely for too long. Winters are mild, and Convento has underfloor heating throughout. Spring is long, as is summer, when a shady corner or a splash in the pool become very welcome. At this time, there are festivities all around the Algarve with the peak in August when Olhão hosts the Festival do Marisco, the largest seafood feast in the country. Autumn is often glorious: the year before last we were still swimming off Culatra on November 15th.

My favorite things to do here My favorite restaurants

My Channel Play Video All Videos

My favorite things to do here Walk My favorite restaurants A do FERNANDO - Restaurant "Á do Fernando" Grilled fish in a local ambience. Out of season only lunch time. Closed Sundays. Eleonore Lefebure My best recommend To Do Walk A good day in the Islands with a picnic. Take the boat to any island and don't forget water, sun cream, hat, and of course the picnic. Easy to do easy to buy in town. If you prefer you can use one of the restaurants in the islands.

Buy a Gift Treat your loved ones You decide the value; they decide when to spend it… Convento Gift €50.00 You decide the value; they decide when to spend it… Read More Convento Gift €150.00 You decide the value; they decide when to spend it… Read More Convento Gift €100.00 You decide the value; they decide when to spend it… Read More Convento Gift €200.00 You decide the value; they decide when to spend it… Read More Buy now Get in touch with your request... First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting! Terms & Conditions: This voucher is only valid for direct bookings with the hotel. Reservations made through travel agencies are not valid for this offer. Valid for one year - subject to availability - after the issue date. It is possible to extend for another year by paying 50% of the voucher amount. Payment needs to be done when the voucher is booked.

1/4 WHY It’s a love thing... We fell happily in love with this town’s beautiful, crumbling homes. We hoped that with the proper love we could breathe new life into their proud old stones. We found that the block of high blank walls a few steps away from our houses and apartments held more than just cats and rubble. Once, Convento was where village girls working in Olhão’s thriving canning industry would live. Convento was a safe place, a place where the girls’ dormitories circled a peaceful cloister, a place of sanctuary from their hectic work lives. Slowly, carefully, we have re-imagined this space. What were dormitories are now spacious light-filled bedrooms, with high wooden ceilings that allow the air to stay fresh, and your dreams to soar. We’ve fashioned bathrooms from blush-veined Alentejo marble. A quiet corner has become a library: please do leave us a book or two... What was a fish salting vault is now our kitchen and refectory, from where we offer breakfasts of olives grown in the hills that fringe the town, and Alentejo cheeses from the market, and just-baked breads, and local hand-stirred jams, and Algarve dried fruits soaked in citrus, and sweet juice from the heavy oranges of Dona Celestina’s trees. For prices and booking see BOOK