1. Beaches

The beautiful landscapes of the Alentejo coast are famous for their golden beaches and breathtaking cliffs. Just over ten minutes from the hotel, visitors can discover various beaches: Porto Covo, São Torpes, Lagoa de Santo André and Melides, all ideal for surfing, body-boarding and paragliding, as well as other beaches, such as Carvalhal and Comporta, on an uninterrupted 60-kilometre stretch of sand where the sea is calmer.
2. Lousal Mining Museum
Copper pyrites were extracted from the Lousal mines, between Canal Caveira and Ermidas do Sado, from 1900 to 1988. The Mining Museum preserves the memory and knowledge of generations of Lousal miners. The mines are now an archaeological site where visitors can see how the mines used to operate. It is located in the former mine installations and is the first of its kind in Portugal. Especially interesting are the work structures that have been restored so as to be visited by the public: installations, excavations, mine shafts and the electricity plant engines that supplied the mine and the local population.
Visiting Times: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
3. Abela Rural Work Museum
Situated in the village of Abela, a few kilometres from Santiago do Cacém, the Rural Work Museum shows visitors a variety of the oldest artefacts used in rural work, as well as written and photographic documentation of activities exemplifying work in the countryside.
Winter Visiting Times: Wednesday to Friday – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Summer Visiting Times: Wednesday to Sunday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Closed on Mondays and Tuesday.
4. Miróbriga Roman Ruins
Classified as a building of public interest since 1940, the Miróbriga archaeological site is situated on the outskirts of Santiago do Cacém, and since 1982 it has belonged to the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (Portuguese Institute for Architectural and Archaeological Heritage).
Visiting Times: Tuesday to Saturday: 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Sunday: 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Closed on Mondays and on the public holidays of 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.
5. Badoca Park – The Adventure in Nature
The Badoca Safari Park is a 90-hectare nature park that invites you to spend a different day in the midst of nature and to discover animal life in full freedom. Located in Vila Nova de Santo André, in the council of Santiago do Cacém, between the plain and the sea, the park is currently home to about 250 wild animals of 45 different species. Besides the safari, which provides direct contact with wild animals, the park also offers a show featuring birds of prey, as well as a range of entertaining and educational infrastructures, such as the Kangaroo Park, the Flamingo and Ibis Lake, the Coati Park, the Exotic Bird Garden and a playground.
Visiting Times: Open at 10 a.m.; last safari at 5 p.m.; closes at 6 p.m.
6. Ilha do Pessegueiro (Pessegueiro Island)
The coastal cliff, especially to the south of Porto Covo, where Ilha do Pessegueiro is located, is one of the finest areas in the council of Sines in terms of ecology and the landscape. The island is also a home and nesting-place for birds (such as carrion crows, gulls and cormorants), some of which are endangered species. On the island you can also visit the Pessegueiro fort or go to the beach immortalised in the song by Rui Veloso, entitled “Porto Covo”.
7. Porto Palafítico da Carrasqueira
The Palafítico da Carrasqueira wharf – the largest in Portugal and unique in Europe – is one of the most visited places in the district of Alcácer. This place of solace in the midst of the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve has a small holiday home decorated with traditional Carrasqueira motifs. Next to it there is a museum centre inside a typical straw and cane hut, restored by local people. The centre shows visitors how generations of Carrasqueira fishing families used to live.
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