Description

Having moved from the UK and spent 5 years in Philadelphia in the USA, we looked around in Portugal for an historic Casa in need of tender loving care, to restore it to its former glory and to extend the experience to guests wishing to stay with us in Portugal. Quinta do Scoto, built in 1746, had been empty for over 20 years and was in need of major restoration works. It has been a privilege for us to restore the Casa, Barn, wells, irrigation tanks, aquaduct and 7 acres of land. This restoration will enable this substantial historic property to survive for at least another few centuries.

Thank you to Sr. Miguel, and his workers, of Ladrimar Contruções Lda (261 461 465), for their high quality workmanship and commitment to completing the restoration. We highly recommend them - so much so we have named one of our suites after Sr. Miguel.

Much of the ground floor of the Casa has traditional Portuguese antique painted tiles and many unique and unusual features. The sympathetic restoration has retained these features whilst updating standards to those that add to the experience of our guests. As an example, our professional advisors and some of the approval bodies wished for the sizes of accommodation to be reduced to allow for more guests. Our vision was to provide spacious rooms with high quality traditional and antique furnishings. We wanted to be different even if this meant that we weren't maximizing the financial potential seen by others.

We have tried to avoid those things we didn’t like, and to adopt the good experiences and the things that we have liked, from our stays at many historic properties. For example, breakfast is taken in the main house, but should you wish, we will deliver a breakfast basket to your room so that you may enjoy this in bed or overlooking (or even in) the grounds of the Quinta. There will also be a complimentary bottle of wine to greet you in your bedroom to settle the dust from your journey.

Location

How to get there

Coming from Lisbon Airport or City Centre:

Take the 2nd Circular which naturally runs onto the IC19 towards Sintra and leave at Exit 6 (14kms from the Airport) signposted CREL/A9 Norte (North) – watch for the turn off because it is directly after Exit 5 to Queluz. Pass through the tolls and take a ticket, making sure you don’t go through the lanes marked ‘Via Verde’. 2kms after the tolls, take the first Exit 2A signposted A16 Sintra and pass through the tolls, again avoiding the ‘Via Verde’. Hand your ticket in and the toll should be just under a Euro (they give change).

3kms after the tolls, take Exit 12 signposted Meleças and then take the first exit right at the roundabout and go past Mira-Sintra/Meleças Railway Station. Go to the next roundabout where you take the 2nd exit left and go under the railway bridge. At the next roundabout, take the 1st exit right signposted 'Transito Local' onto Avenida das Robinias, and go to the T junction where you turn right onto Avenida das Nogueiras, heading back towards the railway line.

Follow the road left, parallel to the track, and then left again and go over a stone bridge; the Quinta will be on your right. Go past the main house and take the next right and turn right again through the main gate.