Quinta do Barranco da Estrada

Santa Clara-a-Velha is on the border between the Alentejo and the Algarve, and the Quinta sits on the shore of a large warm freshwater lake that most visitors to Portugal have never heard of. The whole place runs on solar — not a partial arrangement, the lot.

Ten rooms in total, terraces and gardens down to the water, and enough birdlife that people come specifically for it. The lodge describes itself as unpretentious, which is unusual and, by all accounts, accurate.

Best for: swimming in fresh water in a country everyone visits for the sea