Casa de São Lourenço
Portugal
Casa de São Lourenço
Estrada Nacional 232 – km 49,3. Campo Romão. Manteigas.
www.casadesaolourenco.pt
HOTEL INFORMATION
Group
Burel Mountain Hotels
Shareholders
Privately Owned
Date of Creation
2018
Hotel General Manager
Managed by Owners.
Hotel Positioning
5-star Luxury, Member of Relais & Châteaux
Development Strategy
Increase Global Visibility and Prestige.
Develop partnerships – such as Serandipians – helping us Access to a High-Quality Clientele who value cultural depth, refined design, and personalized service. This will help drive higher occupancy, longer stays, and deeper guest engagement.
Strengthened Culinary Recognition and amplify our restaurant’s reputation.
Support for Sustainability and Local Craftsmanship. Reinforce our sustainability goals and our mission to preserve local culture.
Contribution to Portugal’s Interior Hospitality Landscape enhancing the value of rural and interior Portugal as a beautiful and unexpected destination.
Casa de São Lourenço
History & Story
Originally conceived in the early 1940s, the Pousada de São Lourenço was envisioned as a pioneering hospitality project. Designed by the renowned architect Rogério de Azevedo, with interiors created by the artist Maria Keil, the building embodied a new idea of what hospitality could be. Rather than resembling conventional hotels, these small-scale inns were imagined as intimate places of retreat, where guests could encounter authentic Portuguese hospitality, connect deeply with the surrounding landscape, and enjoy the richness of local gastronomy. Today, that original spirit lives and fully embodies the group’s philosophy of “Homes that are Hotels,” privileging intimacy, comfort and a strong sense of belonging.
Date Renewal
Completely refurbished and enlarged in 2016-2018, led by Site Specific Arquitectura in collaboration with P-06 Atelier (Nuno Gusmão).
Date added extensions
N/A
Main Strengths, Special Touch
A Unique Sense of Place with a distinctive mountain lodge experience in one of Portugal’s most stunning and lesser-known natural regions, Serra da Estrela Geopark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the highest point in the country. Architectural and Design Excellence with heritage preservation. An example and commitment to Local Craft, Culture and Tradition, through Burel Factory, a 19th century wool mill owned by the hotel, that manufactures burel, the traditional wool fabric once worn by shepherds, reinterpreted and used in an innovative way in the interior decoration of the hotel . This working factory is a benchmark in industrial tourism, a creative studio and a social project supporting local employment and preserving a vanishing textile tradition. Good Gastronomy with Regional Roots. The hotel delights outdoor enthusiasts all year round through a wide range of mountain activities and visits to Mountain Villages and Medieval Historic Villages in the region.
Location
Casa de São Lourenço is located in Serra da Estrela, Portugal’s highest and most iconic mountain, where agro-pastoral communities, mountain villages and medieval historic villages, over 1000 years old and perfectly preserved, remain lost in time and tradition. It is a beautiful remote location, a frontier still unknown to many, but absolutely fascinating with its unspoilt nature.
Serra da Estrela is part of the largest natural park in the country and a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Estrela Geopark.
It is about 2 hours from Porto and 3 hours from Lisbon with excellent motorway access.
Key sites/activities in the area
Nestled in the heart of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, the hotel invites you to immerse yourself in a landscape of pure air, sweeping horizons, and the quiet beauty of the mountains. During your stay, a world of experiences awaits: self-guided hiking routes, guided panoramic walking tours, electric bike rides and off-road mountain expeditions, with picnics and breathtaking vistas. Visit the Burel Factory to witness centuries-old wool production, explore basketry craftsmanship in Gonçalo’s village, or engage with practices of local shepherds. Step back in time and explore the Mountain and Historic Medieval villages. In winter snowshoeing, paired with hot drinks, offer unforgettable encounters with the serene highlands.
Fun Facts
At Casa de São Lourenço, guests are invited to discover the beauty of Serra da Estrela through a curated selection of year-round mountain experiences. Activities includes daily guided tour of the Burel Factory – owned by the hotel and home to still-operating 19th-century looms—offer a rare look into industrial heritage (complimentary), daily guided hikes (complimentary)
Unique experiences: Guided tour of the Burel Factory and a weaving worshop. Guided walking tour and gourmet lunch in nature, in a location with panoramic views, served by the Chef. Stargazing. Hands-on weaving workshops at the Burel Factory or basket weaving with local artisans. Wine and cheese tastings. Visits to shepherds and cheesemakers. Stunning concerts playing traditional music on ancient instruments held in the Senhora da Estrela chapel, next to the hotel.
Children’s Corner
At Casa de São Lourenço, we care above all about the tranquility, silence, and contemplative experience that many of our guests seek when they visit us. For this reason, our hotel was not designed as a traditional family hotel and is therefore more suitable for adults or for families with older children (from 10 years of age). Nevertheless, we warmly welcome families with babies and small children at Casa de São Lourenço. We kindly ask that some essential rules be respected, helping us ensure a harmonious stay for all guests.
HOTEL FEATURES
Accommodation
• Number of suites: 5
• Number of Luxury rooms: 15
• Number of rooms, (keys) in all: 20
Restaurants & Bars
• Restaurant’s Name: FATIGA – Mountain Flavored Table
• Chef’s Names: Miguel Ramos & Marco Lágeo
• Restaurant concept: Fatiga – Mountain Flavored Table, the restaurant of Casa de São Lourenço, is a tribute to mountain life, cultural heritage and culinary artistry. Inspired by “fatiga”, meals once carried by shepherds, it honors tradition with local, seasonal ingredients and celebrates ancestral recipes through contemporary lens, each dish tells a story of memory, landscape and flavors that are evocative and deeply meaningful. At the table, the landscape enhances the experience: windows opening onto the mountainous panorama
Wellness
• Wellness Area and Panoramic Spa with 400sqm. 3 spa cabinets and relaxation room.
• Indoor heated pool connected to an outdoor small pool.
• Outdoor Heated Ofurô. Sauna and Hamman.
• Fitness Room
Corporate & Celebration Events
• The hotel can be exclusively hired for corporate events and has a room with panoramic views and a meeting table that seats 25 people
• The restaurant can seat up to 70 people and can host various events, banquets and weddings. In these cases, the hotel must be booked exclusively.
Hotel and restaurant Awards
2023
• Michelin Key (Tourism Category) (2025)
• Silver Key Boa Cama Boa Mesa since 2019
2022-2021
• National Tourism Award for Authentic Tourism
Number of employees
40