The Quinta is totally off-grid and solar-run. It's taken a long time and a huge investment, both in terms of time and money, to make it so, but we're proud to have done it and doubly proud to have done it without any "aid" from any entity either national or international. We grow a fair amount of our own produce and the garden is full of fruit trees and flowering shrubs. We're constantly improving both the garden and the Quinta as a whole, and every winter we have a project or two to keep us busy while we're closed, but the main bonus of staying here is the warmth of welcome and service throughout. We don't have TVs or mini-bars in the rooms, (in fact we don't have a TV at all), as the Quinta's the sort of place where you can get away from all that. If you need to have a TV constantly on to keep you happy, well, there are plenty of other places that will cater to your wishes, but the Quinta's not one of them. On the other hand we're not Luddites either and we have a relatively good satellite internet connection, so there's wifi throughout the property.

Set on the shores of a large freshwater lake in the Santa Clara-a-Velha district, Paradise is surrounded by countryside with a wide variety of wildlife and rare birds. It also has free Wi-Fi.

All rooms at Paradise in Portugal are decorated in warm tones and feature private terraces with views over the garden and lake. Each has tiled floors and an en suite with a bath or a shower.

Most of the food in the buffet breakfast is fresh from the organic garden, including honey from local hives, free-range eggs, and bread baked daily on the premises. The restaurant also caters for special dietary requirements on request. The nearest 3 restaurants to the property are 20, 30 and 45 km away.

Activities on offer include sailing or canoeing, as well as a number of courses such as bird watching or Shiatsu massage. Guests can also relax either by the lake or in the 2 large communal rooms with log fires.