With an evolving shift among travelers towards silent escapes and slow living abodes, what is it that we are so eagerly looking for in the venues thoughtfully designed to evoke emotions that are hard to to put in words yet life altering when experienced.  

Our journey with Casa No Tempo started long before one saw the house and the adjacent  herdade. Set in the verdurous Alentejo region, the road to the house goes through a small township of Sabugueiro. 

Sabugueiro is not frequented by tourists. It has a school, a church and a grocery store. Time has its own rhythm here, reminiscent of Hermanos Gutierrez guitar tunes rolling over the hills. 

Packed with the local oranges and other dinner essentials, we left the store humming the uplifting ballad the owner was singing while describing to us the peculiarities of local olives. People in Portugal have a proud sense of ownership and love for the land they come from. 

In a slow process of revealing, the road takes you further through the golden landscape with cork trees, pastures and wild animals leading the way. With its white stucco archway and a double-pitched roof, Casa No Tempo appears hesitantly in the haze just in time when you start questioning if you have taken the right turn.

Slightly cool and perfectly lit interior welcomes you with the vistas of the herdade. Large frame windows slice the heavy volume walls and invite the vibrant hills to be your only observers among the sprawling miles of land. Reminded of my barefoot childhood days, I take the socks off and step onto the custom rust-red clay tile lining the floor. I think about the relationship between the house and the landscape. It feels warm. A subtle rub, reminiscent of a sun-washed cobblestone, blurs the boundaries of the interior welcoming the land right to your feet.

In respect for the local craft and love for the landscape, the owner, Joao Rodriguez, had sourced the tiles as well as other materials used throughout the house in not more than half-an-hour proximity to the estate. Even the cork for wall insulation was made from the trees we passed by on the way here. These subtle yet well thought-out details establish a particularly humble connection between the landscape and the place.

With its minimal interiors, each space is imbued with comfort and care for a variety of social or interpersonal choreographies. Stucco walls with sumptuous touch offer an unwithered background for the voluminous rooms; white linen furniture stands proudly against the rust-red floor tile and immediately establishes a sense of scale in a high vaulted living room; carefully detailed wood millwork with a slight wire brushed finish offers enhanced softness to each touch. All elements reflect the time and care put into them. Spaces are laid out to allow a maximum flow of conversations, views and daylight yet leaving enough moments for one to hide and reflect. 

The house exudes a certain intimacy. You listen and observe. It soon becomes a home, and then a friend. And if you are silent long enough - it dissipates leaving space for all sorts of discoveries.

As days go by, time starts compressing into a slower rhythm, the glimpses of which we saw at Sabugueiro. Silence and a fine sense of alluring boredom become your welcomed guests. They served as another reminder of my earlier days spent with grandma at the dacha. When the lack of excess stimulants used to charge the days with simple wander and observation which in turn inspired inner worlds unique for their boundless character and generosity.

The days spent daydreaming at Casa No Tempo gently nudged my memories years back and surfaced the simple joys. I used to love waking up early just to hold my grandma's hand while walking to the nearby farm to watch the horses going through their morning routines. The cold moist air felt sweet, urging me to lick the dewdrops loyally weighing the grass. As a kid, I used to be so much more aligned with the land and the passing of time. The harvesting season would sprawl with early mornings and busy days. Strawberries, blackcurrants of all sorts, tomatoes, garlic... the list goes on. Raspberry bushes were the ones I sneakily tried to avoid since there was no way to finish the pruning day without being unmercifully covered in scratches. All of those memories reminded me to slow down, to reflect and to appreciate. They reminded me of the vast landscapes hidden in each one of us. Landscapes that are waiting to be rediscovered.

The adjacent Herdade No Tempo sprawls 900 acres around the house offering a seductive stretch of biodiverse exploration. Horses and sheeps are your frequent guests, often entertaining their thirst from the reflective pool facing the kitchen. And why wouldn’t they if the pool was designed to reflect the landscape’s natural streams and ponds. Guests are offered a full meal of gardening, biking, horseback riding, fishing and more to help ground their surge for meaningful experiences. 

The land spans generations passing to Joao from his grandfather who wanted his kids to take care of the estate. With the sentient love and care for each animal, tree and plant, the grandfather would take long walks around the herdare carefully observing the generosity of the land, Joao recalls. That love transcended into Joaos loyal sense of respect for the land and the guests that come to visit it.  

While looking for a silent escape, Casa No Tempo presented more than just a place. It revealed a feeling. For me, it was a feeling of coming home; memories of the harvested fields and the sun being set; moments and stories being told at a large wooden table. It allowed me to reflect on my roots and the little things that ground us to be the landscapes that we are meant to be. 

What will it offer you?