Stylishly renovated country hotel amidst Portugal's highest mountains, offering warm hospitality, great food and stunning hiking You could be forgiven for wondering where the Serra de Estrela is – it's not a region explored by many tourists, not even the Portuguese. But the rugged beauty of this vast National Park - 2000-metre limestone peaks, mossy waterfalls, granite caves, rippling river estuaries perfect for summer swimming - make it amply worth the long and tortuous drive. It's tucked away in Portugal's central highlands, 300km north of Lisbon, 175km south of Oporto. So now you know. Owner Maria Manuel Silva and Nuno Bravo, who oversaw the stunning renovation themselves, has been welcoming guests since 2005. Inside you'll find unexpectedly modern design: light, uncluttered bedrooms (some with Jacuzzi), walls of rough stone and smooth whitewash, neutral colours enlivened by dusky reds and olives. The cosy living rooms – firelit in winter, beautifully cool in summer – showcase local sculptures and paintings, while the sleek dining room and sunny poolside terrace offer the best in regional and home-grown cuisine. And after a day of trekking, cycling, village touring or river swimming, the sauna and steam bath will leave you in the pink. For those seeking contemporary comfort and delicious food in a genuinely unspoilt mountain retreat, this looks like being one of Europe's great little secrets.

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