A love story between a Dutch-Brazilian couple and the Algarve
We are Herman and Angela, and if you’re reading this, you’ve found your way into something that means the world to us — and we couldn’t be happier about that.
Our story with the Algarve didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a feeling. The moment we first set foot in this corner of Portugal, something shifted. The warmth of the people, the quality of the food, the unhurried pace of life, the wine shared at long tables as the sun goes down — we were completely, helplessly in love.
We kept coming back. And each time, the pull grew stronger.
When the moment came to put down roots here, we knew one thing clearly: we didn’t want to simply build something new and beautiful. We wanted to preserve something real. That belief sits at the heart of everything we do. For both Quinta da Lila and our first project, Casa da Lila in nearby Silves (casadalilasilves.com), we deliberately sought out abandoned ruins — not despite the challenge, but because of it. These places deserved to be saved, not swept aside.
Quinta da Lila, nestled in the hills of Monchique, had been sleeping for over 40 years when we found her. Overgrown, forgotten, but still quietly magnificent. We didn’t choose this estate — we’re quite certain she chose us. Restoring her has been a labour of love in the truest sense: driven not by profit, but by a deep desire to honour what was here before us and give it a future.
That spirit of preservation stretches beyond the walls of the estate. For centuries, the hills of Monchique were home to vineyards — until the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century swept through Europe and wiped them out almost entirely. More than a hundred years later, those hillsides have been silent. We’ve planted a new vineyard at Quinta da Lila to change that. It feels like one of the most natural things we’ve ever done — bringing wine back to a landscape that was always meant to grow it, and continuing a story that was never really finished.
When you stay at Quinta da Lila, you’re not checking into a holiday rental. You’re stepping into our dream — and we hope it feels every bit as magical to you as it does to us.
Welcome. Make yourself at home. Really.
Herman & Angela
