THE FACTS ABOUT POUSADA DOM JOAO IV

Portugal

Vila Viçosa is a town in the upper Alentejo where the streets are paved with marble. This is no joke. The marble quarries just up the road produce enough to supply the whole of Portugal. If you are expecting a small, rural town, the main square comes as quite a shock: it's vast, majestic and blinding white in summer. In the centre is a statue of Dom João IV on horseback and in the far corner, to the left of the Paço Ducal (the royal residence of the House of Bragança, deposed in 1910), is the Pousada that bears his name. The cool, white-marble reception area is unsurprising, but elsewhere the floors are mostly terracotta stone and wooden in the bedrooms, with marble reserved for staircases and bathrooms. The building was erected in the 16th century as the Chagas de Cristo convent: you can still see the nuns' cells, retreats and oratories and, in the reception area, their latrines. There are 36 rooms and for the most unusual accommodation, book into one of the four themed rooms, named Astronomer, Poet, Musician and Professor. This Pousada also has a small gym, with an unlikely location at the top of a narrow, stone, spiral staircase. You can relax in the grand, domed sitting room downstairs, which has velvet sofas, wing-backed armchairs, a large open fireplace and a grand piano. Perhaps the nicest place to hang out, though, is in the bar. With its intimate clubby feel, leather-topped tables and framed equestrian prints, you could be in rural England. But it has plenty of light and looks onto a pretty enclosed patio area with an orange tree and a couple of tables. There is a larger enclosed courtyard, where you can eat in summer. The back garden is peaceful and fragrant, with citrus trees, herbs, lavender bushes and young vines although, with a formal design of walkways and paths, the signs of neglect are that much more apparent. CONTACT Pousada Dom João IV, Vila Viçosa (00 351 268 980742; fax: 980747). Standard doubles from around £70. Deluxe doubles from around £83, suites from around £134