Pensão Policarpo

PENSÃO Residencial POLICARPO occupies a building dating from the 16th century, a building which was in earlier times the manor house of the Counts of Lousã, a place where the Lancaster family lived until the Pombal persecutions of the 18th century.

This noble house has an imposing principal façade which faces south, and thus offers an impressive panorama over the Alentejan plain. On the other side, the house opens on to a small patio, guarded by a granite gateway, and giving access, to the left, to the rooms on the upper floor, furnished with typical Alentejan furniture. In front of the gateway, the main entrance leads into a vast entrance hall, whose centre is noted for its Roman column supporting four arches. This is now the reception area.

Another very visible architectural feature is the fact that the house bestrides the ancient Roman wall which, in times past, marked the boundary of the city.

These elements, together with the fact that the Counts of Lousã’s manor house has been in use to provide hotel accommodation for more then 80 years and, for all of that time, has been under the direction and management of the POLICARPO family, confer on the place a special air of comfort and distinction.