Its reason for existence are the four hot thermal springs that come up here from deep inside the earth.  It has been a celebrated spa since Roman times.

There are four sources of water at the site.  Nowadays, three are tapped before they come to the surface and are led into a bottling plant and you can buy the water for drinking, not only in Portugal but also in many countries of the world.

The forth spring feeds the spa which is houses in a modern building and has a shallow hot pool in one room.  The doctors here treat cases referred to them in the mornings and in the afternoons assist those who come for the good of their heath - the 'wellness' clinic.  

Attached to the spa is a spa hotel with forty six bedrooms including specialist rooms for the disabled and a restaurant. There is direct access to the spa.

The existence of this treatment has resulted in the development over the years of a small village where the rich and famous used to come before the days of air travel.

The heyday of the resort was in the nineteenth century the town became a favourite resort of the Spanish bourgeois and has been visited by the royal families of Europe who come to 'take the waters'.

It suffered the fate of many spa towns during the early days of mass tourism but has now been renovated to its former glory.

This occurred when the complex being transferred to the ownership of 'Fundacao Oriente', a charity formed under the agreement to hand back the colony of Macao to the Chinese government.  The foundation invests its money for the good of Portugal and is funded by a proportion of the legal gambling profits of Macau!
Higher up from the bottling plant and the spar is the tourist complex which has both a hotel and an inn.

These two buildings form part of a central courtyard which during the day is full of visitors from the many coaches that come here from the beach tourist resorts to sample the old world charm.

Both the central hotel and the inn (estalagem) D. Lourenco have been carefully renovated. The hotel has 13 bedrooms and the Inn has a further 12 bedrooms.

The two share one restaurant in the inn which, in winter, has a welcoming log fire. The reception is also shared and is open twenty four hours per day.

All the rooms have a private bathroom and have air conditioning, a telephone, safe and a minibar. Two of the rooms in the inn have en suite sower rooms insted of a bath room

The village complex has a privately owned church, a  bar at which snacks are served, a post office and shop.

Neither has a swimming pool however a pool heated by the hot spa waters is under construction in the gardens.

One building in the village has been converted into 10 one bedroom apartments each having a small kitchenette.

There are two meeting rooms modernly equipped, with capacity for up to 135 persons.

A recently renovated building was converted to Hotel D. Carlos which as 18 bedrooms and 4 suites. There is a pub with a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere and a games room.

The surrounding area is a forest in which guests may walk or alternatively take a picnic and follow the stream down the valley to an old water mill.

Five kilometers from the spa is the mountain market town of Monchique with the coastal resorts and golf courses about twenty two kilometers away.

This thermal spa complex is located 5 kms. from Monchique and approximately 17 kms. from the coast. It is surrounded by 40 hectares of forest.

• When making a booking, you will be offered the best current rate available 
• Rates are in euros and are 'per room per night' including breakfast and taxes
• Extra bed - € 25
• Children under 4 can stay in the parent's room without charge
• Children from 5 to 12 yrs - 50% discount on the extra bed staying in the parents' room and 50% discount on half or full board
• (a) Easter & New Year period
• (b) Available only at the Specialist Spa Hotel
• (c) Available only at the Hotel D. Carlos
• Special offers available for 2 and 5 nights stays from 1 July to 30 September 2011