About Us

Ana and Alastair made this extraordinary part of coastal Alentejo home after years living and working across the globe. For Ana - who was a Swedish diplomat - this was a return to her roots, as her Portuguese father was from the Alentejo. Alastair, once a BBC foreign correspondent, now works as a freelance journalist and consultant writing and recording podcasts. Worried they’d miss all the international stories and people, they built Vale das Estrelas to bring adventurous visitors to their door.

We loved the wild coast, but we fell in love with the view at first sight: rolling hills and valleys all the way to southern Portugal’s highest mountain. On the first night in our new home we lay outside and looked up. The sky was alight with stars as the Milky Way stretched a glowing path overhead. Instantly this was the Valley of the Stars and the name stuck.

You love hearing birdsong at dawn and a chorus of frogs at dusk. You crave space to breathe: perhaps to escape the intensity and noise of city life for a moment. You are most likely adventurous. Perhaps you're a creator in search of inspiration, or someone seeking the luxury of silence and the comfort of sustainable simplicity. Your off-grid adventure begins as the main road becomes a dirt track into an ancient cork oak forest.

Life at Vale das Estrelas wouldn’t be the same without our beloved four-legged family. Our LA rescue mutt Simon came with us from California, Garfunkel the giant, gentle white Rafeiro Alentejano was adopted from the Algarve, and Albie (the Little Black Dog) found us one day and decided to stay. The cats, led by mum Val Kilmer and kids Mark Twain and Iceman patrol the grounds hoping to trick you into treats (don’t let them).