Quinta da Retorta
An officially approved 4-star resort development on 38.6 hectares in Portugal's Douro region – zoning plan approved by the Municipality of Penedono and published in the Diário da República.
At a glance
38.6 ha
Estate of 94 acres, single owner
204 units
Approved: 182 holiday homes + 22 hotel lodges
1,006 beds
962 in the holiday village, 44 in the hotel resort
4-star
Hotel resort and holiday village classification
Approved
Detailed zoning plan in force since 2008 (Plano de Pormenor)
€1,300,000
Asking price for the estate, plan and all documentation
Slideshow
The opportunity
A resort with its permission already in place
Quinta da Retorta is a former wine, olive and fruit estate on a valley slope near Penedono, about 30 km south of the Douro river. Its Roman-style stone terraces descend from a small plateau, where the old farm village still stands, to the Bebeses stream below.
For this estate, the Municipality of Penedono approved a detailed zoning plan for a 4-star hotel resort and holiday village. The plan was published in the Diário da República in 2008 and is still listed by the municipality as a plan in force.
Approval for a tourism development of this scale in a protected landscape is rare and takes years to obtain. With Quinta da Retorta, a new owner starts from an approved framework instead of a blank page.
A buyer who prefers to restore the estate as a private country house is under no obligation to develop the resort.
Planning status
Approved, published and supported by the municipality
Zoning plan
Plano de Pormenor da Quinta da Retorta, drawn up by Plural – Planeamento for the Municipality of Penedono.
Municipal approval
Approved by the Municipal Assembly of Penedono on 21 December 2007.
Official publication
Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 18, 25 January 2008 – Aviso no. 2127/2008. The plan is in force and listed on the municipality's website.
Ecological reserve
The exclusion of the development areas from the National Ecological Reserve (REN) received a favourable opinion from the national REN commission on 7 February 2007. Sensitive ecosystems are protected within the plan.
Engineering
Concept designs for roads, water supply, sewage with on-site treatment, storm water, medium and low voltage, lighting, telecoms, gas and waste collection are part of the plan.
Municipal support
In recent meetings, the Municipality of Penedono confirmed its strong support for starting the project, given its value for tourism in the region and for local employment.
The zoning plan sets the binding framework. Architectural projects for the individual buildings are submitted to the municipality within this framework, phase by phase.
The approved plan
A 4-star hotel resort and holiday village
Holiday village – 182 detached homes
- 50 homes with 2 bedrooms, single storey – max. 100 m², 4 beds
- 23 homes with 3 bedrooms, two storeys – max. 150 m², 5 beds
- 93 homes with 4 bedrooms, two storeys – max. 180 m², 6 beds
- 11 homes with 5 bedrooms, two storeys – max. 210 m², 7 beds
- 5 units in restored farm buildings – 422 m² in total, 12 beds
Total: 182 homes, 27,944 m², 962 beds. Plots range from about 140 m² to 1,540 m². The homes are set on the existing terraces, which must keep their historic dry-stone retaining walls.
Hotel resort – 22 lodges
22 detached lodges of 50 m² each (44 beds), with two central buildings of 220 m² and 260 m² for reception and services.
Shared facilities
- Two restaurants
- Indoor pool (1,696 m²) and outdoor pool
- Health club
- Shops (644 m²)
- Multipurpose building, reception and administration
- Wine museum in the old winery
- Olive oil museum in the old mill
- Open-air amphitheatre on the plateau
- Tennis court and sports field
- Two children's playgrounds and an aromatic herb garden
Approx. 35,100 m² of total building area on 386,300 m² of land: less than 10% of the estate is built on.
Phased development
Built in four phases, with early income
The plan is designed to be built in stages, so the first phase can start generating income while the rest is developed.
Phase 1
Restoring the farm village as reception, restaurant, shops and administration; wine museum; pools and sports field; all roads and utilities; the first homes around the village.
Phase 2
Olive oil museum, aromatic garden and orchard, the hotel resort and the adjacent homes.
Phase 3
The remaining resort buildings and the larger holiday homes.
Phase 4
Completion of the remaining holiday homes.
Artist's impression
How Retorta could look
An impression of the atmosphere a restored Quinta da Retorta could have: the farm village brought back to life in local stone, with new homes and lodges set lightly among the olive terraces. Drag the slider to compare today's estate with the impression.
Artist's impression created with AI to illustrate the atmosphere. It does not show the approved site plan; the number, position and design of buildings follow the Plano de Pormenor.
Artist's impression: restored stone farm buildings combined with contemporary timber architecture.
Landscape and nature
Designed around the landscape
The plan protects the estate's most valuable landscape. The stream and its riverside woodland, the steepest slopes and an old oak wood remain natural. The oak wood gets walking paths, picnic areas and a small stone weir that creates a pond.
Between the homes, the plan keeps working gardens: olive groves, orchards, hazelnuts, chestnut and walnut trees. Honey, nuts, fruit and herbs from the estate are meant to be produced and sold, keeping Retorta's farming history alive.
Hedges instead of fences, permeable paving and native planting are mandatory throughout.
Heritage
A farm village with a story
On the plateau stand the houses, barns, winery and olive oil mill of the former estate. In the plan, these buildings become the heart of the resort: the reception, restaurant and shops, a wine museum and an olive oil museum.
Penedono itself has a medieval castle, and the municipality has many dolmens, menhirs and other archaeological sites.
Location
Between the Douro and the Beiras
- Municipality of Penedono, Viseu district, northern Portugal
- Approx. 30 km south of the Douro river and the UNESCO-listed Alto Douro wine region
- Approx. 150 km, about 2 hours' drive, from Porto and its international airport
- Altitude between 484 m and 734 m, with wide views over the valley and the mountains
The region is known for wine, olive oil, chestnuts and almonds, and for a quiet, unspoilt countryside that attracts a growing number of nature and wine tourists.
Receive the full plan documentation
Regulation, site plan, building tables, infrastructure designs and photo and drone material. Ask us for the documents or arrange a visit.