Before we begin, here’s an Inntravel love story
There’s an exciting story about Inntravel and me and my wife. In the very beginning when we started working with Inntravel, about 17 years ago. People were walking from one accommodation to another, and Tres Marias is the last. At the time, Inntravel organised a ‘Discovery Day’ and invited a hotelier from every holiday to go there. Everyone got together to decide who would go and there was a girl from one of the guesthouses who said she’d go but didn’t want to go alone. So, we go together, we fall in love, she sells her guesthouse, and moves in here. The rest, as they say, is history!
Can you tell us what makes the Três Marias so special?
Because it is a little far away from everything and we try to keep things simple and as natural as possible. We used to have some ostriches and later on became a guesthouse – people come far out just to stay here. It’s wild, it’s nature. It’s beautiful. There’s so much to see and enjoy. Most people, once they’re here, they feel grounded.
And is it all family-run?
It is our home, and we’ve been living here for almost 30 years. I bought the ground first and started the ostrich farm.
What do guests enjoy the most?
I think people are different. What most people say is that it’s very quiet. There’s no noise and at night, there are a lot of stars. We serve local food and we do the best we can for our guests.
What can guests enjoy in the area?
We are between the hills and the sea. If you want to walk to the sea, but as most Inntravel guests have a day off they like to do something different, so they go for a circular walk in the hills – it’s very different. As soon as you go into the hills, there are a lot of birds, insects, shade, different trees, it’s intense with smells thanks to eucalyptus, rosemary. You have another vision – you can see the coastline.
How do the seasons compare here?
What I like most is that it changes. Everything is still green in winter whereas in the UK you have a leafless winter. Here we have a summer break for plants, unlike the UK. Everything is green in spring with wild animals running around, then in summer it’s quiet, slowly you have more moisture at night, which brings humidity, so the grass starts growing again. Autumn is beautiful: the sand is dry, so you’re more tired when you reach here, where you can relax by the pool and have a sauna.
Do you have a signature dish?
We try to have just local food. People come to visit us, so to me int makes no sense to do international food. For local food, we try to be seasonal. There are certain things that you have more at a certain time in the year. I can’t promise you’ll have everything, but we try. It’s homely, it’s nice.
Lastly, any plans for the future?
My most exciting plan is that my son will take over next year! When I bought this property 30 years ago, it had nothing – no trees, just farmland. Now you see a big difference. I can just observe things growing, changing, more birds, more shade. Also repeat guests come back and ask what’s changed, but it’s just the nature that’s changed. We are always very happy when people drop by and say hello.