Via the beautiful A22 route, I drive from Almancil through the natural landscapes with hills and occasionally burned trees by forest fires, towards the Spanish border. The last part I drive on small roads through the beautiful orange fields.

Amazing, Rui is one of the best chefs in the Algarve. Worth the detour...

And then suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, a large villa park with golf course, Monte Rei, with the Michellin Star restaurant Vistas Rui Silvestre

The restaurant looks like an old castle, but it is new. It has a wonderful atmosphere, but because there were only 2 tables occupied, it feels a bit big. Nice piano music in the background. Beautiful view of the park garden and nature.

The welcome is very friendly! Sara Santos is one of the best hostesses I know, and she works very well with her team. All nice people, well trained, but with a sense of humour. Sara previously worked at another Michelin star restaurant, Gusto Conrad in Almancil.

I start with a delicious Douro wine, from a winery of 3 cousins, a bottle with 3 labels. Young grapes mixed with overripe grapes, a unique method. They make a maximum of 6000 bottles per year. Jose Marta is a top sommelier, who can tell you about the wines!

You can choose the regular or the vegetarian tasting menu. There is no vegan tasting menu yet, but that will be soon. Every guest gets their own personal menu with their name on it!

The food is FANTASTIC! Chef Rui Silvestre, who used to work at the great Michelin star restaurant BonBon. Rui is a wizard with flavors. Simple dishes, with top taste.

14 dishes at the right pace and the right amount! Very nice, from both the kitchen and the service. I enjoyed it! The only thing that could be (even) better in my opinion are the 3 desserts.

And then the price. 210 euros p.p.

That is a lot of money, especially if you compare it with other top Michelin restaurants such as Gusto (120 euros), BonBon (135) and Al Sud (120)

PS on the golf park are 2 more restaurants, the Grill restaurant and the Veranda, both open to public.