Travel Inspirations

The New Cool of Comporta

The New Cool of Comporta

This trip is full of joy, because it starts in Lisbon and also ends in Lisbon. And journeys that begin and end in Lisbon are wonderful as a matter of course.

The Portuguese capitol always gives you the feeling that the world is still a place of harmony. Lisbon is so charming and assessable, there are houses with colourful tiles, a regular coffee costs 1,80 euros and you get the feeling that there is room for creativity around every corner– especially in the hotel industry.

For this reason our first recommendation for this trip is to spend three days in Lisbon.

Lisbon Hotels

The larger families should stay in the Baixa House, younger and smaller families should stay at the brand new, The Lisboans and the architects, art gallery owners and people looking for tranquility might want to choose one of the beautiful and exclusive suites of the new Santa Clara 1728.

Of course all three places are real jewels and absolutely Pretty Hotels.

The second tip of this journey: After three days in Lisbon, rent a car and cruise down to paradise by passing the enormous Vasco da Gama Bridge and driving south through wonderful alleys right down into Comporta. 

Don`t get us wrong here: Comporta itself is not spectacular. Even the neighbouring towns and villages are quite sleepy. Occasionally you see a small house that can be rented, here and there a few roaming animals and also a few small restaurants and bars. And the sea, the gigantic Atlantic Ocean, can’t be seen at first, because the water and the beach is hiding behind a big dam.

However, if you follow the signs to the “Praia”, you will be well rewarded. It`s like walking into paradise: A beach the size of many football pitches, full of white-yellow sand, hardly any people and two truly lovely beach restaurants playing low Ibiza sounds. 

There’s nothing going on and that is just perfect. 

If you are looking for a place to stay you will be spoiled with two outstanding properties: The Sublime Comporta.

And the Quinta da Comporta. A wellness retreat with stunning views, pools and rooms.

But the real hidden gems can be found a bit further away on the other side of the bay. Joao Rodrigues, who is also the owner of Santa Clara 1728, created two genuine works of art here, together with his friend the architect Manuel Aires Mateus. Casas na Areia, an ensemble made up of five buildings, which are best rented by large groups or families.

There is a main building with a kitchen, dining area and living room. The floor in this house is made up of sand. In addition there are three other buildings for up to a total of eight people. There’s even a small pool and the feeling of taking a holiday away from tourism by being right in the middle of a conservation area. The only bummer: The main beach is a mere 15 minutes by car.

Only 500 metres away from Casas na Areia, Joao Rodrigues und Manuel Aires Mateus erected the two huts Cabanas no Rio. The lie on a river delta of the bay and they are a little bit more rustic and also quite a bit smaller. 

Well, to be honest, they are tiny.

One of the huts is for sleeping, the other for cooking and “surviving”. It’s a kind of tiny luxury camping just without the safari the next day. A bonus is that you can start paddling a canoe from directly in front of the building into the bay (which doesn’t belong to one of the most picturesque, because in places you are looking at the industry town of Setubal).

If you want to get a glimpse of New York fashion week, head down further south to Melides and check in at the new Vermelho hotel, which was designed by Christian Louboutin. We haven’t stayed there, but the pictures look amazing.

Safe travels. ©Pretty Hotels

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