The Story
In 2019 Mikkel Kristensen, originally from Denmark, travels through Portugal. He works as a photographer & art director, runs a small clothing label with a friend, and likes 1970s architecture. During the Covid years, he is looking for a change and finds it on the coast near Lisbon: a slightly overgrown villa with sea views, a turquoise pool, weathered shutters and a garden that feels improbably lush. The sort of place usually photographed rather than lived in.
With the profits from leaving his fashion brand, selling his home and some help from friends and his parents, he manages to buy the house in 2022, renovates it carefully and gives it a clear design direction. Californian seventies meet Danish eighties, anchored by Portuguese materials and light. Everything feels considered.
What’s it like
We visited on 1 November, not the obvious moment for a European hotel stay. A member of staff led us through the house without ceremony, handed us a drink, and let the place speak for itself. The gentle sound of Piero Piccioni played softly through hidden speakers. In the living room: a green sofa, a record player, David Bowie LPs, an honesty bar, and magazines from “Where Is the Cool?”, Vintage Mirage and photo books on Helmut Newton, Pools and Midcentury Architecture.
The rooms
We stayed in the penthouse, the largest of the eight rooms. It comes with a proper espresso machine, sand-coloured lounge chairs, a generous bed and a balcony overlooking the garden and pool. Morning light filters in gently through small windows and pale curtains. It is an easy room to spend time in, without feeling confined. We felt like staying in here all day.
Downstairs, the rooms feature the Palm Springs 70ies style even more. Some have coloured carpets, others a green bathtub. Not everything is flawless, but the overall design language holds. Some bathrooms are kept with original hand painted tiles, most are updated to a more clean 80ies inspiration of square clean tiles and marble floors.
The Marqi logo – also found on sweatshirts and T-shirts in the small lobby shop – is one of the most precise details. Kristensen understands branding, but he leaves it to settle rather than dominate. During the day he often works at a desk in the lobby, surrounded by analogue cameras, a typewriter and stacks of Polaroids.
a day at marqi.
The beach is two minutes away, but it is just as easy to stay put. Drinks and small snacks are served throughout the day from the lovely hosts; On occasional evenings, dinner is cooked in-house. Kristensen truly wants guests to enjoy this place the whole day, to slow down, move through the house without schedule, and adjust to Portugal’s unhurried pace. Outside, his polished Mercedes SL – the R107 series from the 70ies – is parked with quiet pride.
Culinary
Breakfast is laid out in the large kitchen: Barista coffee, homemade granola, warm bread, Parma ham, good cheeses, avocado, yoghurt. And eggs made by order – the house eggs are slow scrambled with Parmesan. Guests sit at small tables on the terrace or in the dining room on seventies chairs, looking out towards the Atlantic and the village of Azenhas do Mar. An honesty bar and snacks cover the rest of the day; beyond that, the surrounding area offers a number of straightforward, often very good local restaurants.
The Beach Club
Since 2025, Kristensen has also run a small cocktail bar on the beach: the marqi. beach club. Red carpet, white Pan Am-style lounge chairs, and the same seventies vocabulary carried through. Drinks are classic – Negroni or ‘The Marqí Sour’ with tequila – served with a view of the waves. It functions as a modern listening bar by the sea, and it works.
Surroundings
The stretch of coast around Azenhas do Mar and Colares has two larger beaches, each with a handful of modest beach bars. This is not Forte dei Marmi; it is rough, more practical. Cars are parked along the promenade. In return, there are reliable Atlantic waves on many days. Surf shops rent boards and wetsuits, and several surf schools offer lessons, also suitable for children. Nearby Sintra, with its colourful Palácio da Pena, is close enough for an easy day trip.
Combine with
Two nights in Lisbon work well – ideally at our member house The Lisboans – followed by a stay at Marqi. From there, those with time can continue south to the Algarve, to places such as Solar do Bisavo or the apartments at Quinta do Pinheiro.
Ideal for
Young couples who have yet to find a hotel where wearing James Pearce-style track pants to breakfast feels entirely appropriate.
Rates
Double rooms cost roughly €200–300 per night, depending on season and size. Breakfast is charged separately.
Booking & Contacts
Marqi Holiday
Estrada do Rodizio 86
2705-337 Colares
Portugal
