O Convento
OLHÃO, ALGARVE
A local once described Olhão as ‘a hard-working, hard-living fishing town & proudly individualistic – Portuguese shorthand for clams & characters, part-time piracy & peaceful anarchy’. Well, that character-filled anarchy doesn’t get any more peaceful than at O Convento, a riad-like 8 roomed guesthouse inspired by the Algarves’ Moorish heritage, filled with calming columns & relaxing respite. Burrowed behind a stone archway, you’d be forgiven for almost missing a white wooden door, the entrance to O Convento which opens up to a dramatic cloister.
Surrounding a trickling fountain, cool chequered floor tiles & a coiling staircase lead the way to seven suites with soaring ceilings, their sleeping quarters & living rooms separated by floor-to-ceiling muslin curtains. Adorned with simple objects & tightly woven tapestry rugs, the aesthetic is distinctly minimal yet achingly chic. At the top of the winding staircase, the cerulean sky awaits along with views of the undulating flat rooftops & a glistening estuary. Up on the two-tiered roof terrace, dip into the small dippy pool or seek shade under a whitewashed bamboo canopy.
A stay in this former boarding house for rural girls coming to work in the towns canning factories will provide a retreat after a day lounging on one of the Algarve’s Eastern island beaches. Take breakfast (a feast of Portuguese pastel de nata, eggs & fresh market produce, in the arched dining room, prepared by owner Antje before borrowing a parasol & jumping on the ferry to the islands for the day.
Room Service
Location: Olhão, Algarve.
Price: Suites start from 130€ per night in the low season.
Highlights: The silence of O Convento regardless of its location in the bustling streets of Olhão makes it the perfect retreat with easy & walkable access from restaurants & boats to the beaches. Its whitewashed & simple minimalism, curled cornishings & chequered floors are ones to capture as you pad up to the roof terrace.
Our favourite room: Rooms on the middle floor are the most private, while the rooftop room steps right out onto the poolside.
Services: Breakfast is served every morning & daily turndown is offered.
Designed by The owners renovated the property themselves before Olhão became an architectural hotspot for stylish French & Belgian visitors.
Photography by Design Escapes.
The Neighbourhood: Olhão is rough around the edges as a fishing town that is home to one of the poorest communities in the Algarve. That being said, it exudes charm & character & a stay here requires a desire to get under the true surface of what makes this part of the region tick.
Things to know: The hotel closes for the winter but the side seasons are the best time to visit, when the sky is still blue & the sunsets are a saturated shade of orange over the Ria Formosa.
O Convento is a member of the Design Escapes Club, tried & tested personally by us.
The Map
O Convento is located in the fishing town of Olhão, graced with an active waterfront & pretty, bustling lanes in its old quarters. Around a fifteen-minute drive from the nearest airport, fly to Faro & rent a little car to take a road trip while finding some freedom during your stay.
Other Olhão stays
The Design Directory
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