Quinta da Comporta
COMPORTA / HOTEL / WATCHLIST
An hour south of Lisbon, at the edge of the Alentejo’s calming culmination of shifting sand dunes, umbrella pine forests, vineyards & rice fields, one of the first design-led hotels in the region embraces an effortlessly authentic style that inspires us to settle into ‘Comporta cool’ & reconnect to nature’s rhythm. With slightly more rooms than usual for a Design Escape, at Quinta da Comporta, seventy-three spacious pool villas, townhouses, apartments & beach-shack-chic bedrooms appear on the site of former rice barns with an infinity pool that looks out over a vast field of paddies that are still farmed today & stretch all the way to the Atlantic waves just a buggie ride away from the estate.
Designed by the renowned Portuguese architect Miguel Câncio Martins, who is still very much involved in the project, this is a space that merges seamlessly with its surroundings through an aesthetic that mixes traditional rustic yet colourful style & a modern bohemian vibe. Buildings are renovated from old rice barns & adorned with the typical blue bands of the regions ‘herdades’. Inside, banana leaf armchairs, bamboo beds, large wicker lamps, collections of woven straw baskets & woven rugs will ease you into a rusticly charged rhythm.
Depending on when you choose to visit, Quinta da Comporta can offer either a refuge for quiet wellness or the perfect escape for both adults & their well-behaved adventure-seeking offspring. Lean back into the beachside-chic way of life that hums in the nearby Comporta village in the late Spring & Summer months or, for a quiet & non-scene-y stay, the hotel is best visited in November through to April.
Images by Luisa Bravo
Room Service
Location: Comporta, Alentejo.
Price: Rooms start at 220€ per night.
Highlights: Portugal’s rustic Alentejo may seem an unlikely area for a full-blown spa, but the one here is a real treat. The hotel has developed its own natural oils & treatments named ORYZA, with technology that uses rice grown in the nearby fields.
Services: Everything you would expect from hotel service including 24-hour concierge, a restaurant & spa along with daily turndown services & a restaurant inspired by the region’s gastronomical heritage.
Designed by Miguel Cancio Martins.
Photography by Frederic du Cout.
The Neighbourhood: 70kms of beach is a buggy ride away while the local village of Comporta is full to the brim in the summer with pop-up beachy boutiques. Carvalhal, the more local village is also slowly finding its own groove with a couple of chic boutiques & a lovely restaurant. In the winter, quieten in by the fire with a book & spend days walking on the sand.
Things to know: While the rice paddies are infinitely charming it does mean that mosquitos can be quite pesky, so be prepared to sit inside at sunset or take plenty of (natural) spray. As the hotel is well set up for families, the school holidays can be quite overrun, either a blessing for parents wanting to relax while the kids make friends with others, or a curse for couples wanting some peace & quiet, so avoid during those if you settle into the latter set.
The Map
Quinta da Comporta is located just outside of the village of Comporta, around an hour’s drive from Lisbon. Fly into the city & rent a vintage jeep for a little road trip & some freedom while you’re there.
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