Europe’s fashion set have anointed Comporta, a silky swathe of sand on the southwest coast of Portugal, as a place that they can swap their stilettos for sandals and hide out. Nature is king here, and nature remains at the heart of Sublime Comporta, the area’s one and only hotel, that in three years, has transformed from a modest nine-bedroom project into a 34-key luxury retreat with a new set of two and three-bedroom cabana villas that come complete with private swimming pools.
Once again overseen by the hotel’s original architect, José Alberto Charrua, the new cabins are inspired by traditional Portuguese fishing huts – with bedrooms linked via central living quarters – and are secreted away in a 17-hectare forest of umbrella pines and cork trees. Miguel Câncio Martins (of Buddha Bar and Man Ray) is behind the light, airy and fresh interiors, which feature polished concrete walls, blue-and-white Danish linen and driftwood furniture.
The spa, which uses Organic Pharmacy products in therapies such as the firming green coffee and sculpting massage, has optional outdoor treatment rooms and a yoga pavilion surrounded by pines. Meanwhile the restaurant Sem Porta (Without a Door) leads out onto a terrace planted with olive trees. Led by the Yugoslav-Portuguese chef Ljubomir Stanisic, the menu draws on national traditions and regional products. Guests can spend balmy evenings feasting on dishes such as spicy octopus with pak choi in the organic garden, which has been planted with over 300 herbs and vegetables. §
