Rio do Prado — Lagoa de Óbidos, Portugal

The brainchild of local mayor Telmo Faria and his wife Marta Garcia, this mini eco resort is situated on the edge of a stunning lagoon and wetland reserve popular with birdwatchers and fishing enthusiasts. When approaching the hotel, the 15 turf-roofed concrete suites, designed by Portuguese architect Jorge Sousa Santos, are virtually hidden from view. The cleverly sunken complex also offers visitors the chance to get their hands dirty in the organic garden and boasts an Eco Lab, large ’social greenhouse’, sustainable spa, swimming pool and gourmet Maria Batata restaurant. Guests in the ’carbon footprint’ suites can see how they measure up on departure. Summer evenings are spent around wood-burning fires, where local foodstuffs are sampled. Leisure activities are encouraged by Telmo who recommends making home-baked pizzas, riding bikes around the lake or signing up for workshops promoting eco-design awareness. Alternatively you could hit the spa for treatments, Turkish baths or a soak in Epsom salts in the candle-lit floatation room.
ADDRESS
Rua das Poças
Arelho
Lagoa de Óbidos
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rupert Eden has worked for Wallpaper* magazine since 2010 covering everything Iberian from architecture and design to wellness and travel. He is happiest championing sustainable projects featuring up-and-coming artisans or chefs.
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'
Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
A whopping 92% of this slick London office fit-out came from reused materials
Could PLP Architecture's new workspace provide a new model for circularity?
-
How will future car interiors take shape? London studio NewTerritory has a vision for automotive design
Design studio NewTerritory has set up a new automotive division to explore the future of car interiors. We interrogate the team
-
Two new villas extend Christian Louboutin’s exuberant Portuguese hotel
A pink, kasbah-inspired residence and a whitewashed boathouse join the French shoe designer’s Vermelho Hotel in Melides, Alentejo
-
Do luxury hotels need a farmer-in-residence?
From Ibiza to Indonesia, hospitality brands are cultivating a new travel experience, where wellness begins in the soil and ends at the table
-
Wallpaper* checks into Quinta do Pinheiro, an easy-breezy farmhouse in the Algarve
In this private five-casa quinta by the Ria Formosa, it’s all about blending rustic charm with modern comfort
-
Wallpaper* checks in at MACAM Hotel: a night at the museum
Portugal’s first hotel-museum is home to 600 pieces of modern and contemporary art and 64 rooms for the ultimate artistic immersion
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in spring
Dreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
The world's most heavenly destinations for astrotourism in 2025
We're in for a big year for celestial events. These are the world's best hotels to see the cosmos as you've never seen it before
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinations
Discover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025