East of the Algarve away from the bar hopping teens and rowdy resorts is the laid-back town of Tavira, where typical whitewashed houses, topped with Moorish roofs sit haphazardly amid small cobbled streets. Not far down the road, with the area’s dry, scrubby landscape on one side and sweeping views of the Atlantic on the other, is the former Eurotel Tavira, which has been given a new lease of life by owners Luis and Ana Cerqueira. The pair enlisted design duo Verónica de Mello and Lara Matos, who updated the existing 70s building with new interiors, while Lisbon-based outfit Campos Costa Architects added a modern extension, which houses the hotel’s casual poolside restaurant, Orangea Bistro. Jutting out from the main building, the angular, wood-clad addition sits above the pool area and provides both indoor and relaxed outdoor terrace dining with an easygoing menu. Unwind with a nutritious fruit smoothie or tuck into some local dishes such as the Algarve fish soup or grilled tiger prawns.
