Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Ann Abel is a Lisbon-based writer covering luxury travel with a soulFollow AuthorApr 03 02:52am EDTShareSaveComment@font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Euclid"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Euclid"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-regular-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-accent{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-base{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-base{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-base{} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-size{font-size: 54px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .color-accent{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-accent{font-family: Euclid,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-size{font-size: 26px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 0.8);} .bg-body{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .font-accent{font-family: Euclid,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-accent{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-base{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-base{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-accent{font-family: Schnyder,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-size p #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-size p{font-size: 36px;}Quinta do Pinheiro Simple. Serene. Perfect. These are the three words Monique Snoeijen always has in mind when she thinks or talks about her new hospitality project in southern Portugal, Quinta do Pinheiro They’re decorated in a way that feels abundant yet elemental with a grand sense of scale and a thousand small details that make it feel like a home was in the process of restoring another house in the eastern Algarve when the two met They used that as a vacation home for a while they realized it would eventually be too small for the families of the five children they had between them They began looking for a larger investment The kitchen and dining room of a house at Quinta do Pinheiro “Our manager found this place and we went there,” she says “We immediately fell in love because it was already very beautiful And also the former owners had left everything behind.” They made an offer within two days And while the plan had been to keep it for the family—as is so often the case with such things—their enthusiasm led to an expansion of their vision we raised our ambitions and goals with every day The previous owner was a Portuguese colonel who kept the place in good repair and was an avid collector The two married on the estate a couple of years ago with a long table set for 140 people on the terrace and the Gypsy Kings playing at the party They brought in one of the country’s leading architects “We took Frederico with us to ask for his opinion,” says Snoeijen “And I remember so vividly that he was walking around and he was just saying It's fantastic.’” They managed to enhance and preserve rather than creating something foreign and new and much of the family’s furniture was usable “You had the impression that time had stood still.” They found lots of antique agricultural tools around the grounds and old kitchen implements beside the outdoor bread oven in what’s now Casa Grande the largest of the accommodations (about 1,500 square feet) The colonel’s other collections included old schoolroom maps a museum’s worth of vintage toys in what’s now the yoga studio all written in script—in the houses’ kitchens An assemblage of watering cans and 153 heavy keys hangs on a wall in Casa da Avó (“grandma’s house”) those keys were once functional but are now simply beautiful “We kept the small things because they make a big difference,” says their manager The rooftop of Casa Grande became a sundeck Window frames and doors were painted red in the regional vernacular The antique-style floors are made of terra-cotta Santa Catarina tiles—heated underneath in some places—laid in a labor-intensive technique that’s becoming increasingly rare especially for the times that they host yoga or art retreats or intimate weddings (only those much smaller than their own) Well-known Amsterdam-based chef Ben van Geelen will be in residence cooking Algarve-inspired dishes for guests of the estate The couple has already bought more land around them including a hill full of pine trees (“pinheiros”) with a few small houses and an old winery They’re building a deck for yoga —their resident teacher is excellent—or relaxing around a grove of huge ancient pines they’re keeping their interventions to a minimum “It’s so beautiful by itself,” says Snoeijen We're not the type of project developers who want to put up as many houses as possible PortugalA sybaritic vineyard retreat in rural AlentejoAll listings featured on Condé Nast Traveller are independently selected by our editors For history-steeped, wine-soused serenity in Portugal’s agricultural hinterland Sun-baked vineyards fig trees laden with ripe fruit – Quinta do Parel’s backdrop is timelessly bucolic and its cluster of terracotta-topped buildings resembles any other old-school Alentejan winery But it quickly becomes apparent this isn’t your average hideout vine leaf-trellised pathway leads new arrivals towards a pristine palm-fringed pool terrace and sunken water gardens wine-glass-in-hand check-ins take place in the Estate Lounge where mid-century furniture and pendant lamps look surprisingly at home among local ceramics and an original stone hearth to read some Pessoa beneath the bougainvillaea Or you can tour Quinta do Paral’s 56-hectare vineyards and pop to its award-winning wine cellar to sample native varietals aged the Roman way in terracotta talhas This is hardly the first vineyard to branch into hospitality, but with German tycoon Dieter Morszeck at the helm, it’s more ambitious than many competitors. After selling the majority of his luxury luggage brand this wine-loving Lusophile snapped up a dilapidated quinta and drafted in a crack team of Portuguese talent (architects Saraiva & Associados winemaker Luís Morgado Leão) to transform it first into an award-winning winery Renovations revealed the estate’s long-forgotten crest – a P topped with crown dating from its days as the Count of Palma’s country pile – on a hunk of masonry today emblazoned on everything from bottles to bath robes that’s derived from its abundance of pear trees – ‘pera’ eventually became ‘paral’ thanks to an 18th-century typo The aesthetic errs more modern minimalism than expected for such a storied property this simplicity allows artisanal details to sing particularly the bespoke oil paintings of gnarled old vines made in situ by Lisbon-based artist David Reis Pinto and handwoven rugs from heritage brand Ferreira de Sá earthy hues and prestige materials (butter-soft brown leather There are some impressive touches when it comes to in-room tech Miele bean-to-cup coffee machines (no Nespresso pods here obrigada) and sideboards concealing TV sets that emerge at the click of a button albeit a choice slightly at odds with the hotel’s otherwise local-centric sourcing– and for the eco-conscious full-size bottles would be preferable to miniatures a range of six categories gives guests ample choice Signature terrace suites are the most lavish of the lot their double-sided fireplaces divide spacious sleeping and living areas Italian marble freestanding tubs give bathrooms the ‘wow’ factor and private terraces spill out on both sunrise and sunset sides Junior suites in the historic wing are cosily romantic beneath vaulted brick ceilings with square-shaped stone baths reminiscent of grape-stomping vats Larger groups can spread out in the four-bedroom Manor House which has a kitchen and perks like a private chauffeur wall-to-wall collection of bottles on display as well as windows onto the open kitchen where Portuguese chef José Júlio Vintém puts sophisticated spins on regional comfort food A casserole dish of baked rice with partridge The menu reflects Alentejans’ penchant for piggie produce – smoked hams pork cheek with migas (a lard-soaked bread stuffing) Dishes are drizzled with the estate’s intensely fruity extra virgin olive oil while bread is served the traditional Alentejan way: in drawstring fabric bags sticky encharcada – originating in local convents; it’s a resourceful recipe for leftover egg yolks after nuns used the whites to starch their habits where all-day bites include Portuguese cheese and charcuterie boards Breakfast is also served in this indoor-outdoor space alongside fresh fruit from the estate and made-to-order eggs or pancakes the Grape Rooftop bar’s westerly vineyard views come into their own the sky blushing as deeply as Quinta do Paral’s signature rosé There are plans to open an on-site spa in future in-room massage treatments or private yoga classes can be arranged upon request There’s a state-of-the-art fitness centre with Technogym equipment Alentejan life unfolds in synchrony with the seasons: cork harvesting in midsummer The montado (Portugal’s protected cork-oak forestscape) fields and vineyards are punctuated only by sleepy villages presided over by medieval churches Vidigueira being the closest to Quinta do Paral Quinta do Paral is adults-only unless booking the property for exclusive use. Behind the scenes, the estate practises irrigation-free viticulture and regenerative farming methods, shunning the ultra-intensive olive plantations that proliferate in the area in favour of handpicking from mature trees. This ethos follows through to both the kitchen, where seasonal, local ingredients are favoured, and interiors, everything from ceramics to textiles from Portuguese artisans. Roughly half of its power comes from solar panels. As a centuries-old property, cobbled pathways and courtyards are often uneven, but the team will lay ramps if needed or ferry guests around the grounds on golf buggies. The ground-floor signature suites can be adapted for mobility issues. Don’t miss sampling Quinta do Paral's crisp, dry sparkling wine, as it’s only available in the hotel. For those who fancy getting even more immersed in the vineyard setting, the sleep-out experience (cosying up on a Balinese bed beneath Alentejo’s clear, starlit skies) is a highlight of summertime stays. Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email Quinta do Conde is a large town of 30,000 people situated right in the middle of the Setúbal Peninsula and the home of some spectacular musicians Four of these talented artists are Steve Andrews which was able to hide them from each other for years “I first wanted to be a rock star when I was in my late teens,” Steve Andrews told The Portugal News he didn’t think it was a ‘proper job.’” Steve He spent 25 years living in the suburb of Ely where he studied and worked in journalism while pursuing his music “I have been looking for my big break for a very long time High points so far include having had my songs released on vinyl LPs and Eps back in the 1990s,” as well as playing at the likes of Glastonbury and Green Man and being featured on Britain’s Got Talent He moved to Quinta do Conde in the Summer of 2014 felt that music held meaning for him from an early age trying to accompany the songs I heard on vinyl and being fixated on television watching a program that existed at the time holding onto a children’s plastic guitar,” he reminisced He formed his first band with some friends and family at age 14 holding two concerts where they covered songs The years passed and the guitar took a back seat in my life,” but when he was 27 he became a father and introduced his son to music This awakened his desire to pursue his own music and he went back to the guitar after 15 years “At the start my father taught me how to play guitar play guitar.,” having been only eight years old at the time He joined the school band when he was 12 and joined the Conservatório Regional de Setúbal to deepen his music understanding even further Chrys has had a couple of successful projects like SILENT MODE and MUSAPHONIA Analisa Meier since her years as a child had always had music as a dream through being involved in the local band schools and garage bands with friends right here in Quinta do Conde it’s what makes me move.” Analisa has lived in this area for nearly 29 years now but unfortunately most are not properly recognised,” Roger stated often wasn’t “aware of the other artists here,” meeting others by chance “They didn’t influence my work or inspired me at all,” Chrys admitted That isn’t to say there’s nothing going on in this town. The Zbigens festival, for example, is where Steve, Chrys and Roger all met, as Chrys’s band Silent Mode was playing on stage. However, the musicians agree that more could be done. “My opinion is that the general mentality is formatted for the most basic,” Roger said, “and in that sense the due interest in the arts in general is not shown. I’m not saying that artistic events are not held in the village, there are few but not enough. Quinta do Conde has many artists, many young people. In my view they could be encouraged towards the arts, as the arts move the world, but unfortunately there is no incentive or support from the local and municipal authorities.” She’s often joined by Steve Andrews on these walks. The two are neighbours, which is how they met. “I met Ana when I was looking for one of my cats that had gone missing,” Steve revealed. “I was calling at my neighbours’ houses to ask if they had seen the animal. I discovered that Ana was a singer and songwriter like me.” She also introduced him to the Verdelho Studio, where he ended up recording two songs. “Living with so many artistic people is without a doubt a great fortune, we support each other and inspire each other mutually,” Ana said. “By sharing the same passion, our dream grows quicker and easier.” Ana has always had many friends since her teenage years who are local to the area, such as Duarte Reis, who has a project called Impuzzle, and Yuri, who’s a guitarist. At the moment, she wants to continue to develop her compositions. “I’m a singer-songwriter, and so I want to write more music, to record others in a studio and launch more singles to digital platforms.” Roger, meanwhile, aims to take his band MUSAPHONIA to new heights. They’re a five-piece, including Roger and his son, who specialise in a mix of rock, pop, metal, fado and classic which they call symphonic metal. Chrys will also be working on his own band, Silent Mode, as well as a solo project called INFINITUM MORTEM. “I’m seeking to create a Jazz quartet,” he also revealed, “because that’s the other style I love, and because I love making new music and can’t stop it.” “I love to share what I feel about the world in this form,” Ana concludes, “like if I was having a conversation in a universal language, in which even if you don’t understand what I’m saying, you feel the love I have through my music.” Star in the 2015 music video for the hit single “Headlights” by German musician, DJ and record producer Robin Schulz featuring American singer-songwriter Ilsey. Also a journalist. We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to, we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small. You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time. Thank you so much, Jay Bodsworth, for writing this article, and thank you too to The Portugal News for giving "The Hidden Artists of Quinta do Conde" some publicity in your pages! Send us your comments or opinion on this article. Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal, written in English, Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese. Joaquim and Amor Conde are a County success story the couple took a risk and followed a dream In 2013 they found an abandoned farm in Black River and set about developing a sustainable organic farm that would support every aspect of farm existence from vegetable harvest to livestock to fertilizer — and around again an ethical and social form of community they cultivated in all who visited and experienced their organic farm a term that invokes the kind of diverse farming estate with which Joaquim grew up in Portugal It took three years to get things up and running and there were a few missteps along the way the Condes made two attempts to establish vineyards and a “gravity winery,” which simply did not work out It is “borderline masochism” to grow grapes in this climate who has nothing but admiration for those who have succeeded here by managing to preserve the vines over Canada’s harsh winters grapes “grow like weeds;” the work of a vintner is significantly lighter there the Condes can no longer ignore the call of Portugal They want to take their brand of agriculture and agritourism back home where they will restore Joaquim’s family estate in the Minho region of Northwest Portugal and make it an active and functional farm — which includes a surviving vineyard — as it was half a century ago The idea of “home” has been a guiding principle for the Condes who insist on the importance of local community Their philosophy is simple: “to create resilience in the community.” This is not only the creation of a self-sustaining ecosystem within the farm but also of cultivating relationships with other farmers and businesses celebrated summer camps and  farm-to-table dinners where everything served is grown within sight of the table All of these are ongoing this season as they celebrate their tenth anniversary while also looking to the future Teaching through business was one of Joaquim’s themes when he ran an auto shop in Toronto He is proud that some of his co-op students have now established themselves in his place employment at the farm has been “transformative” for some One of this year’s camp counsellors has herself just bought a farm and is launching into business “Something she never expected,” noted Amor Whereas traditionally farms have passed from generation to generation within a family the Condes’ model of education and exposure allows the tradition to branch out to newcomers To have a young camper start their week calling it “boring” and end it saying “I want to be a farmer,” is a success It is “something planted in the children,” said Joaquim “We have accomplished what we set out to do,” they said “and we want to pass the torch.” The Condes are looking for a buyer of their farm and its business who will be interested to continue its community engagement friends and customers are all keen to see the business thrive and Amor and Joaquim are equally keen to assist in ensuring its continuation Details about Quinta do Conde’s final season Facebook and Instagram now no longer allow us to post the Picton Gazette to their platforms Share your email address with us to receive our weekly newsletter and exclusive content direct to your inbox We will not share your email without your permission Monique and Martijn live just a few minutes away and originally bought the property for their children as a holiday home. But – they explain over a sparkling aperitif made from the area’s indigenous negro mole grape – the desire to share the destination’s beauty overcame them. Thick farmhouse walls create the most soporific sense of calm and quiet – “everyone says how well they sleep here,” says Monique – but there was something particularly homely about sitting at the kitchen table in Casa Grande, making a cup of mint tea and catching up on some early morning emailing to the dawn chorus of goldfinches, sparrows, meadow pipits, tits, blackbirds and woodpeckers. Pinheiro is operated as a hotel but it feels like staying in someone’s home. Every cottage has its own unique quirk (Casa Grande has an ancient (still working) bread oven, Casa da Avó (Grandma’s House) comes with its own plunge pool), and each one has its own private escape (from roof terraces with views of the Atlantic to secluded courtyard gardens shaded by a sprawling feathery Acacia tree). “We want guests to feel what we feel ourselves, that the moment you arrive you really decompress, and you can do exactly what you want,” Martijn and Monique explain. “You can come to hike, paddle board, kite surf, take out a catamaran, do yoga; or you can come here with all kinds of plans and simply end up sitting, looking at the views, maybe walking to the lagoon before having a drink, and doing nothing but just enjoying being here.” Room rates start from about £250 per night for a two-bed and one-bathroom house. the car is king with a modal share of 60% and the majority of public space dedicated to it But there is now a plan to reverse this scenario and put pedestrianization at the top of the agenda It's called the Quinta do Conde Sustainable Mobility Plan (PMUS) and it has just started to be discussed with the population there is an urbanization of single-family homes where everything is spread out Where employment centers are located outside the city Where you are surrounded by road and rail infrastructures that act as barriers to pedestrian and cycling connectivity We're talking about the town of Quinta do Condein the municipality of Sesimbra the car has a share of 60% (two decades ago it was 52%) public transport represents 24% of modal choices and walking 15% (in 2001 it was 22%) A central position of this urbanization on the Setúbal PeninsulaThis coupled with urban development based on the possibility of living in cheap housing close to the capital and other major cities as well as some illegal buildings (which have since been legalized) made it attractive to many families who had or found work nearby - "nearby" being understood to mean within driving distance the majority (60%) of Quinta do Conde residents' daily journeys are outside the municipality of Sesimbra; only 35% are within the parish (of Quinta do Conde) and 8% within the municipality of Sesimbra The majority of people from Quinta do Conde commute to the municipalities of Seixal while there are also those who work on the North Bank The town of Quinta do Conde represents what urban planners call a "urban sprawlIn other words a way of developing the territory based on individuality and mono-functionality where there are mainly single-family homes and where the car plays a central role in mobility The majority of Quinta do Conde's territory is based on an orthogonal matrix of residential areas with streets between 9.5 and 12 meters wide There are some streets and blocks with shops and services combined with the fact that it is a relatively flat area are opportunities to transform the town of Sesimbra creating more public space of quality and proximity planning is needed and it is with this in mind that the Sesimbra City Council has started to draw up Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) for Quinta do CondeThis is the most populous parish in the municipality - more than 28,000 inhabitants a population that has almost doubled in the last two decades which has worked with several municipalities in the country "This isn't about making a plan because we feel like making a plan Planning in Portugal is not always practiced very much: more work is done than plans"Paula explained pointing out that Quinta do Conde is one of the few places in the country with a SUMP in preparation "We have a flat area where we need to reduce distances and avoid mono-functionalities We have to understand how Quinta do Conde can stop being just a residential area and become an urban area with various functions"Paula Teles pointed out "A mobility plan is not just a plan to deal with commuting It's a plan that will try to introduce changes in terms of services or also find areas that can be green spaces"he said "We want this plan to change land use planning to give more muscle to some areas of Quinta do Conde Here we have a very similar fabric that has no differentiating elements We want to make Quinta do Conde more beautiful." Paula Teles was speaking at one of the two public sessions that Sesimbra City Council organized with the population last weekend one in the afternoon and one in the evening The aim of these meetings was to present the broad outlines of the SUMP to the population of Quinta do Conde and to start collecting some contributions; the plan documents will soon be published online on the municipality's website so that anyone can consult and also participate in greater detail but it's not the final phase either"the time to start public participation "so that as many people as possible can contribute" "Not all the measures in this plan will please everyone"he admitted "That's why it's important for people to get involved now." "You're going to tell me that this plan represents an investment of millions of euros But this is a plan to go beyond the timeframe of this mandate not least because the financing instruments are nowhere near enough for everything this plan will entail"said the mayor stressing that the SUMP is intended to be an instrument for 10-year planning to define what needs to be done in the territory in order to avoid one-off works that are disintegrated from a coherent strategy. Francisco Jesus pointed out that in one of the funding mechanisms available to the municipality Sesimbra will have 3.4 million for mobility "which will all be allocated to the development of actions that we consider necessary" The vision of Paula Teles' team for Quinta do Conde is one of a 15-minute drive from the village The proposal is to take advantage of its orthogonal matrix and organize the town into "superblocks" the streets would be coexistence zones - "or coexistence zones joked - where there is no difference between the sidewalk and the road because the sidewalk is all uniform Priority in these areas would be given to walking and cycling; the car could circulate but at a reduced speed (up to 20 km/h) because it would be a mere guest the aim is to protect the blocks from through traffic and for only residents visitors and those who need them to drive through "We suggest defining large squares and axes for road traffic around them protecting the spaces inside these blocks"said the expert who also spoke at the presentation of the SUMP On the roads that would surround the blocks: either by Streets 30There would be a differentiation between the space for pedestrians and the space for cars but the maximum speed would be 30 km/h; either through the Axles 30In addition the road would be designed for through traffic but the maximum speed would still be 30 km/h These low speeds would be guaranteed with calming measures such as raised crosswalks and continuous sidewalks "The 30 Axes are those roads where it is essential to have the car where we really can't do without it"Jorge explained "We have to introduce breaking points so that speeds are reduced because we know that signage alone doesn't have the necessary impact." This work involves reviewing the hierarchy of streets in order to establish a new hierarchy throughout the road network the most important Eixos 30 and also the major roads Paula Teles' team's proposal also suggests: "If today we still have the car as the king of mobility then for public transport and only then for the rest we now want to put the pedestrian first"said Paula Teles The pyramid of priorities that Paula Teles talks about has walking at the top then shared mobility (including car sharing) "something that here in Portugal we have found difficult to achieve") and the civil engineer brought several major issues to the table such as the growing congestion in cities and urban areas (The increase in traffic that we have seen is impressive and dramatic and the traffic queues are becoming more and more diluted in time"); the segregation of territories caused by large infrastructures and which separates people "makes us stop connecting"; the lack of autonomy of children and young people who "they learn to live in their parents' car and feel the territory through the window"; or even issues such as ageing ("Is the urban infrastructure prepared to keep up with people who are going to live later and later?") “The two key words that are underpinning our entire conversation are these: 'decarbonization' to prevent us from emitting so much with our journeys so that we can communicate more with each other It's not in this world where we leave a garage inside a bubble and then enter another building that we're going to socialize or have a healthy we are also benefiting our health more"he recalled "Changing the culture of mobility will take decades We can't say the world is in a bad way but do nothing individually We're talking about a matter where there is some cultural change"added the urban planning expert In order to draw up the SUMP for Quinta do Conde a study of the PDM (Municipal Master Plan) or existing urbanization plans both for Quinta do Conde and for the annexed area of Fontainhas An analysis was also made of existing traffic studies and reports All the work was combined with the municipality's plans as well as with the metropolitan expectations for this area The plan presented will now enter a broader public discussion phase when it is published in full the two sessions held have allowed some contributions to be gathered at the Quinta do Conde Parish Council headquarters the people present seemed to like what they heard but pointed out that there were problems of the present that could be solved quickly and practically "No one is going to take public transport if the bus runs in the middle of the cars"She lamented that buses are often stuck in traffic on the N10 at rush hour who said she had switched to public transport instead of her car and asked for faster connections to the station Another Quinta do Conde resident called for a cycle path on the N10 to allow cycling not only between the town and the train station but also as a means of mobility to neighboring territories "It would be something very important to focus on." Another resident asked for shorter bus lines because the buses often arrive at Quinta do Conde full "The time the bus is running full is the time it doesn't catch people we try to maintain the identity of the town giving as an example the formalization of the shortcuts into urbanized routes culturally very much ours." Another popular call for "neighborhood meetings" to "discussing the town's problems based on people's problems with a view to cooperation"He regretted that there was little public participation The people present also complained about abusive parking on the sidewalks asking for greater supervision of this behavior and also for those who have a house with a parking space to be forced to use it President of the Quinta do Conde Parish Council regretted not having been heard during the drafting of the SUMP "This plan shows the Quinta do Conde of the future but I think the Parish Council could have been important if only to accompany the technicians on the ground We're the ones who are here and we know the area well"he said also pointing out problems "micro and easy to solve"These are issues that could improve mobility and everyday life for everyone Carlos mentioned three: the discontinuity of pedestrian spaces with "sidewalks that are interrupted and force pedestrians to circulate in the space intended for motorized traffic"; vertical signs in the middle of sidewalks ("If the City Council delegates this competence to the Council we can't"and two-way streets where cars can't park on both sides but do have them MB Way: 933 140 217 (indicar “LPP”) Ou clica aqui Podes escrever-nos para [email protected] O LPP / Lisbon For People é um jornal local dedicado à cidade e à área metropolitana de Lisboa editado de forma totalmente independente e sem fins lucrativos ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Carris (Lisbon public transit) will reinforce from 1 April with more than 70 buses between 9 pm and 6 am the metropolitan road transport company said that the new night network will ensure “easier faster and more comfortable journeys throughout the early hours of the morning” The offer of “more than 70 schedules between 9 pm and 6 am which reinforce the connection between strategic points in the region” comes as a response “to the growing demand for mobility solutions at night” Carris Metropolitana carried out “an increase of 58 schedules between the different areas of the AML” there will be “an increase of 11 schedules between 1 am and 6 am” both with night timetables: 1740 (Marquês de Pombal - Metro – Rio de Mouro - Estação Norte) and 1741 (Marquês de Pombal - Metro – Queluz de Baixo - shopping centre via Algés) and there will also be an increase in two night timetables on line 1722 (Alfragide shopping centre – Hospital São Francisco Xavier) four more schedules will be made between 01:00 and 05:00 between Estação Oriente and Santa Iria Azóia (Loures) the biggest reinforcement can be seen in area 3 with 26 new night timetables between 9 pm and 6 am which will reinforce lines 3105 (Fernão Ferro – Fogueteiro-station) 3536 (Foros de Amora-station – Sesimbra-terminal) 3547 (Fogueteiro-station – Quinta do Conde via Pinhal de Frades) 3620 (Coina-station – Quinta do Conde) and 3721 (Lisbon-Sete Rios – Sesimbra-terminal) the network will have a reinforcement of 19 timetables on lines 4701 (Lisbon-Oriente – Vale da Amoreira) via Palmela) and 4720 (Lisbon-Oriente) – Setúbal-ITS) and its current timetables will be carried out by lines 4710 and 4720 A new exclusively night-time line will also be introduced which will connect Alcochete (Freeport) and Lisbon-Oriente via Montijo Francisco and carrying out the night-time schedules previously served by lines 4702 and 4705 fares will be 4.50 euros on board and 3.10 euros in pre-payment as reported on the Carris Metropolitana website (https://www.carrismetropolitana.pt/) where changes and new timetables can be consulted through Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML) merges the road operations of the entire AML into a single image and operates the municipal networks for 15 of the 18 municipalities (Barreiro Cascais and Lisbon maintain local operations) and the entire intermunicipal operation of the 18 municipalities We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal and vineyards where you can stay to taste the wine from the vines around you where warm nights are filled with music and cocktails and beach parties There is something for everyone in this region and below are the best hotels in the Algarve For more inspiration on where to stay in Portugal How we choose the best hotels in the Algarve Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve The lay of the land here works brilliantly for a family holiday buzzy and very cool Vila Joya Sea on the beach where sushi jostles with tiradito behind raw coir rope blinds and cocktails from amber mojito to smoked & tasty are shaken up as sundowners this wonderful resort set amid luscious gardens of rosemary Birds of Paradise and parasol pine forests could not be more convenient for a sun-drenched sojourn contented children and lithe looking sportspeople hold the fort in equal measure The lanscaped estate boasts its own nine-hole golf course including the infamous Devil’s Parlour – a shot taken over a ravine – with a spectacular setting overlooking a sweeping beach This provides the picturesque location for its Mare restaurant – don’t miss the seabass ceviche topped with crunchy corn At the resort you can indulge or rein in equally – the lemon-scented courtyard offers up raw food salads and ginger shots in its Zest restaurant and syrupy espressos in MIMO while the Pescador restaurant serves woodfired catch of the day and blush red prawns This summer will see MIMO by Little Portofino an Italian pop-up as well as the arrival of the resort’s first Indian restaurant Children play captain in the Pirata kids club – a 4000 sq foot wonderland while adults hone their racquet skills at the Annabel Croft Tennis academy The Serenity spa delivers expert deep tissue massage (their resident physio Paulo is a whizz for serious pains) and thermal baths The two-bedroom Ocean Suites have the edge for families there is something to suit every traveller bathroom and large terrace) on this farm estate offer space and tranquillity in the deeply rural eastern Algarve past the swimming pool and the prettiest honesty bar ever Interiors mix luxury touches with retro design and pleasing overall simplicity From here you can ride to nearby Cacela Velha in time for their fresh haul of oysters which you can eat in the shade of the old church bell tower a L’Occitance Spa and a one-star Michelin restaurant by Chef João Oliveira which deserves to be two stars basil and camomile with a sorbet of roasted yellow peppers to see what I mean Casa Mãe has a young and vibrant buzz to it There is an all-day restaurant serving local artisan-sourced cheeses and hams alongside typical regional fare like octopus and squid with fresh herbs and vegetables brought in from the hotel’s own The 34 rooms come in three different categories complete with hammocks and outside showers to elegant heritage rooms with vintage furniture in the main 19th-century house and contemporary rooms in the Joga da Bolo with futon beds on terracotta floors the hotel overlooks the little beach of Martinhal where teens can paddleboard whilst toddlers play in the sand there are swimming pools scattered throughout the resort bikes to ride and three dedicated kids' clubs For screen addicts there is a blue room with play stations galore Best of all perhaps is the Baby Concierge who prepares everything you need before you arrive now run by the fourth generation of the same family has recently opened three small cottages and four bedrooms in the renovated main house to tourists who wish to make it their Algarvean base Clean and cool with muted colours and a simple dotted around the estate are blissfully free of televisions but come with enticing swimming pools At their centre is a magnificent 2,000-year-old olive tree under which farmer’s lunches and wine tastings are a regular occurrence A three-bedroom cottage costs from £255 per night inclusive of breakfast Just 55 rooms are dotted around the lush gardens their design paying homage to the region’s Moorish heritage with high ceilings lined with straw reeds and the characteristic latticed chimney pots White-washed bedrooms have driftwood branches where colourful kaftans for the beach hang alongside straw hats a tennis court and a gym are there for the active and a shuttle bus takes you to the nearest beach Evenings are given over to al fresco cinema and delicious dishes at the rustic Terra Restaurant Private yacht with which to set sail on the seas ranging from Michelin star dining at Ocean where you really must try Chef Hans Neuner’s sublime dishes to traditional Portuguese favourites at Adega Japanese teppanyaki and sushi at Mizu and tuna tartare and salmon poke bowls great shops and tip-top service throughout the 202 rooms and villas dotted around the 54 acres of sub-tropical garden Here's what you need to know to plan a trip to Comporta, Portugal. Canned fish and roe from Portuguese brand Comur It's intimate enough that the bartender in the Panorama lounge knows which guests prefer lemons in their diet soda It's the kind of crowd where people who just met talk about President Macron's reelection prospects or about how this trip has a similar feel to cruising the Rhine the benefits of cruising with a relatively small group of strangers do not need to be stated even with the stringent policies that Scenic and the cruise industry as a whole have put in place One way a river cruise differs from an ocean cruise is the visual escape Watching the sea churn below can be majestic but there's an intense pleasure in slowly making your way up a waterway and constantly having new things to look at It is also a better option for those who suffer seasickness Another delight was the ability to go places that would never be able to accommodate bigger ships On my second day we docked in the village of Entre-os-Rios Guests were invited to take a shuttle to see the medieval Ducal Palace but I opted to simply take a walk around the tiny town where I encountered fishermen and bougainvillea and cobblestone streets and hanging laundry which is not something I usually feel creative or relaxed enough to do Later that afternoon we passed the Carrapatelo lock the first of five locks we would make our way through which felt a bit like being on a riverboat ride at an amusement park Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios church in Lamego At a supermarket I bought cans of tuna belly At a shoe store I bought authentic leather fisherman sandals for just 29 euros When I wasn't snacking on marinated Brie or sardines or drinking Porto Tonicos (the Portuguese equivalent of an Aperol spritz) I was eating elaborate dinners of fish soup and Licor Beirão sorbet and bread with dried figs at the Table d'Or a chef's-table experience with seven courses and sommelier-paired local wines It was an excuse for indulgence: sleeping in; having a butler know that I wanted two Coke Zeros in my minifridge each day; sitting outside reading in the abundant sun; eating walnut cake; drinking a glass of port from the Alto Douro Vinhateiro region while we sailed through it But maybe the biggest indulgence was being able to go on a cruise and feel like I could make the trip entirely my own This article appeared in the December 2021 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world ViniPortugal’s last big annual tasting in March 2022 at the tail end of the pandemic was an absolutely packed event held at St Mary’s Church in Marylebone some of Portugal’s top wineries were on hand including Anselmo Mendes all demonstrating how this fascinating wine producing country - famous for having nearly 300 indigenous grape varieties - has successfully married tradition with innovation to become world class This year’s tasting was held at Westminster Chapel near St James’s Park and was thankfully a more intimate affair but still one with some 58 producer tables President of the ViniPortugal board confirming that despite holding its annual tastings in churches there isn’t much the country’s wine industry needs to pray for ViniPortugal's president Frederico Falcão “Despite the general fall in wine consumption we’ve managed to increase our sales in both volume but especially value terms and the UK - with and without port - is now our third biggest market,” he says promoting Portuguese wine is a bit of a nightmare because it’s so hard to define but this complexity is actually one of our strengths We’ve been working closely with indies and they say that we are one of the most interesting countries to buy from Because unlike countries that offer one or two grapes or styles we’re all about diversity - that of our grapes People never get tired of our wines because they’re always finding new things.” A lot of this diversity was evident at this year’s tasting In the many years I’ve been writing about Portugal its wine industry seems to have always been evolving with winemakers experimenting with new styles and rediscovering old indigenous varieties long before a once deeply conservative Spain started doing something similar Douro has moved from being a port region to one also making the highest quality still wine; the Minho has moved away from making simple blended Vinho Verde to making more complex whilst Dao and Bairrada continue to explore their varietal heritage with the former establishing Encruzado as a Burgundian-style wine of real classic the latter working with the tricky Baga variety in both still and sparkling wines making wines from varieties unique to that region and its four DOCs And the Azores and Madeira have become classy still wine regions in their own right led by the likes of the impressive António Maçanita “Douro and Vinho Verde continue to get better and better but the region that’s probably seen the biggest change is Lisboa where there’s been a huge increase in quality and perception,” says Falcáo of the region once known for its rather underwhelming table wine and among them some of the country’s most exciting Another big change is Portugal’s shift towards making quality white wine which outside the Minho/Vinho Verde used to be not much of a thing Dirceu Vianna Junior MW held a masterclass - Hidden Gems - focused on some of Portugal’s less sung varieties including Tinta Miúda Sercialinho (a Bairrada crossing of Sercial and Alvarinho) and Jampal (no the majority of which were white and made in a mineral quite high acid style not normally associated with Portugal That mysterious Jampal grape - recently rescued from extinction and now mainly grown in tiny quantities in the Lisbon region - was put to great use in the Dona Fátima Reserva 2020 produced by ManzWine producing a fine lightly perfumed wine with suggestions of linden and pineapple high altitude Douro grape was great in the Ensaios Extremes by Colinas do Douro 2020 – bracing acidity but an unexpectedly long finish and just 11.5% alcohol my favourite of Junior’s Gems were made from slightly more established grapes the Burgundian Fonte do Ouro Dão Nobre 2019 a rich but beautifully balanced Encruzado and one of the most delicious rosés I’ve tasted out of Portugal made with 100% Tinto Cão - an ancient Douro grape - and wonderfully rich and complex when I say established there’s just respectively 639 hectares and 559 hectares of these varieties planted - less than 10% of the more commonly seen Alicante Bouschet of which there is some 6458 hectares planted One statistic that really hits home just how diverse the Portuguese wine industry is is that no single grape variety accounts for more than 10% of plantings; the most prolific white grape is Fernão Pires accounting for 6% of white wine production and top red is Aragonez with 10% After years of its chairman Adrian Bridge saying The Fladgate Partnership/Taylor’s would confine itself to port the Douro-based group has gotten into still wine with a vengeance buying the wine assets of Ideal Drinks last year (bringing wines from the Minho Dao and Bairrada) whilst a few weeks ago it announced it would add Douro wines to its portfolio The former were on show at Fladgate’s stand with the flagship Principal 2012 (Touriga Nacional Cab Sauv and Merlot) from Bairrada showing well; I really liked the full-on Dom Bella 2015 – 100% Cabernet Franc berry-charged fruit supported by a soft vanilla backbone – and the Bella Elegance a 100% Touriga Nacional - both from Dão were being shown by Awin Barratt Siegal (ABS) There’s a great range here including some moreish Moscatel but the Portal Colheita Branco 2023 (cask sample) is a great demonstration of the value here (around £20 a bottle) – a fresh and I look forward to seeing what they do with the wines The wonders of Baga – in both still and sparkling styles – and of Encruzado were being shown by Quatro Cravos and Julia Kemper Wines producers from Bairrada and Dão respectively and both remarkably seeking representation in the UK Amongst the former I loved the Original Bairrada 2018 a sparkling Baga with 36 months on the lees rich and creamy with a soft mousse and great value at just £8 duty paid Charmat method Positivo (the name says it all) For a still – so red – Baga look no further than the moody Nebbiolo-like Pé de Ganso Reserva 2020 – also great value a fresh blend of Encruzado and Malvasia Fina (very mineral reflecting the granite soils) and the complex JK Reserva 2017 a blend of native grapes (Touriga Nacional Much of the Niepoort range was on show via its new importer Halo Wines and were as quirky and low alcohol as ever: favourites for me included the Lagar de Baixo Baga 2020 fruit-driven but wonderfully textured and the delicious old vine Dão Conciso Branco just 11.5% - mainly Bical and Encruzado – but with exceptional length Quinta do Tamariz (seeking distribution) has a wonderful range of Vinho Verde wines historic producer about to celebrate its centenary full-on with 13.5% alcohol but nicely textured with suggestions of pear and linden on the palate But the most distinctive wines here are the Pet Nat because you have to know exactly when to bottle But these are part of our heritage and are made from 100% estate grapes,” says Sofia Lobo of Quinta do Tamariz Dirceu Vianna Junior MW held a masterclass - Hidden Gems - that focused on some of Portugal’s less sung varieties look no further than Dao-based Global Wines (also seeking distribution) which has a great range including a traditional method sparkling Cabriz Sparkling Brut 2017 (nice balance with 4 g/l of sugar and an equal blend of Encruzado Bical and Malvasia Fina) and the prize winning Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores 2020 with balanced oak giving a vanilla backbone to the fruit To the Alentejo for my last two producers – Herdade de Malhadinha Nova (Raymond Reynolds) and Herdade Paço do Conde (seeking distribution) I remember visiting both of these producers many years ago and in the case of the former time moves on and here was one of them in front of me clutching a bottle with her childhood drawing still adorning the label All these wines are decent – and organic - but special mention should go to the outstanding Malhadinha 2022 I was a bit surprised to see that Paço do Conde doesn’t currently have an importer – it’s one of the Alentejo’s best known producers and has been in the Castelo Branco family for over 300 years with its recognisable label featuring medieval minstrels good solid wines with special mention going to the rounded Herdade Paço do Conde Reserva Antão Vaz 2022 full on style with suggestions of apricot and peach on the palate and the Herdade Paço do Conde Grande Reserva 2018 a typically hefty 15% abv Alentejo blend of Alicante Bouschet showing dark berry and cherry fruit and hints of liquorice and chocolate on what is a very long value for money and extraordinary diversity The Buyer TVClick below to watch The Buyer's library of online debates, videos and webinars. we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links Portugal’s picturesque coastline stretches languorously along the Atlantic inviting throngs of sun-seeking tourists to crowd its shores every year Unquestionably one of Europe’s most coveted summer travel destinations the high season unfolds in a crescendo of packed beaches and fierce competition for a seat at one of the many seaside tascas But as the frenetic energy of summer gradually yields to the mellow beauty of autumn No matter where your travels take you—from the endless golden plains of Alentejo to the sparkling southern shores of the Algarve to the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley heavy with the fruits of the harvest—you’ll find a range of intimate design-forward hotels that embody the country’s old world charm and endearing hospitality find the very best hotels and unique stays to book for your fall getaway Courtesy of Quinta do ValladoBuilt in 1716, Quinta do Vallado is one of Portugal’s oldest and most famous wine estates The original 18th-century manor offers five rooms resplendent with antique furnishings and a sense of history the contemporary hotel designed by architect Francisco Vieira de Campos The 158-acre property sits right on the bank of Rio Corgo and offers stunning views of terraced hillsides guests can participate in picking and stomping the grapes Courtesy of Duas PortasWith gorgeous views of the Douro River and marina, Foz do Douro is the charming seaside neighborhood where Duas Portas resides This family-owned townhouse is an oasis of peace amid Porto’s bustling streets the wife of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura their daughter Luísa runs the place and welcomes guests like long-lost friends this spot feels like a true home away from home or hop on the tram right outside the door and journey into Porto’s historic center home to Mercado do Bolhão and the iconic blue-and-white tiled Chapel of Souls Courtesy of Casa de São LourençoThe scenic drive to reach Casa de São Lourenço is a harrowing journey along the winding roads of Serra da Estrela But it’s well worth the effort to experience the five-star luxury and panoramic views which become even more astonishing as the leaves paint the landscape in shades of amber and crimson Amenities include the glass-walled São Lourenço Restaurant which serves contemporary interpretations of local fare Furniture by Portuguese modernist designer Maria Keil along with the many snug fireplaces scattered throughout the property lend it the feeling of a modern mountain getaway while Areias do Seixo Villas offers 19 spacious villas The hotel’s commitment to eco-conscious practices is apparent at every turn and recycled materials and reclaimed wood blend seamlessly with the interior decor creating an inviting and earthy atmosphere that echoes the property’s sustainable ethos Set upon a protected stretch of coastline in Santa Cruz Areias do Seixo offers guests access to pristine beaches where the golden sands meet the Atlantic's azure waters and elaborate tilework—is inspired by famed 19th-century explorers Roberto Ivens and Hermenegildo Capelo and pays homage to Portugal's Golden Age of Discovery Courtesy of Hotel das AmoreirasTucked away in the lush garden square of Jardim das Amoreiras, Hotel das Amoreiras is a boutique getaway that radiates a sophisticated yet cozy ambiance Owners Pedro Oliveira and his wife Alicia Valero lovingly restored the once-neglected buildings into a “small grand hotel” with 17 refined rooms from the Portuguese marble in the bathrooms to the plush velvet upholstery in the dining area Views span the verdant Amoreiras gardens—especially striking in the fall—and the iconic Águas Livres Aqueduct the city’s best shopping and dining are just steps away Courtesy of São Lourenço do BarrocalNestled among ancient cork trees and flourishing olive groves, São Lourenço do Barrocal was once a bustling farming village in the 19th century whose family had owned the property for over two centuries enlisted the talents of the renowned Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura to give the 780-acre estate new life after it fell into disrepair The renovation transformed the old stone farm buildings into a delightful collection of rooms which includes an exquisite meal cooked over the grill featuring vegetables fresh from the garden the farm’s delicious certified organic veal the hotel encompasses three levels that elegantly surround a garden conceptualized by landscape designer Louis Benech Hand-painted frescoes and opulent wood floors meld with a captivating blend of North African and European antiques color-rich home than a hospitality project; adding to that feel is the fact that no two rooms are the same Courtesy of Companhia das CulturasAgritourism boutique hotel Companhia das Culturas sits on 100 sprawling acres of cork oaks and apricot and fig orchards in the Castro Marim Nature Reserve in southern Portugal just a short drive from the delightful coastal town of Tavira The memorable breakfast spread includes freshly picked apricots homemade bread with olive oil and fig preserves and cheese and butter from a neighboring farmstead A marble Turkish hammam is a welcome addition to the rural property and perfectly rounds out the commitment to relaxation Indulge in a massage using products from the hotel’s 8950 line all produced from essential oils and featuring plant extracts native to the surrounding ecosystem Courtesy of Casa MãeA sunny, beachside five-star oasis founded on an unwavering belief in sustainability, creativity, and local sourcing, Casa Mãe is located in the historic coastal town of Lagos including five sophisticated suites in the restored 19th-century estate The restaurant relies heavily on the hotel’s vegetable gardens and thoughtfully selected local producers to round out the menu Local sourcing isn’t limited to the fare: more than 90% of the decor and amenities at Casa Mãe are made in Portugal and most are exclusively handmade just for the hotel The Danish Home Lighting Trend That Can Improve Your Mental Health In America’s Cities, Saunas Are Becoming the Hottest Social Spot Millie Bobby Brown Shares Her Favorite Paella Recipe—and Details About Her Wedding to Jake Bongiovi A Day-by-Day Guide to Hiking the Legendary Nakasendo Trail in Japan Never miss a Vogue moment and get unlimited digital access for just $2 $1 per month ShareSaveCommentLifestyleTravelPortugal’s Douro Valley Should Be Your Next Wine TripByAnn Abel Ann Abel is a Lisbon-based writer covering luxury travel with a soulFollow AuthorFeb 28 06:02am ESTShareSaveCommentThis article is more than 3 years old.In the Douro Valley near Pinhao The Douro Valley is one of the world’s best known wine regions it’s the oldest demarcated wine region—declared way back in 1756 when it was a powerhouse for the fortified wine known as Port.) But this corner of Portugal has been a wine tourism region for only about two decades UNESCO granted the valley, with its steep terraces and adorably oversize name signs, World Heritage Status in 2001. But like so many other things in these pandemic times celebrations and commemorations are delayed Jorge Dias, the CEO of Porto Cruz, a Port house with more than 150 years of history (and one of the few with Portuguese ownership) He continues that he’s proud to have worked in “landscape management and in the creation of tourist offer in line with the values ​​I have always defended.” It increased the civic awareness of the population and the administration about the importance of preserving and safeguarding their heritage; in vineyard management there are greater concerns with environmental sustainability; the cultural offer and the tourist offer increased enormously… I have no doubts in stating that the World Heritage seal has contributed positively to the development of the Douro.” in 2005 (and which became the Douro’s first member of Relais & Châteaux in 2021) The terrace at Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo “The phenomenon of tourism opens many opportunities for young people and locals to grow their small businesses and rebuild their properties,” she says We knew and understood Napa Valley and so many other wine regions Our idea was for people to come and [try] a quinta (estate) in Douro Now we try to consistently improve our wine tourism experiences so that every year we have more guests from all around the world “We have also to bear in mind that 20 years ago we almost didn’t have any [quality] still wines or strong brands but today we are worldwide-known not only for the Port but also because of the amazing DOC Douro still wines (rated 100 points in some of the most influential specialized magazines).” A lot was always dry…but for decades it was seen as a waste of good grapes Touriga Nacional vines are heavy with grapes during the harvest in the Douro Valley in northern .. Van Zeller and his fellow Douro Boys started focusing on good-quality table wine in the 1990s “It was the beginning of a small revolution,” he remembers “The region has always had a strong magic because of Port wine mainly but it was set to have a strong position around the whole world of wine.” And that’s why Dias and others fought for UNESCO recognition at the beginning of this century Now the Douro Boys are working to counter the notion that Portuguese wines are “cheap and cheerful,” merely good value for money “We’re in an expensive region,” says Van Zeller acknowledging the challenges of the climate “We need to make people dream about the quality.” Another dreamer, from another generation, who has similar aims is Tiago Macena, who recently came on board as the winemaker at Quinta da Vacaria after having previously worked at other wineries elsewhere in the valley and other regions in Portugal Everyone knew our fantastic fortified wine the demarcated region… Now the still wines hold their own against wines from other great regions of the world.” Even the whites A rendering of the winery at Quinta da Vacaria That’s Vacaria’s role in the valley’s transformation “We want to have different good whites based on traditional grape blends to show that the Douro is not just about Port but about great wines We’re taking advantage of the variety of grapes comfortable hotel and “100% visit-able winery” set to open this summer Their aim is for their guests to spend two or three days in an “immersive experience an integrated circuit” of learning about wine a wine-tasting setup in a grove of orange trees a visitor center and plenty of walking trails through the vineyards and into wild nature it still feels like a farm where good old-fashioned hospitality is extended to everyone Amorim’s Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo—dating from 1764—is a deeply lovely place with spectacular views and a profound sense of calm It has the feel of a large Portuguese family home one that recently saw an upgrade of its 11 sumptuous guest rooms full of the Amorim family’s collection of more than 500 vintage tools especially the Burgundy-style white called Mirablis which winemaker Jorge Alves singles out for its “silky sophistication and oaky aromas.” Breakfast with a view at the Six Senses Douro Valley Universally recommended, the riverside DOC in Folgosa is the sexiest fine-dining spot in the area who holds two Michelin stars at his outstanding restaurant outside Porto a local spot that’s known for its welcoming service and excellent bacalhau (salted cod) It goes without saying that Quinta de Ventozelo Quinta do Vale Dona Maria and Quinta da Vacaria are worth a visit particularly for their harvest-related activities A theme that kept coming up in conversations with winemakers was sustainability “Since the acquisition of Quinta de Ventozelo,” says Dias (echoing sentiments of the others) “we have sought to enhance the enormous potential of the property This involves not only working on the richness and diversity of its wines “We have been developing land management strategies that are closer to nature to regenerate ecosystems and their support functions for sustainable production… Spaces do not belong to us; we just enjoy them with the obligation to take care of them for future generations.” From grand historic stays to glossy new openings, here we round up our pick of the best hotels in Portugal right now. For more ideas on where to stay, visit the best hotels in Lisbon or the best hotels in Porto designed by Jorge Santana da Silva; for others the chance to get under the skin of Portugal in the unspoilt where storks outnumber people in hilltop villages and donkeys graze in flower-filled meadows This is a resort that reflects its surroundings; from the fragrant honey at breakfast collected from the local beekeeper to the pottery made in the hills by a young artisan and the wines from vineyards right across this sun-drenched region 76 hotel rooms and 65 residences are mixed together in houses that cluster to resemble an Algarvian village Some have a private pool in a small garden (lined with Portuguese rosa aurora marble as are the three main pools) or a private jacuzzi on their terrace All the residences come with small kitchens Portuguese cuisine is at the core of the culinary offering here – even handmade pizzas emerge from the wood-oven topped with figs But each of the six restaurants and bars has its own personality and riffs on the national food Many of the experiences are suitable for older children from riding to learning how to look after sheep for the day accompanied by a local shepherd There are bikes to hire and trails to walk The success is in the small touches here: the pastel de natas and bottle of ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) greeting you in your room the personal welcome from the reception staff as you enter the building the endless design books and magazines scattered around the hotel and the slightly-wonky staircases that retain their decade-old charm That’s not to say luxury isn’t key in your stay at Sublime With beds so sumptuous you’ll be snoozing for hours showers bigger than most en-suites and ceilings so high you can almost hear an echo it feels like the palace you dreamed about living in as a child Even dinner in the hotel’s Italian restaurant is a special affair in beautiful surroundings; be sure to finish the evening with a glass of Sublime’s Moscato before retiring to your very own princess suite but nowhere feels quite as special as this little rural escape olive grove and farm in Portugal's wild This remarkable project is the work of former investment banker José António Uva who was determined to reinvigorate the family monté (farming village) All of the rooms are accessed from the cobbled courtyard and have been converted from former stables The low-lying exterior is beautifully photogenic and it would surely be impossible to wander through here in the late afternoon sun without feeling inspired which are the embodiment of farmhouse chic; vast and rustic and duck egg blue that’s instantly calming there’s a strong farm-to-table ethos when it comes to dining in both the estate has been producing its own food and goods the olive oil in particular is memorable for its buttery so successful that it’s opened a cool Lisbon outpost and is converting an adjacent swathe of land Life here still unfolds serenely: from the glassy barn-like central Sem Porta restaurant out to the pool past the organic garden with its circular bar around an open fire for locavore cookouts; for bucolic bike rides or electric shuttles to the beach club at the dreamy Critics point out that there’s not much to “do” in Comporta and curious – much like Christian Louboutin himself all of which draw on the area's heritage and craftsmanship Think hits of Spanish and Alentejo traditional design against a breezy blue-and-white colour palette with furniture sourced from across Spain and Portugal (doors from Grenada The restaurant Xtian serves traditional Portuguese pastries as well as heartier meals there's a tiny spa offering facials and massages a pool perfect for lazy days and the staff are pros at arranging trips to wineries Melides itself was on the map before Louboutin came along – but this opening is making it the most talked-about area in Portugal – hence we named it one of the best places to visit in 2023 with new openings seemingly arriving monthly Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon was built in 1959 by the Dictator Salazar as the city's first-ever luxury hotel and has managed to move through the decades maintaining its reputation for classic grandeur while keeping up with the pace of this ever-changing city With a huge display of modern Portuguese art throughout the properties – from tapestries to paintings and sculptures – there's something truly unique in every corner you'll be just as impressed by the sweeping views of the city from the hotel's rooms or the rooftop running track (yes It goes without saying that the food and drink offering at FS is impeccable; known mostly by locals for its extravagant brunch – an event fit for royalty desserts and even a chocolate station – the breakfast is just as sumptuous The hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant CURA joined the offering in 2020 and serves a wonderful tasting menu of dishes inspired by Portuguese flavours Also worth checking out is the hotel's spa which is almost certainly one of the best in Lisbon and the Ritz Pool Bar for a lobster roll and a dip in the pool where whitewashed buildings sit in perfect silence Independente doesn't want to be just another Comporta opening for those popping in for a long weekend but a getaway for travellers and locals alike who want to while away the evenings with a glass of local wine in hand and stay up late to watch the night sky Check-in takes place at the small reception alongside the restaurant so you can sense the vibe and take in staff prepping for dinner service colourful dragonflies swoop overhead as music (mercifully nothing like tacky lobby music) plays from the invisible speakers It’s an ideal place to spend an afternoon; sun-seekers can recline on the day beds while there’s a shady escape by the wooden bar which serves up an inventive cocktail list (the gin-based ones particularly hit the spot on a summer's day) its Wuthering Heights’-worthy façade – writ in stormy glittering granite – is an 18th-century baroque beauty and an ivy-cloaked stone crucifix stands atop a glowering Gothic chapel Seven rooms sit along a curved cloister of the house’s old stable block with a further two stand-alone studio apartments situated on a lower level so a stay here means total immersion into the landscape history and viticulture of the Douro Valley – interspersed with treks through the hotel’s nature trails boat tours along the river and dips in a swimming pool with epic valley views the hotel is one of the oldest and largest farms in the valley – and its dedication to preserving the ancestry of the farm and the surrounding region is visible in every corner hike around the hills and fully immerse themselves in the nature that is so well-preserved across Douro There are seven buildings dotted around the estate housing 29 rooms a bright and airy house with a private pool Baby blue walls and sandy-coloured furnishings create a peaceful atmosphere with fluttering curtains pulling back to reveal green hills tumbling into the Douro River On a balcony looking over the estate vegetable garden Cantina do Ventozelo serves regional cuisine using produce plucked from the grounds The ingredients lead the way: dishes are centred around whatever vegetables have been freshly picked as well as whatever fish was caught in the river that same day where towering palm trees play hide-and-seek with faded façades but at this peachy-pink palácio they are everywhere A couple sit on the counter at the appropriately named Duck Bar another is embossed in gold on the leather key-card holders and some have even been wrought into the iron railings of the large balconies ‘We chose them as our logo because they come from Asia like us,’ explain British owners Miles and Gail Curley who have done stints in Singapore and Madrid On a visit to Lisbon they fell in love with the 19th-century palace and decided to dive into hands-on hospitality Gail embraced the challenge of restoring and redecorating the 28 bedrooms Due respect is paid to the building’s heritage with preserved blue-and-white tiles and a colourful arabesque ceiling which soars over one of the beds But British touches are laid over these details from the big standalone bathtubs by Drummonds to the Dyson hair dryers Bathrooms are clad in barley-coloured stone from Sintra and have heated floors and Byredo bottles Bedrooms come with help-yourself mini-bars – try the ginger health shots – as well as Lisbon-made pink-pepper candles while the rest of the day can be whiled away beside the huge swimming pool under the cloudless sky Everywhere there is an overarching sense of generosity – of space of the owners’ time (Miles has been known to fold his tall frame into his old Renault 4 to drive a guest to the station when an Uber didn’t materialise) – and a warm desire to please layered landscape of the Douro Valley is rarely seen so perfectly as at Six Senses Douro where the river meets the vineyards and there is nothing but space First-time visitors to the wine region will enjoy the gentle emphasis on local vinhos here; you can take part in nightly tastings or simply ask for advice when it comes to choosing your wine pairing for dinner at the Vale d’Abraão restaurant which makes for the ideal cosy setting to enjoy your evening As is often the case at a Six Senses property the spa at the Douro Hotel is perfection; 10 treatment rooms look onto the garden and guests can indulge in a massage using bespoke oils made from the property's on-site garden or a facial using skin analysis for optimum results There's also an indoor pool with jets plus saunas and steam rooms to encourage you to embrace the relaxed vibe of the hotel AlgarveOn a narrow country lane framed by rolling meadows stands tiny Hospedaria pillar-box-red front door makes a bold statement against the traditional whitewashed stone walls There is a red trim around its windows too matching the sign swinging gently in the warm breeze that depicts a trumpeter on a galloping horse and announces its former purpose as a post office The building dates from more than a century ago during which time it was also a general store and a tavern where locals came to dance at village balls that are still talked about today Now it is a pitch-perfect hotel created by owners Rui Liberato de Sousa and Nuno Ramos of nearby bolthole Pensão Agrícola They have preserved not only the fabric of the place but also its spirit Step into the original bar with its period tiled floors and industrial lighting illuminating rows of bottles and you can almost hear the rise and fall of voices from yesteryear with its high wicker-lined ceilings and oil paintings Yet the whole hotel brims with uplifting energy dappled by sunshine and borne on the smile of Maria Leonel as she brings bacalhau gratin made using a recipe from the cookbook of De Sousa’s grandmother to tables set in the gravelled corner of the terrace Five simple bedrooms lie among the garden’s fragrant jumble of flowers and fallen lemons Each one has varnished cement floors and stripped wooden surfaces; some have outdoor showers away from the hurly-burly of the every day that will be exactly as far as you’ll want to wander AlentejoBack when hotels in the olive-filled plains of the Alentejo where resident storks still outnumber people Herdade da Malhadinha Nova set a benchmark This smartly restored 10-bedroom farmhouse is surrounded by acres of fields and cork-oak woods roamed by pure-blood lusitano horses and labels on its acclaimed wines – freckled cows zebras and bunches of grapes in thick crayon – drawn by the children of the Soares family who own it directed by Joachim Koerper of Lisbon’s Michelin-starred Eleven delivers innovative field-to-fork dishes that use the bounty of the grounds: home-raised beef tartare; Malhadinha lamb with courgette tart and rosemary from the herb garden; cakes made from the farm’s lemons the family took things to a whole new level by revamping several abandoned buildings around the estate to provide individual villas with in-house dining Terracotta-hued Casa do Ancoradouro is set up high overlooking the land with a vast swimming pool A sense of place is evident throughout – in the Alentejan antiques bespoke artisanal ceramics and even pieces such as the heracleum light by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders But perhaps the best example of the Soares’ passion for detail is found in the two-bedroom Arts and Crafts house where the walls are covered with clay in a natural olive-green pigment putting a modern twist on a respected tradition Outdoors there are horses to ride and hot-air balloons to soar in but there are also countless corners for seeking out solitude and silence ÉvoraMany people who come here are drawn by the Almendres Cromlech Portugal's most important Megalithic site which dates from 6,000BC to 4,000BC and is minutes away 13 hectares of garden and parkland where the two donkeys roams through the fragrant lavender that lines the cobbled paths The long drive is flanked by cypress trees leading up to a row of what were once stables and are now six bedrooms with one more up a flight of stairs Basins are made from local marble or shiny columns of porcelain; lotions and potions are Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte; keys to the rooms are attached to old cowbells: the look is a striking mix of vintage and modern Lisbonites José Pedro Vasconcelos and Mariana Roxo (she's a producer he's an actor and well-known Portuguese TV show host) cowhide stools and vividly painted pieces of furniture add punch to the white-walled backdrop and a touch of urban chic next to the wood-burning stoves and rural surroundings Down the path past the owners' house is the restaurant caprese salads and tuna burgers are served on the black-and-white chequerboard terrace; but in the winter months Tuck into pasta con gamberetti and a bottle of Imani's own wine created by acclaimed local oenologist Paulo Laureano AlgarveThis family-friendly spot is perfect for those on a mission to relax on the Algarve’s picturesque southern coast the cliffside escape is nestled between the coastal city Albufeira – a former fishing village with a vibrant old town – and Quarteira Combining modern style with authentic Portuguese touches visitors ambling through the expansive 72-hectare grounds will stumble across white-washed villas and hidden courtyard fountains decorated with hand-painted tiles and murals by local artisans A sleek elevator brings you from the cool shade of the resort’s namesake pine trees to the white sands of Algarve’s famed Falésia Beach while those who prefer pool-side comforts have eight to choose from Golfers can enjoy a nine-hole scenic cliff-top course whilst the 1,100 metre Serenity Spa offers everything from CBD massages to body wraps made from the powder of the island’s fragrant carob fruits Flower-enveloped four bedroom villas and self-catering apartments with cloud-like beds and free-standing baths form part of the array of contemporary accommodation on offer while the resort offers the largest kids club in the region Food lovers have their pick of 12 different restaurants and bars the most impressive being the highly Instagrammable cliff-top Champagne Mirador bar where trees decorated with magnums of fizz frame the stunning views of the Atlantic ocean with a ladder and a diving board that lead straight into the water wrought-iron entrance gates it is impossible not to get swept up by its century-old charms The bar and sitting areas in the main building wooden ceilings and wonderful wall tiles; for a recent refurbishment the acclaimed designer Graça Viterbo has used bold colours and striking materials to create a Miami-meets-the-Mediterranean (via the Atlantic) feel two-storey extension with a further 20 bedrooms overlooking the chic swimming pool framed by stately palms A gorgeous L'Occitane spa - another impressive Viterbo design - opened in March and innovative Portuguese dishes by chef João Oliveira such as oysters with green tomato and alentejano bread or cheek belly can be munched on while watching the waves wash in the second of which is new and was built during renovations which added 11 new rooms and a spa to the property a portrait of a woman smoking actual paintbrushes in another – one of many textured mixed-media works by local artist Jorge Cuval At the bottom is a bar and bistro with ceiling fans and little ceramic dishes for just about everything This feels like a private house with drawing-room hush and broad horizons the reflected neon of the port houses trembling on the water The rooftop terrace and horizon-edge pool look out over the city's pretty terracotta-tiled roofs and white-washed buildings to the Ria Formosa lagoon beyond Time a visit to the top-floor Hábito restaurant to arrive as the sun sets over the skyline or to the top-floor private bar to sit around the fire pit gazing at the stars there's a cool of subterranean spa area – or ask for a spa bath on the balcony of your teal-and-copper room for added decadence The small marble tables were designed by Borges who wanted to prove just how flexible the stone can be and recruited a local craftsman to chisel it into a bath sparrows bounce between olive trees; glockenspiel sheep bells clang One woman came with no car but armfuls of books and read them all The city of Estremoz is just down the lane its winery producing bottles that land on the table here Not far is hilltop town Evoramonte for teetering views Dá Licença is an auteurs’ project that gives a real sense of perspective amid the Alentejo plains AlentejoIn a region where black pigs still roam free under oak trees and storks nest on ancient bell towers a striking new hotel has opened in a series of low-slung earth-toned interiors by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan are dominated by wood and slate with bespoke pieces such as a distinctive bench by George Nakashima The 22 wonderfully spacious L'AND View and Sky View rooms emphasise the natural raw textiles and huge baths crafted in slate with iPads and iPod docks; in the Sky View Suites ceilings roll back electronically to reveal the starry night sky chef Miguel Laffan uses great local ingredients - sheep's cheese porco preto horse mackerel - to produce sophisticated knock-outs such as shrimps encrusted with threads of batter The sommelier hosts tastings of the vineyards' own very drinkable red Reserva and there is a restful Vinothérapie Spa by Caudalíe Costa de PrataTired of never finding a hotel they liked Marta Fonseca and Gonçalo Alves set about creating one They wanted it to be environmentally friendly they have incorporated driftwood from the beaches into their designs and built around trees where necessary (my bathroom had an olive tree in the middle of it) in 14 bedrooms which use geothermal energy and solar power Each is decorated differently: some suggest Marta's maternal Cape Verde home All have polished cement floors and pebble walls soft quilts and open fires or wood-burning stoves From your private wooden deck you can gaze at the distant blue ocean The warm atmosphere created by the owners emanates throughout the hotel It is reflected in the home-cooked food served in the bare-board-chic restaurant the campfire evenings when guests can gather as Marta plays the guitar a greenhouse where lemongrass is grown for home-brewed tea A private path takes you across the cliffs and down to the beach Casa Das ArribasBuilt for a wealthy family in the 1940s by influential Portuguese architect Raul Lino this white-on-white estate – high on a cliff in the old seaside village of Azenhas do Mar – lay abandoned for 15 years until it was modishly revived by its German owner Chris Kraus two years ago clean-lined apartments set in a tropical garden staring vertiginously down to the Atlantic Ocean while the midnight-green forests of Sintra-Cascais Natural Park creep up behind plus polished-concrete worktops and exposed ceiling joists locally made wooden furniture give the place an air of rugged refinement (and parents a sense of relief that there’s nothing too obvious for the children to smash) In summer, the hotel is filled with fresh-faced, outdoorsy European families. A shared tennis and basketball court, gym, swimming pool, spa and store cupboard stocked with skateboards, games and yoga mats keep everyone on their toes, meaning young ones are adequately exhausted by bedtime. Massages and fitness classes can be arranged, as can childcare – especially useful for a quick grown-ups-only day trip to Lisbon (about 45 minutes away) But with its hypnotic scenery and soothing it’s easy to stay put at this crazy–good-value new hangout EriceiraEriceira is best known to locals as a surfing town it makes sense that you'd want to stay somewhere overlooking the jewel in the crown: the beach itself Immerso is perfectly placed – high enough to feel remote and peaceful but with impeccable views of the ocean and beyond Every room in the hotel makes the most of its tranquil surroundings with floor-to-ceiling windows but it's the ones overlooking the water that feel most special with beds placed to look out as you wake (it's a rare occasion when sleeping without the blackout blinds is heavily encouraged in order to catch a glimpse of the sunrise) The vibe here is chilled-out; whether you're poolside or having lunch with a view it's clear the clientele are staying for pure zen; helped by the on-site spa Food is served up by chef Alexandre Silva with a focus on fire cooking and both the lunch and dinner menus are relatively small – after all why should you have to make any difficult decisions during your stay If it's relaxation you're looking for Casa de PrataA sleepy village overlooking a beach pounded by Atlantic waves doesn’t scream child-friendly destination has quickly established itself among in-the-know parents That’s in no small part due to this hip eco-hotel designed by the couple behind gorgeous Areias do Seixo a few miles away Noah exhibits the same artistic flair but with a more industrial aesthetic Rooms are in the main house or boxy wood-clad bungalows and kids love the bunks suspended by cables with rope ladders Despite being nearly half the size of Gran Canaria, Madeira is an incredibly diverse island The southwest coast is home to mountains covered in banana and avocado trees exotic flowers and a string of pretty coves and the picturesque fishing village of Câmara de Lobos you’ll find the photogenic black sand beach of Seixal 15th-century straw-roofed houses in Santana One of the most beautiful activities to do is to walk along one of Madeira’s remarkable 200 irrigation tunnels clouds and waterfalls high in the mountains This is where The Reserve sets itself apart there’s a questionnaire to fill in to personalise your stay (favourite fruit you’re met off the plane by a member of the airport team who fast-tracks you through immigration and into a lounge your Reserve personal assistant can even arrange a variety of experiences to showcase the island from a wine- and cheese-tasting session with the head sommelier and a chef’s tour of the market to an afternoon’s fishing out at sea Best of all are the ones that connect you with the landscape such as a sunrise trip to the heights of Pico do Areeiro on a four-by-four named after Reid's original Scottish owner and fronted by the islands' only Madeira-born Michelin star chef a visit to Reid's wouldn't be complete without afternoon tea on its famous black-and-white checked terrace where guests feast on palm tree-framed views of the Atlantic finely-cut finger sandwiches and fluffy scones Read our full review of Reid’s Palace Hotel address: Reid’s Palace, Estrada Monumental 139, 9000-098 Funchal, Portugal Funchal Cottages isn't a hotel but a handful of judiciously curated high-end villas worthy of a few pages in a fancy interior design magazine the kind you'd expect to find laid open on a young art director's coffee table Publisher and designer Cristina Leitão Abreu are the creative brains behind the holiday homes Both were drawn in by the idea of breathing new life into dilapidated buildings All five of the pair's bold properties have film-star-on-holiday qualities brave colours and artistically upholstered headboards is a delightful two-bedroom cliffside hideout that’s a short walk from Funchal's old town Cristina has created a playful 'Swiss Family Robinson' romance about the place It's almost as if you've been castaway on a remote island but chanced upon a place with impeccable design and lavish comforts – slouchy Ligne Roset Togo sofas bespoke light shades that look like coconuts husk hi-tech coffee machines and floor-to-ceiling windows Much of the curated furniture was imagined by Cristina and crafted by local carpenter Other pieces were created by Madeira-based Jose Pedro including an art deco-style lilac daybed worthy of Marilyn Monroe Days at this quirky outpost are best spent watching ferries pootle by while barbecuing fresh tuna from the seafood market at Mercado dos Lavradores Or toasting breakfast mimosas after a sunrise Pilates session as whales pop up in the distance Hotel address: Funchal Cottages, Rua Julio Dinis 27, 9060-144, Funchal Twenty years ago, Joaquim and Maria Helena Abreu bought a scattering of ruins on a modest patch of land close to Ponta do Pargo on the west coast of Madeira. They intended to use it as a country escape with their two sons but decided it was too special not to share they renovated the ramshackle buildings and began experimenting – adding an infinity pool It helped that André grew up to be an architect The hobbit bar is perhaps his magnus opus – a fairy-tale space with a living roof that’s blessed with plush interiors that a posh cocktail bar would be proud of and watch the sunset transform the sky from purple to orange through the circular doorway which Maria Helena jokes was the first and most important installation six lodgings – ranging from one-bedroom studios to a five-bedroom rustic stone house – make up what is a kind of self-catered jams and tea/coffee already on the kitchen top on arrival And fresh bread is hung on your door handle each morning in a sweet All dwellings have different interiors but share the same language let’s call it Madeiran-country-farmhouse-meets-NY-warehouse chic Floating staircases and concrete floors softened with patchwork rugs and framed photographs of the previous ruins Wood burners add an extra level of cosiness Yet the most enthralling thing about this place is its connection to nature – quacking ducks trinkling levadas (water tunnels) and endemic trees Hotel address: Casas da Levada, Rua da Lombadinha, Corujeira nº 20 Ponta do Pargo, 9385-237 The first thing you notice when arriving at Quinta do Furao by night is the soft sweet scent of the burning wood spilling from chimneys of nearby homes you are more likely to inhale the inviting aroma of freshly baked sweet potato bread (a Santana delicacy) wafting from a wood-fired oven at the hotel’s bakery Learn how they make it on Thursdays as part of a roster of free daily activities you will be lured to swim in the outdoor pool set amidst a vineyard guarded by one towering palm tree and serenaded by the Atlantic Ocean below Guests often choose the hotel to access nearby levadas You’ll see them red-cheeked dressed in walking clobber in the restaurant – a woody high ceilinged ski chalet of a place with a wood fire protein-rich typical Madeiran mountain food The menu ranges from Portuguese-style chicken to beef and tuna skewers served with smoked mashed potato and a sauce (truffle Staff at the restaurant and throughout the hotel have that rare ability to know what you want before you do always presenting it with a genuine smile – drinks all 65 rooms have a homely feel (there was a vast refurb in 2020) thanks to a blend of dark woods mint botanical printed bedspreads and colourful geometric headboards Suites come with mollifying sea and vineyard views white and red traditional triangular houses Hotel address: Quinta do Furao, Estrada da Quinta do Furão Nº6, 9230-082 Santana, Portugal wildflower-strewn roof are architecturally uncharacteristic of Madeira and more reminiscent of London’s Barbican Centre protruding from a dusty mountain on the island’s sunny southwest there’s a plethora of traditional resort hotels a marina with a handful of fish restaurants a yoga deck and possibly Madeira’s most-photographed infinity pool Guests spend days swilling piña coladas beside one of the four pools unravelling in the sumptuous spa or lounging on the hotel’s private stony beach across the way occasionally taking a free shuttle into Funchal All 196 rooms and suites here are ambiently lit and decorated in earthy hues with sugar cane motifs – Saccharum is on the site of an old sugar cane mill Designer Nini Andrade Silva pays homage to the site’s history with old photographs and decorative machine parts scattered throughout leave a crack in the door and let the swishing sounds of the Atlantic sing you to sleep Rise in time for a knockout breakfast buffet – a lavish abundance of pastries Hotel address: Savoy Saccharum Calheta Resort and Spa, Rua da Serra D'Água, nº1, 9370-087 Arco da Calheta, Madeira, Portugal where Monarch butterflies flutter around balloon cotton bushes and guests crane their necks at towering trees heavy with avocados Quinta da Casa Branca is a tranquil retreat from nearby Funchal has been owned by the same Scottish family since the 18th Century formerly big players in exporting Madeira wine transformed the Quinta into a luxury boutique hotel in 1998 – adding a new wing in 2002 aided by local architect João Favila Menezes The architecture here is a battle between classic and contemporary is the centrepiece and was occupied by the Leacock family until 2010 all decorated in heritage style – Venetian chandeliers was inspired by the famous prairie-style designs of Frank Lloyd Wright glass-fronted one-story building with slate roofs camouflaged by yellow trumpet trees and pink fuchsia All rooms have a balcony or a terrace and are finished with botanical prints Afternoons at Quinta da Casa Branca are best spent roaming the gardens and learning about the flora and fauna (there over 260 species of plants here alone) Reading beside one of the two heated pools is another solid option – one has a French château feel; the other try the well-priced tasting menu – featuring a gorgeous duck in a red berry jus and chocolate pudding with cheese ice cream – at The Dining Room the hotel's Michelin guide-worthy restaurant Hotel address: Quinta da Casa Branca, R. da Casa Branca 7, 9000-088 Funchal, Portugal Once a holiday home to the noble Zino family 1905 Zino’s Palace is perhaps Madeira’s most romantic and aesthetically beautiful hotel It looks as sweet as one of Mr Kipling’s French Fancies perched on a hillside in the sleepy village of Lugar de Baixo on the island’s southwest coast majestic pointed Gothic spires and immaculate architectural symmetry; it looks ready-made to star in a Wes Anderson film set against a mountainous backdrop of dense banana trees has just nine rooms; the best come with balconies four-poster beds and shoulder-dropping sea views Handwritten tips are as adorable as the interiors – sage green walls What’s more delightful is how breakfast is presented and served until 12 pm on a sprawling terrace with panoramic views across the ocean and mountains there’s also an unassuming pebbled shore down a winding path Though the prettier beach at Ponta Do Sol - just a few minutes' drive away - is a better option so you’ll need a car and a confident driver to visit Hotel address: 1905 Zino’s Palace, VE3 10, Ponta do Sol, Portugal Nothing cries palace quite like lashings upon lashings of gold And it seems designer Nini Andrade Silva kept this front of mind when crafting interiors at Savoy Palace – an immense cruise ship-shaped five-star hotel in São Martinho So much gold that things could easily sway to tacky from the blue futuristic top-floor fine-dining restaurant Galáxia Skyfood to the new eco-leather wall motifs and enormous cloud-like beds offering wrap-around balconies with sea and/or city views an exclusive lounge for canapés and drinks The hotel’s award-winning Laurea Spa is what cements the Savoy Palace as one of Madeira’s finest hotels Inspired by the island’s UNESCO World Heritage-approved Laurissilva forest the green and blue-hued spa combines a floral palette with high-end luxury gadgets Float from steam and sauna rooms to hot tubs and dipping pools or glide through sensorial showers spraying mint lavender and eucalyptus scents inspired by levada hikes Hotel address: Savoy Palace, Av. do Infante 25, 9004-542 Funchal, Portugal Most visitors to Madeira know the sweet fishing village of Câmara de Lobos as the place Winston Churchill painted on his one visit to the island Near the marina there’s even an almost life-size bronze statue of him with his easel We see Quinta da Saraiva as a hotel the former wartime prime minister would have liked to visit Perhaps perching himself on one of the hotel’s balconies fashioning a watercolour of the surrounding hillsides covered in banana trees The small boutique hotel was the country home of the Rodrigues Figueira family Although most of them fled to Venezuela in the 50s to escape Madeira’s post-war economic downturn or enforced military service US-based political economist Daniel Gonçalves Rodrigues returned to Madeira around seven years ago and began looking for investment opportunities had restored his grandmother’s old country house The goal was to preserve their heritage via a boutique hotel that feels more like staying with a Madeiran family in the country – only with modern-day luxuries (a hot tub The Quinta is more pastoral and comfortable than high-end luxury Handpicked artwork by a descendant of the family fills the walls throughout British country-style familiarity – floral patterned bedspreads natural colours and views across the banana plantation or ocean Hotel address: Quinta da Saraiva, Cam da Saraiva 18, 9300-046 Câmara de Lobos The first thing guests do when checking in to this colossal five-star hotel is attempt to book a table at Il Gallo d’Oro (or so we’re told) But it’s almost always too late by this point – the restaurant is usually fully booked well in advance It’s Madeira’s most distinguished dining spot home to two of the island’s three Michelin stars and a recently-awarded Green star French chef Benoît Sinthon is mainly responsible for taking the gourmet restaurant to such dizzying heights crab in a bisque so gloriously deep in flavour you could bathe in it ultra-modern Les Suites (a collection of 23 suites) The twin-dining concept serves Mediterranean food on one side and various Asian dishes (sushi More traditional food can be found at the Rose Garden which has a rotating three-course menu for under £50 mixologists whip-up half-price drinks – including a first-rate Negroni – as musicians perform sweet-sounding jazz If you’re not content eating your way around the hotels and an outdoor hot tub encased by nobbly stakes of volcanic rock relaxing places with garden or sea views and marble bathrooms Hotel address: The Cliff Bay, Estrada Monumental 147, 9004-532 Funchal Portugal hotel reviewA tranquil vineyard-turned-hotel etched into a UNESCO World Heritage SiteAll listings featured on Condé Nast Traveller are independently selected by our editors For a back-to-nature escape. This hotel is first and foremost a working farm and vineyard so passengers can smell the wildflowers and hear the caws of birds of prey swooping alongside the tracks guests can find Ventozelo tucked into the Douro hills The site where the hotel is located is packed with ancient history – the village of Ventozelo dates back to the 13th century the estate has been used as a farmyard under the rule of noble families and landowners the production of port wine began to ramp up and the estate opened its first working vineyard the land is owned by Granvinho (formerly Gran Cruz) Determined to educate the world on Douro’s viticulture the estate underwent a €7 million investment to open the farm as a hotel and quinta the estate is a picture-perfect example of Douro Valley – billowing canyons the shimmering river and endless vine-striped fields Think grilled asparagus topped with tomato salsa dollops of citrus foam and sprinkles of flaked almonds roasted) with cubes of nettle cheese and orange slices pair your meal with wine from the region – start with a port and tonic aperitif choose a bottle of Quinta do Ventozelo Malvasia for light fruity flavours and finish with glass of port (the Cruz 40 Anos is seriously special and has a sweet A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Upper Douro Wine Region is one of Europe’s most breathtaking landscapes – fields braided with vines are bordered by winding roads weaving their way up the hillsides split down the middle by the rambling river Guests can borrow an audio guide and choose between a variety of different trails with information about the flora Reward yourself with lunch at one of the other quintas nearby – Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo is a 250-year-old hotel just 25 minutes from Ventozelo wrought iron tables and hanging greenery place emphasis on the views designed to spotlight the wine produced by the centuries-old grape vines blanketing the hills surrounding the hotel visit the original 1764 winery and stop by the Wine Museum Centre Fernanda Ramos Amorim to learn about traditional wine production methods and take a look at the different tools used over the last few centuries The service here is low-key and laidback – guests should remember that Ventozelo is a farm and winery above all Eager to protect the site’s ancient history plenty of thought went into the hotel’s construction Buildings were renovated rather than built anew solar panels have been added for water heating and energy-efficient lighting has been implemented in each building Sustainable farming methods are used throughout the vineyard and 16 hectares of cork oak trees have been planted (which absorb 15 tons of CO2 per hectare each year) an ecological corridor has been preserved surrounding the estate’s forest so any wildlife can roam freely around the grounds Accessibility for those with mobility impairments The hotel has one specifically adapted bedroom for wheelchair users with step-free access and a wheel-in shower, and there are several parts of the farm where ramps can be installed, but more could be done to accommodate guests with disabilities. There’s a visitor centre where guests can do wine tastings and learn about the hotel’s history, from portraits of the farm owners in the 1700s to sound boxes where you can soak up the landscape as it was in the past, and be sure to ask at reception for seasonal activities from grape and olive harvests to riverboat tours. You’ll find Praia do Canal where the drama of the Atlantic pounds limestone cliffs and surfers dot the waves. This is Portugal’s wild west coast and the resort sits just inland on its own 500 acres in a protected spot with scope for exploring Praia do Canal’s particular beauty lies in its privileged sense of space There are paths to follow through the forest bicycles to ride down bumpy tracks to a pebbled beach and expanses of verdant lawns beyond the seemingly never-ending infinity pool The subtle kasbah aesthetic that pervades the airy, modern and somewhat minimalist rooms is a nod to the Algarve’s Moorish heritage Two-bedroom family suites lead to lawns inset with private pools so parents can keep a close eye on splashing children Regional dishes such as codfish and chickpea purée and veal with sweet-potato chips blend vague familiarity with new tastes for young palates (or there’s always wood-fired pizzas) while local products are to the fore for parents: cheeses from Odemira Serpa and Evora; the black pork of Barrancos and Estremoz; fish from the sea at the end of the gardens Cocktails made with fruit from a strawberry tree at the Medronho Bar and an Elemis-stocked spa with glass walls that appear to melt into the leafy landscape complete the parent-pleasing picture Tranquillity is easy to find in Portugal’s Alentejo countryside All of the rooms are accessed from the cobbled courtyard and have been converted from former stables There are two restaurants – one indoor and one outdoor While this is an escape that’s made for relaxation the hotel has ensured there’s plenty to do; whether that’s a horseback ride through the 780 hectares of land a morning spent with the property’s beekeeper who gently introduces guests to his five hives with utter care or simply a bicycle ride on one of the free-to-use bikes There are two swimming pools (one of which is a smaller toddler-friendly option) and seemingly endless space for young ones to run around with abandon while adults watch happily from the sidelines from the restaurant to pop straight onto the grill The full kitchens are better equipped than any house we’ve ever rented Not just masses of plates and bowls and glasses in all sizes The mini-mart then has everything else you might need pops of colour from mustard and teal cushions on the beds and wallpaper inspired by traditional Portuguese patterned tiles Bathrooms are still quite old school but classic full BBC channels (including CBeebies) are on TV Few resorts have as much on offer as Vila Vita Parc which is one of the rare properties that cater to a large number of people With an impressive 10 restaurants – including one with two Michelin stars – plus six bars there’s enough to keep you occupied for a fortnight Guests can choose from ocean or garden-view rooms with whitewashed walls and blue accents throughout but what really stands out here is the amount of space available to guests it’s undoubtedly a family-friendly property on-site playground and crèche available to look after babies from six months There are six pools throughout the property and endless green space for young ones to enjoy which lives on-site and makes for wonderful spotting opportunities for adults and kids alike This family-friendly spot is perfect for those on a mission to relax on the Algarve’s picturesque southern coast Flower-enveloped four-bedroom villas and self-catering apartments with cloud-like beds and free-standing baths form part of the array of contemporary accommodations on offer where trees decorated with magnums of fizz frame the stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean A sleepy village overlooking a beach pounded by Atlantic waves doesn’t scream child-friendly destination. Yet under-the-radar Santa Cruz, north of Lisbon Teens roam between the skatepark and chill-out room with its table football or commandeer the hot tub while adults take a deep inhale of salty air from the daybeds around the pool The ocean beckons as soon as the sun rises but only the most dedicated surfer would miss breakfast with eggs from the resident chickens If conditions are too rough off Santa Cruz’s 11 beaches head north to buzzing Peniche or south to pretty Ericeira For supper there are two options: the restaurant offers twists on local classics such as Ibérico pork pica pau with spices bare bricks and chunky furniture are offset by fishing nets even an upturned boat – this artful flotsam and jetsam reflects a determination to repurpose Sustainability extends beyond the styling: instead of air-conditioning thick walls keep rooms cool; rain water is collected and food composted; 70 per cent of energy for hot water is generated by solar power; and everyone is given metal water bottles to reuse This is somewhere to teach kids good environmental practice Tapping into the barefoot, salty-haired vibe of Portugal’s coolest holiday destination used to be an exercise in knowing the right people. The best beach shacks were privately owned, and only for friends of friends. Now though, in addition to a number of new hotel openings, the top spots can be infiltrated. This low-slung six-bedroom villa, right behind the high dunes of Pêgo beach in Comporta is as close as you can get to having your toes in the water Olive groves and wild pines surround three separate cabanas – ideal for giving grandparents or older siblings a bit of space – that are linked by sandy pathways; there’s no need to bring shoes floors are smooth polished concrete and sun-bleached driftwood informs the styling the house is within walking distance of the gorgeous Sal Beach Club to which the whole family can decamp for long lunches Built for a wealthy family in the 1940s by influential Portuguese architect Raul Lino this white-on-white estate – high on a cliff in the old seaside village of Azenhas do Mar – lay abandoned for 15 years until it was modishly revived by its German owner Chris Kraus a few years ago They showcase Lino’s pared-down vision and love of space and simplicity with glass doors looking out to a private terrace and roaring an oval ceramic bath and a swirling sculptural pendant lamp – designed by Kraus in the style of Le Klint – add character spa and store cupboard stocked with skateboards games and yoga mats keep everyone on their toes meaning young ones are adequately exhausted by bedtime and the practically private beach – a minute’s walk from the garden gate – offers sheltered waves suitable for the youngest budding boarders Massages and fitness classes can be arranged as can childcare – especially useful for a quick grown-ups-only day trip to Lisbon (about 45 minutes away) it’s easy to stay put at this crazy–good-value hangout but a breakfast basket can be arranged and lunch and supper easily called in from the delightful Café das Patrícias nearby A stay here is delightful – a place where children can ride horses by day and then sleep with nothing but an open door and a billowing curtain between them and the great outdoors INSIDER TIP Even in the summer school holidays rooms are generally less than about £180 per night and flying to Lisbon rather than Faro cuts the airfare down too – which makes this a seriously savvy call Most people flying to Faro rush straight to the coast to the clipped golf courses of Quinta do Lago chilly Atlantic blue on the horizon of any of the seaside sunspots where the manicured lawns and indentikit villas make way for scrubby olive groves and crumbling villages Moncarapacho is less than half an hour from the airport but a million miles away in essence Vila Monte has somehow managed to remain a bit of a secret a mini estate of whitewashed buildings that blend Moorish architecture with Andalusian hacienda style The grounds are exquisitely pretty: lush gardens thanks to Portuguese design maven Vera Iachia: rattan headboards pergola-shaded terraces casting shadows on day beds It’s a big enough place that staying put is perfectly possible – there are terrapin-filled ponds But there are also trips with a local fisherman to harvest razor clams and oysters (eaten straight away on the boat and adventures exploring the wilder beaches east of Tavira with their white sand dunes and warm water after wood-fired thin-crust pizzas and chocolate mousse served from a giant sharing bowl children run wild across the fairy-lit lawn a plate of freshly baked warm cookies awaits by the bed – a gesture that defines the place rather well INSIDER TIP The hotel has a strong wellbeing focus – address frazzled energy levels with sound-healing treatments If your frazzled teenagers are in need of sunshine and downtime after exam exhaustion consider this whitewashed farmhouse in the Algarve Pensao Agricola is surrounded by green meadows that are home to snoozy cows and Ernesto the donkey (soon to be joined by a wife amidst plans for an equine dynasty) The six bedrooms are all different and all charming but if you want a bit more crashing-around space choose from the other three in the former stables and outhouses where chairs and cushions are laid out for lounging which has a tiny sitting room facing a courtyard and fountain The rain showers are lit naturally by skylights there's springtime almond blossom by the bathroom sinks and the polished-concrete floors have underfloor heating for chillier weather Furniture is a smart mix of antique and retro and you'll spot little piles of books everywhere (Portuguese authors in translation) Housekeepers Barbara and Maria stir up dishes inspired by the childhood recipes of owners Nuno Ramos and Rui Liberato de Sousa including salt cod with layers of sweet potatoes and fig ice cream dining tables hiding among lemongrass and lavender bushes and an honesty bar on top of a wall in the shade of a magnificent olive tree Those with urban urges could head to Seville who frequently came to take the waters at this natural spa in Portugal's far north this grand palace has long outlived the monarchy for whom it was intended New life has been breathed into Vidago Palace a century later with rooms emerging clad in dazzling De Gournay hand-painted silk wallpapers the bar lined with leather and the spectacular staircase topped by gilded ceilings The Belle Epoque exterior in pretty-as-a-picture pink will make little hearts race while adventurers will love exploring the gardens All will fall in love with Mirandês Figueiro food is more rustic than palatial with dishes such as douradinhos (fish fingers in disguise) and no one will bat an eyelid at requests for more sprinkles on the ice cream The strikingly modern spa is an architectural anomaly designed by Pritzker-winning Alvaro Siza Vieira its soaring walls jutting out from the original building But perhaps the biggest surprise of all are the treatments for children including splash-about Vichy showers and drinking small cups of the thermal water – just as the king did all those years ago There is nothing subtle about Conrad Algarve six-storey whopper of a hotel in Almancil is as full throttle as you might expect But with all that resorty-ness comes the space for youngsters to wheel around and let off steam and for parents to enjoy candlelit dinners the brilliant spa (try the Intraceuticals oxygen infusion facial and look 10 years younger) and the excellent golf courses right on the doorstep Best of all there is always someone in just the right place to arrange it The Young Guest Concierge will take children to water polo in the indoor pool to dance classes or to make marzipan golf balls in the Little C Palace kids' club films for the tweens and blindfolded ice-cream tastings for everyone Budding cooks can take sushi-rolling classes with cool Aussie chef Andrew McGie whose prawn popcorn is a hit at Louro restaurant Kids can do as much of the organised activity as they want head down past the playground to the largest swimming pool and install the whole brood on the huge day-beds The poolside Dado restaurant serves giant grilled langoustines moreish cod-fish fritters and non-alcoholic drinks such as Something is Missing (lime juice from the tasting menu at Gusto by Heinz Beck (you will want to eat the fagottelli carbonara every day) to afternoon tea in the bar Those in search of peace and quiet should go to the heated infinity pool that looks out over the countryside There might not be a sea view but the Atlantic is just moments away over the sun-bathed Bornes de AguiarBetween Vila Real and Chaves Muddy-kneed tree climbers will be thrilled at the prospect of sleeping among the leaves and the branches at Pedras Salgadas these two architecturally astonishing tree houses sit atop five-metre-high steel stilts between the cedars and pines The forest hideaways are tiny but brilliantly designed like a yacht's galley pristine blonde wood from top to toe and high thread count cotton sheets A huge picture window in front of the main bed looks onto the park where century-old sequoias soar upwards to the blue skies where red squirrels chase each other and you might just hear wolves howl from the distant mountains Explore the treetops via suspension bridges for those who want to soak up more than just nature try the spa with its thermal waters – excellent for both respiratory and digestive problems The park's location is ideal to visit nearby Chaves and Vila Real the Casa de Chá restaurant serves up hearty plates of regional sausages and black pudding work it all off with a dip in the outdoor swimming pool before a night high up under the stars For the first time ever, Portugal has its own dedicated Michelin Guide The 2024 edition and inaugural guide launches in the country’s sun-filled south Here is our insider look at the best of those hidden gems and places to slurp oysters with your feet in the sand and your face turned to the ocean spray – the best restaurants in the Algarve right now line-caught fish and wild game are all on the table this winter Start with sourdough bread from a nearby artisanal bakery while you admire Studio Gameiro's interiors Finish with ice cream from the herbs in the flourishing garden outside Address: Austa, R. Cristóvão Pires Norte, 8135-117 Almancil, PortugalWebsite: austa.pt Try the region’s scarlet shrimps with curry and lemon caviar the duck accompanied by sweet potato flavoured with eucalyptus and piri-piri and the sweet homage to Madeira of banana Address: A Ver Tavira, Calçada da Galeria, Largo Abu-Otmane 13, 8800-303 Tavira, PortugalWebsite: avertavira.com Al SudAl SudSet high above the Bay of Lagos housed in the clubhouse of Palmares Golf Course won a Michelin star just seven months after opening at the end of 2021 Chef Luis Anjos’s passion for the rich bounty from the Algarvian coast shines out of the menu Try his delicate violet prawns with the much-loved goose barnacles with shellfish from the Rio Alvor and the essential Portuguese herb take a table on the terrace and watch the fishing lights twinkle out at sea as night falls Address: Al Sud Palmares, Campo de Golfe de Palmares, 8600-250 Odiáxere, PortugalWebsite: palmaresliving.com Acclaimed chef Heinz Beck, who runs the three Michelin-starred La Pergola in Rome has an outpost in the Algarve at the Conrad Hotel in Quinta do Lago The restaurant has an open kitchen where Beck is often to be seen at the stove devotees can get their fix of his memorably delicious Faggotelli Carbonara his signature twist on the classic carbonara Indulge and opt for the nine-course tasting menu with red mullet from Sagres and langoustine with a nduja crust and take the wine pairing for the best gastro experience Gigi’sRodrigo BimeringGigi’sThe wooden deck of Gigi’s in the Algarve’s Quinta do Lago peeps over the Ria Formosa and serves the freshest fish and seafood albeit at a price – sometimes accompanied by bursts of opera from an ageing Gigi himself replaced by various grandchildren running around The day’s catch is listed on the blackboard – try the Algarve’s famous carabinieri (scarlet prawns) Address: Gigi’s Restaurant, Quinta do Lago South Portugal, Almancil, PortugalWebsite: quintadolago.com Ask anyone in the east of the Algarve for their favourite local restaurant This self-taught chef has won the hearts of the locals and with her recent appearance as a judge on MasterChef Her family-run restaurant overlooks the sea at Cabanas de Tavira and serves the freshest fish prawn tempura with a spicy mango salad or John Dory with coriander rice Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the Algarvian flavours of almond and orange cake or carob and almond cake Address: Restaurante Noélia, Av. Ria Formosa 2, 8800-591 Cabanas, PortugalWebsite: facebook.com Alongside dishes which dazzle both in looks and taste faultless service and impeccable wine pairing with the Atlantic Ocean shimmering in front of you Address: Ocean, R. Anneliese Pohl, 8400-450 Porches, PortugalWebsite: restauranteocean.com Morgado do QuintãoOliveira MilenarMorgado do QuintaoEating al fresco comes into its own under the branches of the 2,000-year-old olive tree that stands at the heart of this winery Founded in the early 1800s by the Count of Silves and now run by the fourth generation of the family current owner Filipe Vasconcellos and his winemaker Joana Maçanita have been instrumental in establishing a wine profile for the Algarve with their low-intervention chemical-free wines from traditional grapes such as Negramole whether a plate of regional hams and cheeses or a family recipe for the much-loved bacalhau (dried cod) Address: Morgado do Quintão, Morgado do Quintão, 8400-000 Lagoa, PortugalWebsite: morgadodoquintao.pt Our go-to to celebrate high days and holidays and for that fix of sunshine and fresh fish within the sound of the waves this charming restaurant has a loyal following You might get some oysters or typical clams with garlic sauce followed by the freshest of sole or sea bass filleted at your table (do try the cheeks) and still tasting of the sea as is the service and the views out to sea Address: Restaurante Rei das Praias, Praia dos Caneiros, 8400-272 Ferragudo, PortugalWebsite: restaurantereidaspraias.com UmamiRodrigo CostaUmamiApart from being one of the best spots to watch the sun go down in the Algarve Umami delivers pitch-perfect Asian fare from sushi and sashimi to Robatayaki where meat fish and vegetables are slowly grilled over sustainably sourced Marabú wood Start with a sake-infused cocktail and a milk bun with miso butter and edamame Try the crunchy squid with black garlic in tempura or the yellowtail tartare with fish roe and rice crackers But save room for the melt-in-the-mouth dumplings – duck and pomegranate or pork dim sum before savouring the freshest of seabass charcoal grilled in the Robata and served with a coriander beurre blanc Address: Umami, Quinta do Lago, Rua das Palmeiras Rot.6, Av. André Jordan, 8135-024, PortugalWebsite: quintadolago.com Vino by Paper MoonAndre Pires SantosVino by Paper MoonGood wine bars are surprisingly hard to find in a country that produces so much good wine which surfaces at the newish W Algarve once winter has beaten a retreat Drawing on a cellar with over 1000 references renowned sommelier Miguel Martins will treat you to a memorable journey through vineyards across eight different countries Whilst the wine commands centre stage here comes courtesy of adjoining restaurant Paper Moon Start with the yellowtail marinated with dry vermouth martini to set the tone Beautifully set in a tiny gem of a palace hotel on the edge of a cliff overlooking the golden sands of Praia da Rocha the food at one Michelin star Vista restaurant is more than a match for its surroundings weaves together the culinary highlights of the Algarve to create a memorable dinner The sound of the sea echoes through his dish of mussels and sea urchins A sun-filled garden can be tasted in his organic tomatoes Address: Vista, Av. Tomás Cabreira 1, 8500-510 Portimão, PortugalWebsite: vistarestaurante.com The OneThe OneSomewhat hidden away at the water’s edge The One delivers a sophisticated and impressively polished menu from its setting in Caroveiro’s Tivoli Hotel Open for dinner only; ask to eat al fresco as the moon dapples the limestone rocks beside you there is a choice of tasting menus (vegan is one option with an excellent cappuccino of peas) and an à la carte menu where you can expect dishes such as a fried moray eel with Algarvian carrot aioli or hook-fished hake with pureed watercress Address: The One Restaurant, Estr. do Farol 5, 8401-911 Carvoeiro, PortugalWebsite: tivolihotels.com Vasco CélioVila JoyaRun with love by owner Joy Jung whose mother Claudia created this paradise from the little cliff-top Moorish palazzo that she fell in love with decades ago food under Chef Dieter Koschina is as much a part of Vila Joya as is the sound of the waves of the sea lulling you to sleep One of the few restaurants in Portugal to have two Michelin stars Austrian Koschina impresses with signature dishes such as red mullet meaning you never have to eat anywhere else And with its view onto the sea from its sun-lit terrace seamless service and Koschina’s dazzling dishes Address: Vila Joya, Estrada da Galé, 8200-416 Albufeira, PortugalWebsite: vilajoya.com one of the best restaurants in the Algarve tucked under the shadow of the village’s ancient queues have formed outside its doors to wait for the oysters brought in from the neighbouring Ria Formosa as you can see from the many locals slurping happily on the wooden tables outside – some of whom come on horseback after riding along the beach beneath Address: Casa da Igreja, Largo da Igreja 8900 Vila Real de Santo António, PortugalWebsite: facebook.com Vila Joya SEARicardo Nascimento/Vila JoyaVilla Joya SeaThe annual opening of this white-on-glossy-white chic beach shack with its wicker and adobe light shades swinging in the sea breeze over the cocktail counter and the raw coir rope blinds dropped to partially shade the beautiful people dining marks the onset of long days and warm nights Japanese cuisine (try the wagyu beef with caviar) is served on one side of the open kitchen while the other spotlights Mexican dishes (I am still dreaming of the Aguachile) Vila Joya Sea is somewhere which manages to perfectly combine memorable food with a feet-in-the-sand Algarvian sense of place Address: Villa Joya Sea, Estrada da Galé, 8201-917 Albufeira, PortugalWebsite: vilajoya.com EstaminéRestaurante EstaminéOnly accessible by boat, this eco-centric restaurant pays homage to the crystal-clear waters of the Ria Formosa that surround it It sits in solitary splendour on the white sands of Ilha Deserta (the Deserted Island) and is the main reason that people hop aboard the 15-minute speedboat shuttle which brings you here from Faro makes up much of the menu; here grilled simply with local olive oil and the region’s salt a kind of ham from the sea or the baby cuttlefish fried in their own ink Address: Restaurante Estaminé, Ilha Deserta, 8005-554, PortugalWebsite: ilhadeserta.com Zazu Beach CafeZazuOverlooking the beach in Praia de Luz Zazu turns out nicely spicy Asian fare from classic Pad Thai to unmissable prawn croquettes with tamarind mayo and coriander sushi rolls and the best sticky chicken bao in Portugal but opt for the crispy chicken with Thai leek dumplings and Tom Kha Gai foam if no Save room for the deconstructed white chocolate cheesecake to finish and then walk it all off along the beach beneath you Address: ZaZu Beach Club, Av. dos Pescadores 130, 8600-130 Luz, PortugalWebsite: zazubeachcafe.com sitting on the unspoilt west coast of the Algarve By the time you have walked down the steep hill to the beach Praia is a tiny white-washed restaurant which hangs over the beach Dishes delight beginning with the brioche and rye bread with flower-clad the pica-pau beef strips and their twist on a hot dog as it is such a pleasure to linger here by the sea and indulge in their ‘cappuccino’ to finish Address: Restaurante da Praia Arrifana, 8670-111 Aljezur, PortugalWebsite: restaurantepraiaarrifana.com Receive our review of the hottest new restaurant in London every week It's not all croissants and steak frites – from falafel to fine dining, these are the best restaurants in Paris right now Discover The World’s 50 Best Bars The most delicious cities in the world The true story behind the burnt Basque cheesecake It is unlike anywhere you have been before Herdade da Comporta in PortugalThe name Comporta, roughly translated, means a gate that holds back water, a lock. Which makes sense when you see how many canals there are. This is rice-paddy land. Great, stripey fields of rice, the biggest in Portugal sheltered from the stiff Atlantic breezes by sand dunes They are kept green and bounteous by a crisscross of irrigation canals when the rest of the country (bar the Algarve golf courses) is dusty and dry Rice farmers have been in Comporta since the beginning of time They have shaped the look of the landscape in this part of Portugal covered with glowing red poppies and yellow carpets of wildflowers and conserved the unique architecture - small hooped with tightly packed grasses from the riverbanks and beams of wood from the pine forests ComportaChloe MallettSandy fields bulge with organic courgettes and broccoli and pumpkins as sweet as pudding makeshift stalls pepper the side of the road Knobbly lemons the size of grapefruit hang heavy from the trees The ground pours forth flowers and vegetables and fruit It's hard to think of anywhere else so fertile And it seems unperturbed by the nascent fair-weather visitors Comporta is a village on the west coast of Portugal, about an hour's drive from Lisbon. But when people talk about Comporta, what they really mean is the region around it. The Herdade da Comporta is a swoop of coast between the Sado Estuary and the sea, 12,500 hectares comprising seven hamlets: Pego, Carvalhal, Brejos, Torre, Possanco, Carrasqueira and Comporta, too. 3 Bicas villa in ComportaNelson GarridoFrom Easter onwards, people descend from the rest of Europe in quiet droves to stay in the traditional but vamped-up The smartest families have rooted themselves in Brejos where the Espírito Santo clan has a cluster of houses Interior designer Vera Iachia is part of that dynasty and her collection of cabanas sandy tracks lead from one unassuming cottage to the next German artist Anselm Kiefer and model Farida Khelfa (Schiaparelli's new muse) all have houses here The Casiraghis drop by in July and August to stay with Charlotte's godmother and Sarkozy and Carla have been spotted further down the coast near Muda Everyone pootles around in beat-up golf buggies or Mini Mokes Read our pick of the best hotels in Comporta made up of thatched cabanas centred around a sunny deck Nearer the river, there's the often-photographed Casas Na Areia (from about £425 per night) shortlisted for the Mies van der Rohe Award to breathe life into four traditional masonry buildings The result is a thing of beauty: a clever mix of the old and the new anglepoise lights craning over the beds and tree stumps as side tables Huge glass doors open onto a little slice of nature reserve the mini indoor dunes are perfectly cool underfoot Still few and far between are the highly designed modern numbers so prevalent elsewhere in Europe The Herdade da Comporta has rigorous planning restrictions on what can and can't be built within its jurisdiction the constraints are relaxed and the architects have run with it If you’re looking for very traditional Alentejo cuisine (which you should be, it’s delicious) then book into Gomes, where pork cheeks are served alongside migas – a classic dish, almost bread pudding-like, and always delicious. Ask for recommendations on wine options; it’s a sin to visit Comporta and not indulge in some locally-produced Alentejo wines. Days here are unhurried. It's an easy, breezy existence. The focus is the beach. And what a beach: 12 km of uninterrupted sand the colour of a pastel de nata, a deep, mellow yellow, fine and powdery as icing sugar that includes Praia da Comporta, Praia da Torre, Praia do Carvalhal and Praia do Pego. This feature first appeared in Condé Nast Traveller July 2013. where a stretch of white sand meets the rugged waves loved by surfers year-round it's no wonder Comporta has become a must-visit destination in Portugal are the ones that stay true to the beauty of the landscape and respect local land and traditions From a tranquil set of private villas nestled among the forest to a tow centre spot that makes everything walkable these are our picks of the best hotels in Comporta right night and rarely has a hotel managed to achieve what many others find impossible: absolute peace and quiet in a beautiful setting with exemplary service And while Comporta is undoubtedly a beach destination Sublime is a hotel that shifts with the seasons it’s a place to take a dip (the hotel has three pools plus private ones for some villas) and sit under the shade of the pine and cork trees the cabins make for cosy places to sit and feel surrounded by nature and the restaurants and spas are warm and inviting so you don’t need to leave the property if you don’t want to we highly recommend a trip to Sublime’s beach club on Praia do Carvalhal where fresh seafood paella is served piping hot alongside fresh bread and Algarve butter and where the sunset is one that will stay fresh in your memory for years to come Address: EN 261-1, Muda, CCI 3954, 7570-337 GrândolaPrice: From about £220 a night following the traditional decorative techniques of the region Artwork is in the form of hanging rugs made by weavers from the Alentejo who used traditional techniques to create patterns specially designed for the hotel Independente doesn't want to be just another Comporta opening for those popping in for a long weekend but a getaway for travellers and locals alike who want to while away the evenings with a glass of local wine in hand and stay up late to watch the night sky With a small spa and restaurant Maroto (meaning the naughty one in Portuguese) there's enough to keep everyone entertained the town of Comporta is a 30-minute drive (add an extra five to get to the beach) and here you'll find restaurants and shops there were high expectations for AlmaLusa from the start the 2022 opening more than lives up to expectations A stone’s throw away from all that the town of Comporta has to offer – from restaurants to shops – plus just 15-minute walk from the beach but even the most freewheeling travellers can access Comporta via AlmaLusa which offers transport for guests to and from rail and ferry terminals single rooms are available for those visiting solo which is a refreshing change from many of the couple-orientated hotels nearby which make the property particularly family-friendly Address: R. Pedro Nunes 3, 7580-652 Comporta, PortugalPrice: Doubles from £138 a night and suites from £215 per night Read our full review of AlmaLusa Comporta rope-tied Balinese lampshades that fill the double-height spaces more of those lampshades and lots of wood and wicker the other with views of burnt-orange sunsets over the fields Portugal’s rustic Alentejo may seem an unlikely area for a full-blown spa but the one here has ambitious plans to use rice much in the same way that French-based Caudalie has done with grapes The ingredient is infused into treatments such as the lavender foot bath and the hotel is creating its own products There are plenty of grains on the restaurant menu including its own-brand Black Pig gin – try it in a cocktail made with passionfruit and honeycomb – and puffed crackers flavoured and coloured with squid ink And an organic garden will soon be adding to the kitchen’s harvest This is a next-level arrival that never loses sight of Comporta’s breezy Address: Quinta da Comporta, Rua Alto de Pina, 2, 7570-779 CarvalhalPrice: Doubles from about £225 This is a property that doesn’t cram people in to get as many rooms as possible; instead and it almost feels as though you’ve got the place to yourself high wooden ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows make this a typical Comporta place to stay and you can comfortably do laps if you wish – a rare thing is small but has a strong offering of Portuguese meat and fish dishes (vegetarians might feel limited); the black pork cheeks with bread dumplings are particularly wonderful Address: N261-1, Estrada das Bicas, Marco da Saibreira, Bicas, 7570-337 GrândolaPrice: From about £190 a night spent generations unnoticed before being snapped up by Portugal’s most powerful banking clan which ensured strict rules for anyone intending to build a house here a select band of architects are finding inspiration in the area’s unusual scenery – storks nest on every other telephone pylon – and the homespun vernacular of whitewashed fishermen’s huts and horizontal-striped woven-reed exteriors topped with palm-frond roofs Regulars will tell you that the best way to experience Comporta is to rent a house makes the most of its views over rice fields that flick from water-logged to luminous green as the seasons change there’s a view of the sunrise over the fields punctuated only by the orange trees in the garden Outside is a huge barbecue with a pergola-sheltered table and a swimming pool to leap into the dense forest backdrop is filled with umbrella pines and gnarled cork trees it would be easy to forget it’s so close to the beach But just behind the treeline are miles of unspoilt caster-sugar dunes From Carvalhal it’s walking distance to Pego for lunch at Restaurante Sal where locals pull on their Sunday best to feast on grilled fish This is a great spot to go off-grid in the same way the savvy crowd have been doing for decades Address: Campo de Arroz, Rua Do Conde 52 4 DTO. 1200-637 PortugalPrice: From about £390 per night. All roads led to Black River Saturday as the businesses surrounding the waterway that leads from Milford’s Millpond to Lake Ontario put out the welcome mat as part of the first annual Black River Fall Festival The festival is part of the bookend set of events that are the brainchild of Black River Bed & Breakfast owner and operator Conrad Biernacki The summer season opened with a similar festival on the Victoria Day weekend and closed with a one day send off on Saturday “We were really pleased with the turnout and how many people came by,” Biernacki told the Gazette With the Spring edition being a run away success organizers added a parking lot next to Vicki’s Veggies and running tallies were kept “We think around 600 people attended which is incredible for a one day A number of them were returnees from the spring event,” Biernacki enthused The event naturally featured the reincarnated Vicki’s Veggies but also had other stops along County Rds 16 and 17 as well as the aforementioned Morrison Point The pARTnershop Art Co-operative and Vintage Map Company were just some of the area businesses taking part this weekend PARTNERS IN ART Local photographer Daphne Creasy shows off one her photos available at the pARTnershop co-operative art gallery in Black River it was a return to the glory days of previous Labour Day weekend Heirloom Hurrahs where tomato tasters from far and wide would attend the farm and taste-drive scores of rare varieties “It’s been so great to have other businesses involved so there’s something else for people to do other than seedlings sales and the tomato tastings It’s awesome to be part of what’s happening here on Victoria Day and Labour Day weekends,” said Emlaw who is growing produce for the first time since 2016 After expanding operations and marketing fresh vegetables to the high-demand Toronto market Emlaw said she’s decided to return to here roots and sell exclusively from the roadside “What I love about farming is being in the garden and what was taking me away from the garden was having to sell in Toronto,” Emlaw said I needed to get bigger and grow more and hire more people and I asked myself ‘Why am I doing this when all I want is to be in my bare feet and growing tomatoes?’ Everyone has been really supportive and happy I’m here the store’s here and they can come and pick up what they want Located near the Black River Cheese outlet store is the pARTnershop a 12 member co-operative organization made up of local artists and chair Joanne Frieday said the festival events have been a boon for the organization “The pARTnershop depends on people coming to Black River to find us has been wonderful in terms of getting people to notice us Unless you are coming here for cheese or you know where you are going it’s kind of hard to find so the festival has been a God-send for us The pARTnershop features a mixed collection of artists who’s specialties include pottery painting of various mediums and photography.” “The spring and fall festivals have been an exceptionally good thing for all of the businesses in the Black River area and we are so happy to be a part of this wonderful group,” Frieday added Biernacki said the unique characteristics of the Black River area which hosts a good proximity of “wonderfully industrious agricultural and artistic people and their love of what they do and where they live with everybody else.” “Everyone seemed to think that was a good idea whether Vicki was in or out this season Thankfully she was in and took part,”Biernacki said adding planing for the 2020 Black River Spring Festival is already underway There is a whole lot of up in Madeira and a whole lot of down but then the serious business of up and down starts again and there’s a good chance you’ll go up to Monte in a cable car and come down in a basket These wicker toboggans have been skidding along since the 19th century straw-boatered figures in white suits who gather like a convention of gondoliers flicking cigarettes to the ground as passengers arrive careering around bends on a road polished smooth as black ice once the family home of a Victorian photographer you can find sepia images of besuited tourists doing just the same wearing the same unruffled expression seen on moustachioed men from the period whether attempting an ascent of the Matterhorn or crossing Blackpool sands by donkey Funchal old townTom ParkerBut there are bigger adventures to be had on Madeira. A couple of years ago, a nomadic Australian blogger called Jackson Groves – often seen suspended midway between solid rock and another hard surface – spent six months criss-crossing the island Eagle-tattooed and with a beard a sparrowhawk could nest in he followed rarely used trails over peaks and along crumbling cliff paths seemingly burrowed by badgers he traverses the Miradouro do Ninho da Manta a jagged stairway ridge a few miles north of Funchal in a white-out: looking like the scenic route into Valhalla it’s as if someone had built a mountain staircase then whittled away the sides until only the steps remained teetering over the mottled iguana-back of the crag perhaps they’re seen as a sign that Madeira hasn’t been forgotten about Pool at Reid’s Palace, a Belmond HotelTom ParkerCristina keeps a gleeful eye on fresh arrivals, making connections and collecting dinner guests – a Dutch perfume curator here, a cannabis-smoking Thai entrepreneur there During lockdown she befriended several digital nomads drawn to the island by its perennial good weather and speedy connections (‘there’s 5G everywhere’) many sailors feared their boats would fall off the edge of the Earth just beyond Madeira the known extent of the western world; now our pioneers are teetering on the brink of the metaverse Rooftop at Sé Boutique Hotel, one of several small hotels in FunchalTom ParkerI’d like to say I’ve been coming to Madeira since I was yea high, riding baskets down hills like Steve McQueen, but I only stepped foot here in 2021. It was a place I had a hazy impression of, an alliteration somewhere between Malta and Mallorca dimly remembering dutifully looking through photographs of flowers from my parents’ visit in the 1990s It seemed to have the nostalgia of a charity shop in Bayswater of pleasant walks through botanical gardens before tea All of which dissipated on a four-wheel-drive expedition into the island interior Local photographer André GonçalvesTom ParkerThere are places on Madeira where it feels as if you’re in the Himalayas, standing above a sunlit sea of white cloud; in other places Vietnam farmers’ terraces contouring the hillside in cascades of green steps; others again where you could be on Dartmoor during a thick pea souper Yet the whole island can be crossed in barely more than an hour We bump up steep inclines and switchback roads to reach vineyards high in the hills then descend to Porto Moniz to swim in natural pools scooped in black lava floating under a rocky overhang to the edge where small crabs scuttle like children unsure whether to jump in or not and the waves whip up foam on the other side a sudden strange surprise of a plateau where crooked laurisilva trees half a millennium old stand knee-deep in fog furry with lichen and spiders’ webs – Tolkien-esque Gothic Botanical gardensTom ParkerMadeira is almost ridiculously hirsute. One big botanical garden, it was seeded in the past by ships stopping on their way back from Africa, India and the New World it’s as if a suburban garden in Surrey rebelled and turned feral with explosions of lilac hydrangeas and purple agapanthus lining the route The battle between indigenous and invasive species is ongoing someone decided it would be a good idea to plant fast-growing eucalyptus for timber; it now spears the mountainscape and attempts at controlling it seem futile Dandelion plants grow to the size of small palm trees Stand here long enough and you may take root yourself they seem to cover the island like fur on a bear ‘My mother in Lisbon says that Madeira is just about bananas,’ another friend ‘I tell her there’s more to it than that but it’s all she ever says.’ The farming is tenaciously opportunistic Look up and you’ll spot small outbuildings on slopes so precarious they can seemingly only be reached by a family of farmer goats; look down and there are lonesome rooftops that could have been dropped there by seagulls and passengers would send over coins for them – they were known as the boys of the pebbles and my designs are in honour of them.’ while cliffside hotels jostle for position for sunset views and cherished ocean access and they or their descendants return at Christmas for an island-wide homecoming leaving the warmth of the coast below for a wintry landscape where cloud tangles in fir branches like wraiths he’s still surprised by the sheer variety of ingredients that grow in the island’s seven microclimates sea fennel and blueberries – and the yellow flowers we carefully pick from prickly gorse bushes – for intricately beautiful dishes at his aptly named restaurant The Wanderer past vines of passion fruit strung like festive lights and mossy banks where water ebbs down as if in a subterranean grotto tells me how he’s been restoring ghost trails across the island asking retired farmers about the routes they used years ago and heading out with friends armed with machetes to open them up again stopping to turn every so often and wonder at the distance we’ve covered Walking these pathways – ‘the habits of a landscape’ as nature writer Robert Macfarlane has it – connects you deeply to an island whose interior was defined by foot Roads are relatively recent additions; 40 years ago villagers would set out at dawn to reach the other side Peru and Japan and decided to open a place for like-minded people ‘The local surf scene in Porto da Cruz was beginning to draw others in but there was nowhere cool to stay with younger travellers coming for the canyoning and coasteering or mountain biking; but we also wanted a place where locals could come by for a beer many Portuguese surfers who’d normally go to Bali came here instead and the big waves at Ponta Pequena have drawn in international stars such as Justine Dupont and Greg Long Terrace at Avista restaurantTom ParkerAs the island develops over the next few years it’s easy to imagine yoga platforms cantilevered above banana plantations The potential for agritourism is surprisingly untapped its contours threaded with waterways – but its untamed wildness is always near the surface Banana leaves, Ponta do SolTom ParkerWhere to stay in MadeiraSocalco Nature Calheta  this restaurant-with-rooms from chef Octávio Freitas is squeezed onto a cliffside with banana trees and vines all around high above the sands of south-coast Calheta Those staying in Casa da Cascata drift off to the lullaby of the waterfall right outside Caju  A smaller work in Nini da Andrade Silva’s oeuvre set in a corner townhouse with Juliet balconies – ideal for a weekender in old-town Funchal and with Prima Caju café downstairs for breakfast Quinta Da Casa Branca  From the profusion of country-house hotels with botanical gardens The pool hidden among banana trees is so green it feels like swimming in chlorophyll 1905 Zino’s Palace  A Battenberg-cake of a villa above Ponta do Sol on the south coast with a little chapel and standalone restaurant next to the terrace pool – perfect for Garboesque moments gazing out over the ocean as the light fades Savoy Palace  Nini’s grandest work has something of the Maui oceanfront about it – sweeping architecture camouflaged by foliage a lagoon-sized pool and a skybar with grandstand views Next  Space-age white with retro games in the lobby tuna poke in the all-day café and a Miami-style rooftop pool this is the digital nomads’ hotel of choice (though it draws in plenty of analogue ones too) Jaca  The surfy Porto da Cruz original is the most fun but stop by Joaquina’s Funchal follow-up for its adjoining design shop showcasing ceramics and clothes by local label São Rosas Funchal Cottages  Cristina Leitão Abreu is helping preserve the island’s wicker tradition with fresh commissions for her villas around Funchal Okulus is the star but Pirate’s House has just been refurbished For more information on Madeira, see madeiraallyear.com PortugalChevron ÉvoraChevron Getty ImagesSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors Évora is arguably the most interesting place in Portugal. While Lisbon and Porto remain ever-favorable city breaks the Douro Valley a visually-stunning wine escape and the Comporta coastline endlessly beautiful; the town of Évora—just an hour outside of Lisbon—has all the components of a dream city break A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 Évora is the capital of the Alentejo region It stretches from the Tagus River in the north to the Algarve in the south and is known for its countryside planted with cork trees Évora has a colorful and fascinating history—which allegedly goes back to Celtic times Romans began inhabiting the city in the 2nd century BC and many ruins—including the Temple of Diana—remain from this time who built palaces and convents in the 15th century that remain leaving a mismatch of aesthetic styles that remain largely intact With its cobbled streets within the city walls, typically whitewashed Portuguese houses, and pretty tiles, Évora has inspired cities elsewhere, such as Salvador da Bahia in Brazil It’s also set to be the European capital of culture in 2027 and simply strolling around here is endlessly inspiring Shaped by more than twenty decades of history there’s nowhere quite like Évora; here’s what you shouldn’t miss All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors If you purchase something through our links About a 20-minute drive from the centre of Évora is Octant a brand making a name for itself in the Portuguese hotel scene with eight properties around the country and on the islands of the Azores it makes the most of what the Alentejo has to offer—four contemplation pools (one heated a rare treat in Portugal) sit on the edge of the property overlooking the low-lying land The sunset sets beautifully over the plain before the stars burn bright Simple but beautiful is the best way to describe the aesthetic throughout the property The hotel’s 56 rooms and 16 villas make the most of local wood and cork Views are either of the property’s main pool or the plain and villas have a small private pool on the outside terrace for moments when you need some time to reflect with white walls and blue accents in true Alentejo style Octant’s wonderful staff are particularly memorable; whether you’re travellng with children and hoping to get some free time in while they spend a few hours in the on-site crêche or planning something special (hot air balloon rides stargazing and even a chef’s table experience can all be organized if you wish) they will happily go the extra mile to ensure you have the trip of dreams but there are two things it does exceptionally well: nature and wine The hotel has a beautiful setting on a gentle south-facing valley looking towards the skyline of the mediaeval Montemor castle and with vineyards blending seamlessly into the landscape wineries are nothing new in the Alentejo region (the area is the leading producer of wines in Portugal) and many Quintas offer a place to stay for those who want to spend a little more time getting to know the area But it’s rare for a hotel to provide such an insight into the winemaking process Guests at L’AND are encouraged to learn about grape varieties grown locally They can even make their own wine blend—an enriching and educational experience in which you get to take the rewards of your own work home to enjoy later L'AND's vast campus and low-lying buildings make it easy to relax as though you're immersed entirely in nature given the property’s vastness and the way the low-lying whitewashed buildings blend into the landscape The hotel’s sky view suites are particularly worthy of praise wood-burning fires in the front and a plunge pool in the back patio plus vast swimming pool-like bathtubs made from granite and decor throughout by Brazilian architect Márcio Kogan which are positioned above the bedroom’s cloud-like bed allowing you to sleep under the starry night skies of the Alentejo The property’s Vinotherapy spa uses wine by-products like grapes and stems to revitalize and reawaken dull skin The peel and full body massage are highly recommended if you’re looking for pure indulgence; you’ll leave feeling shiny and new Alentejo cuisine is some of the most talked-about in Portugal Popular dishes that you shouldn’t miss include the many cheese made locally paired with Alentejo bread açorda (a bread soup with garlic and poached egg) migas com carne de porco (a sort-of breadcrumb dish made with local pork) and desserts queijadas de requeijão (small cakes made from egg yolks) and bolo de mel (honey cake) Housed in the courtyard of the Palace of the Dukes of Cadaval, Cavalariça is a must-visit With a large outdoor patio framed by panels which were created by South African artist Esther Mahlangu in 2018 at the age of 82 the colorful theme continues through to the indoor restaurant which was designed by Jacques Grange and features bold tiled flooring open space that feels welcoming and just different enough from everything else in Évora to be memorable you can enjoy the warm breeze and the smell from the courtyard’s medlar tree exciting vibe that helps lunches easily stretch into the afternoon Cavalariça's interiors have a fun and exciting vibe—lunches easily stretch into the late afternoon in such surroundings Dishes are inspired by the local cuisine but with a more international twist than the Comporta offering of the restaurant That’s partly down to Chilean head chef Catalina Viveros who brings her flair for flavor to the inventive menu divided into snacks with a wonderfully runny centre and is—dare I say—better than all Spanish equivalents I’ve tried so while you can expect plenty of meat and fish offerings (the lamb empanada with green seaweed sauce and wild line-caught fish are particular highlights) they’ll be paired with something special—whether that’s Alentejo bread migas or triple-fried potatoes with smoked lard Don't miss Cavalariça's stunningly fresh seafood Address: Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval, R. Augusto Filipe Simões, 7000-845 ÉvoraPrice: Two courses with wine is about £40pp Although some may consider Évora to be an ideal day trip from Lisbon the reality is that there’s far too much to see here in the space of a few hours set two or three days aside to slowly enjoy what’s on offer and soak up the atmosphere without feeling rushed Aside from the visibly obvious—the 16th-century aqueduct which lines the old town—there’s much to do here: Undoubtedly one of the must-see attractions in Évora is São Francisco a 15th-century church once part of the Franciscan Monastery and whose main draw now is the Chapel of Bones The monastery was mostly destroyed during the French invasion in 1808 the chapel (which has virtually no record of the thousands of skeletons found here) remained intact—perhaps due to fear of what would happen if it was torn down A rather spooky warning sits above the entrance reading: "We bones that lay here wait for your bones." which houses thousands of undocumented skeletal remains In the Conde Vila Flor square sitting above the old town which for many centuries was thought to be dedicated to the goddess Diana This iconic landmark started the period of prosperity in the Roman Empire It was almost always used throughout the many faces of Évora—by the Arabs as a mosque during the Moorish period then as a market in medieval times before becoming a slaughterhouse in the 19th century it’s retained for those visiting Évora to see and better understand the area's history Évora's Roman Temple sits in the Conde Vila Flor square just above the city's old town Considered the greatest gothic building in Portugal the cathedral spire marks the city's center and is visible from almost all of Évora which gives incredible views over the town and towards the countryside you’ll find a collection of sculptures of the apostles carved in the 14th century This 14th-century palace houses one of the most impressive collections of tiles I’ve seen in Portugal The main hall’s walls are adorned with typical white and blue tiles and the effect is mesmerizing; the type of place that encourages you to sit and take in the quiet for a short while Summer 2023 will see the palace welcome a new exhibition featuring 30 artists from various countries including well-known Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos said to represent each of the streets that lead away from the square Rua 5 de Outubro is where you’ll find shops selling local ceramics Praça do Giraldo's fountain has eight spouts one for every street that leads away from the square The public garden was designed in the 1800s by Italian architect José Cinatti who is said to have modeled his design on a typical English garden what is left of the royal palace from 1468 that was abandoned in the 17th century now home to the peacocks that roam freely through the space Jardim Público is modeled after a traditional English garden You can try their unique whites or reserva reds as you overlook the fields This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK. Quinta Do Conde held their end of the year harvest tasting festival Saturday with a portion of the admission proceeds going towards the County Food Hub the harvest tasting festival is a celebration of abundance showcasing the farm’s work towards sustainability The farm becomes a stage with several chefs preparing foods all sourced from the farm local beverages and live music are also showcased for attendees to enjoy Striving to be as low-impactful as possible farm owners Joaquim and Amor Conde designed the event to be low impact on the environment and promote responsible consumption We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle content“I like the pincho concept (small slices of bread upon which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients is placed) because there is no garbage,” said Joaquim Your weekday digest of the top stories from our newsrooms in Cornwall By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Eastern Ontario Midday Roundup will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The food Joaquim is serving up on top of those slices of bread is a collaboration between him and nearly ten other local chefs he’s invited into his kitchen. From the meat to the produce, everything was grown, loved and cared for right on the Quinta Do Conde farm. “We had about 10 chefs cooking all sorts of different foods from duck to pork, lamb,” said Joaquim. “We do a lot of things on the spot, we like to cook in front of people.” Joaquim and Amor Conde have been running their farm for 8 years now. First born in Portugal, Joaquim moved to Canada when he was 18. After deciding the grind of city life wasn’t working out, the pair moved to the county and began Quinta Do Conde. Quinta is the Portuguese word for a “traditional bio-diverse agricultural estate.” “Life in the city grinds you down, you just want to do something else,” said Joaquim. “(I have) an interest in food, eating good food and producing some food and being part of a community.” Community is very important to Joaquim and Amor Conde, their event not only showcases their own farm, but beverage producers and other chefs in the county as well. Additionally, part of the proceeds from ticket sales went towards the county food hub. The laid back nature of the event was indicative of the Prince Edward County community itself. “I want that sort of easy vibe,” said Joaquim. “Chill out, go around, bring your blankets, enjoy it, come back for more food.” To learn more about Joaquim and Amor Conde and their farm, Quinta Do Conde, visit their website at www.quintadoconde.ca. transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy First impression: Tumbling trad-style villa villageStaff: Long-standing adore childrenFood and drink: Surprisingly goodBed and bath: Contemporary clean linesThe crowd: Not as many golfers as you’d expect British families who’ve clocked how much easier this style of stay is than a hotelIn a nutshell: Dream set-up for those with children in tow Childcare for the smallest and endless activities for the bigger ones this whitewashed cascade of traditional-styled villas and apartments low rise but stacked like a clever jigsaw puzzle with pathways and staircases leading to private entrances prettily planted with bougainvillaea and hibiscus The past two years have seen the rollout of a full-whack renovation starting with the Clubhouse and now working its way round the rooms and it’s out with the casita-style sunset colour schemes cool styling thanks to local interior designer Astrid Schep – Crittal doors and copper pendants in the restaurant Four Seasons Fairways, Quinta de LagoWhat can we expect from our room?Your villa actually. The smallest are two-bedroom apartments with hot tubs on the terrace, the biggest roll out with three bedrooms and swimming pools prawns etc from the restaurant to pop straight onto the grill The mini mart then has everything else you might need full BBC channels (including CBeebies) on the TV seared sea bass and twists on local dishes such as catshark stew gazpacho or clams for lunch and live music in the evenings football and water sports for the older ones What sort of person comes here?Golfers of course, though mostly from autumn through to spring. The summer months have a stalwart gathering of members who buy in weeks (they don’t call it timeshare any more, but the gist is the same), multi-gen families and low-key first timers Brits and Portuguese make up the relaxed crowd and the general vibe is peaceful and quiet During the day the only sound you’ll hear over a cooing wood pigeon and the hum of cicadas is the spray of sprinklers and the faint splash and shriek of children leaping into a far-off pool What’s the neighbourhood scene like?This is Quinta do Lago Anything you didn’t love?The currents in the sea mean that swimming with small children or weak swimmers can be quite unrelaxing A final note: is it worth it?Seriously good value actually. And Portugal is still much better on the wallet than France or Spain. [callout]**Address:**Four Seasons Fairways, Quinta do Lago, Apartado 2132, 8135-024, Almancil, PortugalTelephone: +351 289 357 500Price: Two-bed apartments from about £1,100 for the week, but look out for deals, which can start from £665. The best hotels in PortugalGallery30 SlidesBy Abigail MalbonView SlideshowThe best family-friendly hotels in Portugal The best family hotels in PortugalGallery18 SlidesBy Issy von Simson and Mary LussianaView SlideshowThe best beaches in Portugal Two policeman and a young man killed in town just south of Lisbon after man opens fire reportedly over an argument with neighbours Three people, including two police officers, have been killed in a shootout in Portugal on Saturday following a row in a town near Lisbon, police have said. Another person was seriously injured when a man opened fire in Quinta do Conde, about 30km (18 miles) south of the capital, following what television reports called a row between neighbours. A plainclothes policeman, who lived in the neighbourhood, was gunned down after rushing to the spot to investigate after hearing shots. Another officer from a patrol that was called to the scene was also shot dead, with a bullet to the head. The third victim was a 23-year-old man, said by local media to be the son of the plainclothes policeman who had intervened to try to assist his father. He was seriously injured in the crossfire and died later in hospital of his injuries, a police spokesman told the local Lusa news agency. A suspect, aged 77, was arrested and taken to hospital after attempting to commit suicide with a hunting rifle, the spokesman said. Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors a range of new hotel openings has solidified the uniquely Portuguese talent for seamlessly merging historic preservation with architectural creativity The result is an abundance of intimate boutique hotels with fascinating former lives. History is deeply woven into the fabric of modern life in Portugal, and rather than focusing strictly on luxury amenities, these properties honor a vision for travel that works to protect and uplift the country’s proud heritage find the best places to experience the country’s illustrious past—from artfully renovated rural retreats to elegant city stays Herdade da Malhadinha Nova's luxe infinity pool When the Soares family purchased the abandoned farm in 1998 they set about recovering the farm's ruins using heritage techniques in the restoration process such as “casas caiadas”—an artisanal lime white-washing process but in 2020 architect Joana Raposo also transformed the remaining ruins of agricultural buildings on the property into four stunning new guest homes Once inhabited by monks from the Order of St the hotel and sprawling grounds exude a rich sense of their previous life as a monastery's cloisters as seen in the meticulously restored gilded chapel and the vaulted cellar-turned-fine-dining-restaurant which serves regional cuisine paired with an extensive Portuguese wine list A swimming pool set amongst olive and fig trees and tranquil full-service spa round out the luxurious offerings São Lourenço do Barrocal's shaded pool restaurant was once the farm aqueduct for animals' drinking water The property's whitewashed buildings include villas Surrounded by olive groves and gnarled, ancient cork trees, São Lourenço do Barrocal was once a thriving 19th-century farming village and wine to sustain up to 50 resident families year-round The 780-acre property eventually fell into disrepair until José António Uva (whose family had owned the property for over 200 years) commissioned Pritzker Prize-winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura to turn the traditional whitewashed stone farm buildings—including the former stables and barn—into an elegant collection of rooms The serene interiors incorporate antique objects from the estate’s past—photographs pottery and cooking utensils—which help bring to life its fascinating history Hospedaria is the latest project resulting from the successful partnership between Lisbon-based architects Atelier RUA and owner Rui Liberato de Sous much of the building's original charm remains intact right down to the burgundy post box sandwiched between two cherry red doors greeting guests upon check-in Traditional bamboo-caned ceilings lend a rustic touch to the serene interiors which strike a perfect balance between eclectic and modern Casa das Penhas Douradas was Portugal's first mountain resort in the late 1800s Casa das Penhas Douradas' design takes advantage of wool and burel fabrics for which the region is known In 2010 the present owners found the fire-damaged neglected property while out on a hike and decided to convert it into a boutique hotel panoramic views of the mountainous landscape The modern decor features pieces by Nordic and Portuguese artists and designers such as Catarina Pinto Leite as well as the use of wool and burel fabrics for which the region is known Nearby trekking and mountain biking trails are plentiful and a heated indoor pool (soon to be joined by an outdoor hot tub) provides ideal post-hike relaxation Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta's farm produces the wine and olive oil used in its restaurant The 29 guest rooms scattered around the estate are housed in converted farm buildings The Balões (or balloons) with their curved whitewash walls were once large rounded concrete vats used for wine storage the comfortable pair of suites offer sweeping views of the vineyards and distant Douro River the farm still remains active and produces wine and olive oil which guests can enjoy at the Cantina a farm-to-table restaurant and wine bar housed in the old farm workers’ cafeteria Maria João Sousa Montenegro and her mother greet guests each morning with a homemade breakfast spread highlighting the bounty of their working farm who oversaw the three year renovation which transformed her grandfather’s bakery into a cozy minimalist space with simple whitewashed walls and handcrafted furnishings The Lisboans offers apartment-style lodging options In Lisbon’s historic center, a derelict building that once housed a 19th-century canning factory received a second life in the form of The Lisboans as well as the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant though the facade maintained its original architectural integrity The charming one and two bedroom apartments feature decor from Portuguese artisans as well as locally made textiles and vintage finds From Lisbon, head east to the village of Monforte and check in at the 19-room, boutique Torre de Palma Wine Hotel meticulously restored from the ruins of Ancient Roman and medieval houses While the sprawling grounds have a cypress-lined outdoor pool Inaugurated in 2016 and led by award-winning Portuguese winemaker Luís Duarte it makes just two wines in small batches: a full-bodied red and a fruity white Dona Maria winery was named after King João V’s lover head to its restaurant for seafood from the nearby Algarve or pork and beef entrées with a decidedly modern flare Quinta do Quetzal is both a winery and art gallery Native plants have replaced eucalyptus in a major initiative in the municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha The reforestation was done on property that the Chamber had purchased The plantation in Telhadelas was possible due to the help of students on land that the municipality has purchased According to the press release “By reinforcing the green patches with reforestation the resilience of the forest area increased and the vulnerability of the soil was reduced while also promoting the restoration of local biodiversity” The ‘Monte da Senhora do Socorro’ initiative which was conducted by 60 students and 5 teachers and had the technical support of Albergaria-a-Velha’s garden team consisted of the plantation of 60 trees that were mainly cork and oak trees The program was part of the "EMRC - zero carbon discipline" project which has been working to increase student understanding of environmental consciousness for the past ten years I think we need as many native trees replacing Eucalyptus in as many places as possible Sadly Cork Oak and other Oaks don't survive fires that well I saw some killed where I live in Quinta do Conde where we had a fire some years back Some trees survived but some big ones never recovered Very enviornmentaly smart as Eucalyptus trees need alot of water and drought as we know is escalating The people that made this decision are protecting your lifestyles and planning for the future; I would be certain to re-elect them GaliciaDavid LoftusIt is a view that demands to be unpacked before my suitcase a hillside thick with pine and eucalyptus woods Rías Baixas is the term for the five estuaries that probe their way inland from west to east like crooked fingers their digit-like shape giving rise to the legend that God leant his hand here The Rías are sheltered by a series of islands - the Cíes Sálvora and other small atolls - creating a deliciously mild pocket where lemons GaliciaDavid LoftusAsking my best-connected Spanish friends I identified a clutch of Rías Baixas devotees: the fashion editor and several stylists on Spanish Vogue had been visiting since their teenage years a former director at Manolo Blahnik and the current Spanish president British architect David Chipperfield had long been a fan having built a cool little bolthole in remote Corrubedo more than a decade ago a town with the edge-of-the-world feeling of a Cornish fishing village There was also enticing talk of superlative seafood and wines, and some of the best beaches in Spain my plan was to swim against the current to the Rías the estuaries snaking in from the sea like a collection of giant lakes scattered along the coastline brooding shapes floating on a late-summer heat haze Buildings in PontevedraDavid LoftusFive days I traversed the Rías' intricate topography from calm inlets flanked by citrus orchards to the wilder waters of the open ocean tiniest and rarely visited is Ria de Corcubión Moving south there's wild Muros y Noia and Arousa while the Ría de Pontevedra contains the region's charming capital city is wider than a mile and harbours the biggest secret of all: the magical Cíes islands home to the prettiest beaches you've never heard of The one pleasantly old-fashioned seaside town is an agreeable place to hang out for a day or two a lovely provincial city that's not so much a symphony in stone as an operetta with plentiful outdoor terrazas for sipping local wines the Rías Baixas possess one of the world's finest whites mineral-rich wine that perfectly partners the area's excellent shellfish - mussels One was Quinta de San Amaro in the village of Meaño tucked into a valley carpeted side-to-side with Albariño vines A 14-bedroom spot with a pool and restaurant it channelled a colonial-meets-casa-rural feel The courtyard was a riot of hydrangeas (Galicia's omnipresent flower) and bright arrangements of pumpkins and lemons against granite walls Nacho Salcedo, the quinta's co-owner, had a busy life in Madrid until his partner, a gallego, persuaded him to leave the rat race and put down roots in the Rías. 'When we bought the property, it was like Angkor Wat,' he told me as we admired the estate's ancient stone granary or hórreo Such buildings are ubiquitous symbols of rural life here but this one had been cunningly made over as a beautiful chill-out room; glassed in on both sides it was the tailor-made setting for a crisp sunset G&T occasionally raising their heads to cast a glance over vineyards where blue-clad farmers worked their way along the rows a few minutes' drive from Salcedo's place This exquisite little hotel in Meis is owned by dapper young local José Luis Vilanova and is a collision of Galician country architecture with the more stylish end of contemporary European design a Campana Brothers umbrella stand and armchairs by Spanish designer Antonio Moragás are on loan from Vilanova Peña his mother Carmen's cult furniture shop in nearby Ribadumia He paints a picture of a summer scene with a glossy crowd guzzling white wine on the terraces of Pontevedra or partying at Sanxenxo's open-air Dux club Perhaps an even better choice than a hotel is to stay in one of the area's glorious villas such as Casa Minerva a Seventies beach bar transformed into a low-slung modern beach house it stands within a pebble's throw of sweeping Aguieira beach on the Ría de Muros y Noia - one of the least explored estuaries Wakefield told me his guests were mainly German but that a peppering of clued-up Londoners were arriving Clever Spaniards spurn the charms of Ibiza and Mykonos in favour of a summer spent on this coast Designed by architect Iñaki Leite in a take-no-prisoners modernist style it has vast sliding-glass windows that show off the water in widescreen The house is filled with hand-crafted wonders: furniture and shutters made of eucalyptus wood upcycled from bateas (mussel-farming platforms) and steel staircases made by local artisans and then potter along the tiny beach below the house speaks of Galicia's deep relationship with granite and the Celtic roots of this Atlantic culture Pobra do Caramiñal beachDavid LoftusThe chapel at CambadosDavid LoftusAnother day was spent with Adrian McManus a Galician resident who runs Northwest Iberian Wine Tours from artisan bodegas to château-like pazos Our wine safari covered some of the most forward-thinking Albariño producers as well as the semi-clandestine world of the furanchos rustic operations that serve their own vintages alongside plates of home-style food where we had lunch of clams and octopus and sipped wine from old-fashioned bowls known as cuncas McManus reminisced about landing in Galicia two decades before when he looked at Pontevedra and said to himself 'this is the place' GaliciaDavid LoftusAfter four days here I was closer to understanding why people wax lyrical about the Rías a London-based gallega who used to work for Manolo Blahnik and has been coming to Sanxenxo all her life with gardens and balconies staring directly out to the Atlantic and sunsets that are a fiesta of blazing colour a breezy mix of primary colours on a background of dazzling white told me about the three-day birthday bash Sagra had recently thrown for her Californian husband 'The Americans flipped out over the Rías Baixas and the quality of life - I hope you're going to the Cíes Islands?' The rumoured home of some of the world's most pristine the Cíes enjoy total protection as part of the Atlantic Islands National Park There are no cars and nowhere to stay but a simple campsite The ferry pulled out of Vigo harbour on a morning simultaneously warm and crisp that carried with it a hint of summer's end a long arc of sand with the texture of soft brown sugar framed by a gentle landscape of rocks and farmland A few little boats seemed to float in the celestial calm of the bay There was no doubt in my mind that this place could hold its own among the finest beaches of the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean Scallops at A MecaDavid LoftusI plunged into the unruffled water The shock of the cold Atlantic came as a reality check: the Rías Baixas aren't the Mediterranean or the Indian Ocean after all The whole point of Spain's secret summer destination - the costa the crowds forgot - is that it happily refuses to be anything but itself Paprika octopus at NovavilaDavid LoftusThe mesmerising views of the Ría from this minimalist dining room in Pontevedra compete for attention with Javier Olleros' cooking His dishes are a simple exaltation of local products: octopus caught on the rocks with a garlic emulsion; hake with a citrus sauce and pickled seaweed Address: Calle Reboredo, 73, 36980 O Grove, Pontevedra, SpainTelephone: cullerdepau.comPrice: About £75 for a six-course tasting menu for two this Pontevedra basement-bar-restaurant is top-drawer taking in great Albariños and a careful selection of fascinating wines from across the world Address: Rúa Michelena, 20, 36002 Pontevedra, SpainTelephone: vinotecabagos.comPrice: About £55 for two The pool at Casa MinervaDavid LoftusYayo DaportaA house in CambadosDavid LoftusContemporary Galician cuisine hitherto best represented by Pepe Vieira and Casa Solla (both near Pontevedra) who showcases original creations such as oysters with caramelised cauliflower and carrot vinegar at his slick restaurant in Cambados Address: Rúa do Hospital, 7, 36630 Cambados, Pontevedra, SpainTelephone: yayodaporta.comPrice: About £75 for two Hake and John Dory at Culler de PauDavid LoftusHead to 'Uncle Benito's' in Barrantes for traditional cooking at its best Choose from classic dishes such as salt cod or a deeply savoury octopus and potato stew so dark it stains the porcelain cup it's drunk from SpainTelephone: +34 986 710287Price: About £35 for two This family run marisquería in the diminutive port of Xufre on Arousa is well-known for its seafood - sardines mussels and clams - brought in by the island's own fishing fleet SpainTelephone: +34 986 551551Price: About £50 for two A converted salt warehouse right on the seafront in Corrubedo this destination restaurant combines the virtues of a new-wave tavern The path to Serafin restaurantDavid LoftusAddress: Travesía Torreiro 1, 15969 Ribeira, C, SpainTelephone: +34 981 865128Website: benboacorrubedo.comPrice: About £45 for two This feature first appeared in Condé Nast Traveller September 2017 Condé Nast Johansens has nominated 15 Portuguese hotels for the Excellence Awards 2025 Quinta do Paral (Alentejo); Grande Real Villa Itália Hotel & Spa (Lisbon Region); The Rebelo (Vila Nova de Gaia); Estoril Vintage Hotel (Estoril); Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel (Lisbon); Quinta Jardins do Lago (Madeira); Palácio Estoril Hotel Golf & Wellness (Estoril); The Albatroz Hotel (Cascais); The Lumiares Hotel & Spa (Lisbon); GA Palace Hotel & Spa (Porto); Sobreiras Alentejo Country Hotel (Grândola Alentejo); Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort (Carvoeiro Algarve); Terra Nostra Garden Hotel (São Miguel Azores); Torre de Gomariz Wine & Spa Hotel (Vila Verde) and The Lodge Porto Hotel (Porto) are the nominated properties The 15 national hotels are competing in the European and Mediterranean areas Parties and Celebrations’ and ‘Best for Meetings and Events’ The winners will be chosen through a method that combines online voting, guest comments and reviews by Condé Nast Johansens’ team of Local Experts over the past year during the gala dinner and the awards ceremony the winners of the two most anticipated categories of the evening will also be announced in an event that can be followed live on Condé Nast Johansens’ social media channels Condé Nast Johansens will also present the new “Condé Nast Johansens Luxury Hotels 2025” guide The Condé Nast Johansens Excellence Awards were created more than two decades ago to recognise reward and celebrate the excellence of the recommended hotels included in the guide the health benefits of which include boosting metabolism and immune system and aiding weight loss vegan Oryza Lab products have a base note of rice sandalwood and citrus to reflect the landscape with views of the fields and umbrella pines and week-long mindfulness retreats in the making a slimline 130ft pool is perfect for lengths and bicycles can be pedalled a table of healthy breakfast options has yogurt layered with pumpkin jam but this place doesn’t push any strict calorie counting made by pastry chef Patricia Godinho who’s also responsible for the jar of dark-chocolate-studded cookies that are delivered to the rooms at teatime rice appears in the restaurant as well: puffed to top the pumpkin parfait but also in the Black Pig gin made for the hotel and named after the local speciality unique to the region and bred on holm oak and cork seeds appears on the menu alongside local shrimp And the furthest a bottle of wine will have travelled is from the Douro Valley with some sourced down the road in Setúbal An organic kitchen garden is also in the works because this is a spa that’s serious about fitting into the surrounding eco-system and future-proofing itself The hotel uses the same stables as Madonna who regularly pops down from the capital to gallop along the beaches – and whenever she’s not around it’s possible to ride one of the two horses she keeps here BOOK IT: Doubles from about £220 (quintadacomporta.com) Why a stylish crowd is moving to this Portuguese village Why a stylish crowd is moving to this Portuguese villageGallery20 SlidesBy Carlos SouzaView SlideshowBeach holidays in Comporta, Portugal Comporta: Portugal's best secret beach spotBy Issy von SimsonView SlideshowThe best boutique hotels in Portugal Culinary skills of County cooks at the focus (L-R): Elliot Reynolds of Bloomfield Public House holds his dish of smokehouse ham and aged cheddar, with cookbook creator Nat Wollenberg and food stylist Ruth Gangbar. Douro ValleyChevron All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. A first hand look into people who have relocated to Prince Edward County and their reasons for doing so will be available later this fall Filming concluded earlier this month  on a new documentary series which celebrates a number of people who’ve come to live in Prince Edward County Filming takes place at (Third from left) Alex Armstrong’s Blue Wheelbarrow Farm just outside of Bloomfield director and producer of A New Place Called Home said she was inspired by the participants resilience “Maybe it’s something in the water!” Chrystelle jokes “Or being surrounded by all these incredible people we’ve been filming has just given us that extra boost of motivation to tell the stories that move us.” This new series which follows six now-local individuals or couples includes Melissa Cannons and Paul Tobias of Idle Wild Susan and Glen Wallis of AWAY in the County and Wallis Awards Joaquim and Amor Conde of Quinta do Conde and Sleiman Al Jasem of The County Catch and will all have a 10 minute segment that details their life before coming to the County and what life has been like since resettling on this mostly rural island “It was exciting to be filmed and interviewed about things we’ve accomplished since moving to the county,” Glen Wallis told The Gazette “What was unexpected was it made us think about the future more and specifically slowing down which we are not very good at I’m excited to see how all the footage will be paired down to 10 minutes.”  Maechler’s husband is the Director of Photography and Editor of the series Maechler and Krätschmer relocated to Picton in 2019 their intention was to continue with their freelance film and television work but A New Place Called Home has inspired them to start creating more of their own work “This project has introduced us to even more people and places in the County,” said Andreas “It has reinforced to us what a special place this is and reminded us why we ourselves have chosen to call this place home.” A New Place Called Home will be available to watch on-demand this fall on Bell Fibe TV1 “Being a part of A New Place Called Home has been an enriching experience,” expressed Susan Wallis “It has allowed me to take a moment from our busy lives to pause and reflect on how and when the process started the planning it took to get here and what we have accomplished in this new place we now call home It leaves me excited about what the next phase will be.” If you’d like to follow the series, you can like their Facebook page www.facebook.com/anewplacecalledhome Facebook and Instagram now no longer allow us to post the Picton Gazette to their platforms. Share your email address with us to receive our weekly newsletter and exclusive content direct to your inbox. We will not share your email without your permission. 2012Save this storySaveSave this storySaveSure the cozy town in northern Portugal’s Douro River Valley A guide to shopping for the best native arts and crafts—pre- or post-aperitif of course.Shop with a view at A Vida Portuguesa A warning as you begin your shopping jaunt: Port is twice as strong as white wine and Porto’s many wineries will serve you a glass or two for free So if the idea of tipsy impulse buying makes you want to hide your AmEx Portosigns' cork-and-leatherweekender ($160) Embroidered hanki fromRetrosaria das Flores ($59) in the eighteenth-century Palácio das Cardosas where you can dine on salt-cured codfish and sleep in one of 105 balconied ­Deco-style rooms (doubles from $240; entrées from $27) View Porto Shopping Guide in a larger map Locazoa joins farmers and customers in online marketplace Achance visit by Rachel Kuzmich and Cliff Coulter to Quinta Da Conde farm in Black River last summer set the wheels in motion for a new initiative that connects County farmers to local customers and Rachel has an interest in environmentalism and they were speaking to Joaquim Conde about some of the challenges he faces in getting customers to know about his farm produce The idea lay nearly dormant until this spring when Joaquim was considering how to modify his business plan in light of restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic He decided to launch a community supported agriculture (CSA) program and reached out to Cliff and Rachel and that is when the couple really started to work on their idea to link farmers with their customers “Locazoa is an online marketplace for buying and selling farm products in Prince Edward County,” said Rachel can create a profile with their contact info and they can list the products they have for sale they can manage that through the site as well you can go to Locazoa and you can shop across multiple farmers here in the County So instead of going to farms individually and buying from each farm you can shop at multiple farms all at once.” but it should soon be open to the public after a payment gateway is installed Already 25 other farmers have pre-registered to join and there are over 220 customers signed up “Once we get the marketplace up and running we are planning to add a delivery option that we will manage,” said Cliff “We will have all the location information about where the farmers are and where the customers are so we will be able to coordinate delivery across farmers If we can collaborate and manage the deliveries on our side then it’s a lot easier for the farmers.” The delivery option is still a few weeks away as Rachel and Cliff are still looking for a driver (L-R): Rachel Kuzmich and Cliff Coulter are the developers of Locazoa an online marketplace that connects customers to local farmers Joaquim is very excited about the Locazoa project grow about 50 different types of vegetables on a two-acre market garden They host a very popular series of harvest dinners and they also run a food education summer camp for kids “This is a bit of a gamechanger as far as I’m concerned,” said Joaquim “I’m not going to a farmers’ market anymore; the cost for me is really high So if I can have a tool like this that puts my products out there and easily available for people to see what I have It’s all the more important right now where we see how this pandemic will affect the food supply chain Part of what I do is because I realize our food supply chain is heavily reliant on imports so right now is a perfect time to shine a light on the problem and promote our local production We need ways to place our local produce at the disposal of our local community but we don’t really have a system to help us really place our products where the consumer isn’t inconvenienced by having to drive to three or four different farm stands to supply what they want to buy.” Rachel and Cliff are using a pay-what-you-can model for the farmers “We really hope that we will be removing the barriers to entry for farmers to get their products online,” she said Cliff adds that there is no commitment on the part of the farmers They can simply use Locazoa as a directory where they list their location and encourage customers to visit them directly or they can use it as a virtual marketplace “They can spin-up or tear-down anytime without worrying about some subscription kicking in,” he said “They can use it how they want and pay whatever they feel like and we think that people will use the honour system and we think it will pay for itself On the consumer side there will be something like a ‘tip jar’ on checkout if they want.” The couple are viewing Locazoa as a social enterprise as a way to improve access to local food and to help farmers maintain their livelihood and as a way to encourage a grassroots economy “Food and farming in places like Prince Edward County are a very big part of our identity and our culture and a strong local food system is something that should be supported and promoted,” said Rachel “We are very lucky here to have an agricultural history and we’re just trying to make it even stronger and improve our community’s resiliency.” For more information about Locazoa, please visit locazoa.com The website is currently under development A strong magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit 10.6 km (7 mi) away from Lisbon, Distrito de Lisboa,  Portugal The depth of the quake could not be determined but is assumed to be shallow.The quake was felt widely in the area The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would.