The Best Comporta Hotels And Villas, For A Trip To Portugal's Chic Beach Paradise
The most stylish hotels and villas in Comporta, Portugal’s best-kept beachy secret.
If you’ve heard whispers about this breezy, beachy haven along Portugal’s Alentejo coast, then prepare to see the best Comporta hotels and villas to book for a laid-back summer holiday this year.
Comporta is a little over an hour by car south of Lisbon, on the Alentejo region’s Atlantic-facing shoreline. It has been growing in popularity for a while, with some very famous fans – Christian Louboutin has been visiting the area for decades now. He chose Melides, 25 minutes from Comporta, as the location for his recently opened debut hotel, Vermelho. Hotel maestro Philippe Starck and Madonna are also Comporta enthusiasts.
With such a loyal A-list following, Comporta needs the hotel scene to match and it has some stellar stays, most of which are of course concentrated around the wide open Atlantic-edge beaches.
Along with its dune-backed beaches, the region is famous for its pine forests, cork trees, rice paddies and varied flora and fauna (the latter includes dolphins, storks and flamingos).
Quinta da Comporta will step in as your beach-house base, or check in to Sublime Comporta, which more than lives up to its name.
There are also lots of villas to hire in the area, perfect for anyone in need of a chic beach house to borrow for the summer. Here are our favourite Comporta hotels and villas for a supremely stylish holiday this year…
Sublime Comporta
Sister property to Sublime Lisboa in Lisbon, Sublime Comporta is just as flawless. The 42-acre estate is surrounded by sand dunes, rice fields, pine and cork trees, and beautiful beaches. There are 23 rooms and 22 villas, spread throughout the grounds. The latter are a great choice for groups, since the biggest has five bedrooms. Each villa comes with its own pool, fireplace and assorted terraces.
Guests can take farm-to-table dining literally by booking a dining experience at the Food Circle, which is located in the middle of the organic garden. There’s also an outdoor restaurant during the summer, serving traditional Portuguese petiscos (snacks to pick at over drinks).
Quinta da Comporta
If you’re coming to Comporta to admire its famous rice paddies, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better vantage point than the 40-metre-long solar-heated infinity pool at Quinta da Comporta. The hotel has two vast barns housing the spa and the restaurant. There’s also an open-air yoga deck right by the water’s edge.
The decor of the rooms is beach house-appropriate, which means dazzling white walls, lots of wicker and neutral-hued woven things. For the most space, book one of the three-bedroom pool villas, designed to be like a traditional Comporta house.
Spatia Comporta
Spatia Comporta is set to get even better this summer, with the arrival of its new straw-roofed cabanas and clubhouse. The spacious (as the name suggests) estate is between beautiful beaches and pine forests, on the Atlantic-facing Alentejo coastline. The staff can arrange activities such as water-skiing, sailing and surfing, but it’s the golden sands you’re probably here for (of which there are many).
The modern architecture blends seamlessly into its surroundings, with plenty of glass and wood. Some of the rooms have a siesta-ready hammock outside.
AlmaLusa Comporta
AlmaLusa Comporta is in the centre of the village, a 15-minute walk from the beach. For the best views, head up to the rooftop bar, or stay put at the outdoor pool. Choose between rooms that have a private garden or a suite overlooking the neighbouring rice fields, where the view gets even better at sunset.
Activities on offer include sailing trips in search of dolphins, lessons at a nearby surf school and horse-riding through pine forests to the sand dunes at the beach.
Casas de Arroz
Casas de Arroz is a series of compact villas in Comporta and an excellent choice for groups in search of a self-catering stay along Portugal’s Atlantic coast. The residences are in the village of Possanco, close to Comporta village, the port of Carrasqueira and the Sado estuary, which is home to thousands of species of birds.
It may be formed from a handful of separate cabins, but it’s run like a boutique hotel. The suites are set in a landscaped garden, with an infinity pool overlooking the meadows and paddies at the heart. Each riffs on a Comporta fisherman’s casa, with local wood, thatch and concrete, as well as pottery and basketry crafted in the area. Individually, the units sleep between two and four – for the ultimate gathering, find 12 people and take over all four.
Manos 114
This contemporary villa in Comporta has a private pool with a deck, garden and barbecue, along with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There’s also a lawn for sunbathing and outdoor seating. The wood-burning stove keeps things cosy during the winter months. Families are well-catered to – the host can arrange babysitting and there’s an indoor play area, plus outdoor toys.
It’s easy to reach the beaches in Comporta and Carvahal – and Manos 114 is also next to some especially attractive woodland.
B Hostel
Don’t be put off by the word ‘hostel’ in its name – B Hostel is actually rather nice (and yes, the rooms have ensuite bathrooms). There are no dormitories either, though the family rooms do come with bunk beds. Some of the rooms even have a balcony.
The bright and airy communal space leads out to a garden with a neat lawn and a pool. The white and wood building fits in perfectly with the classic Comporta aesthetic – we especially like the wooden ceilings and the soft grey accents.
Campo de Arroz
At the edge of some rice fields in Lagoa Formosa, Campo de Arroz is a holiday home for hire, just minutes from the beaches of Carvalhal. In addition to the main house, there’s a cabin in the landscaped garden. Both can be booked out together or individually.
The classic beach house is styled to look like a traditional Alentejo fishing hut, with lots of wood, thatch and straw helping to create the effect. There’s also a garden, outdoor kitchen and a pool, plus rooms that overlook the paddies. If you’re just booking the cabin, you won’t have access to the pool and deck, but you will have your own terrace and the communal garden to enjoy.
Casa Idalia
Casa Idalia changes up the trademarked Comporta colour scheme of white and wood with forest green shutters. The boutique hotel is close to the beach and each room has a balcony for admiring those ocean (and rice-paddy) views.
There’s a cute terrace with a shade-supplying pergola for breakfasts of local breads and charcuterie. In the evenings, guests can gather for a glass of Alentejo wine or a cocktail; and there’s a fire by the pool keeping things cosy in case the ocean breeze gets a little too strong.
Ying Yang Monte da Lua
For a hotel in Comporta that’s a little more on the unusual side, check in to Ying Yang Monte da Lua, which is essentially a series of treehouses where grown-ups can be big kids. The cabins are dotted throughout the vast grounds, which also feature cork and pine trees, and a sleek pool.
If it sounds a little rustic, don’t panic – each suite has WiFi, a TV, a kitchenette, air-conditioning and its own bathroom.
Caroline Lewis has been a travel journalist for more than a decade, reviewing luxury hotels and covering destinations all over the world, but with a soft spot for Greek islands and absolutely anywhere in Italy.
Among her most memorable trips are a month spent subsisting almost solely on guacamole in Mexico, sleeping in a room made of ice in Swedish Lapland and a rather lengthy but thankfully bear-free drive across America's wild west.
She was previously deputy chief sub-editor on the print team at Harper’s Bazaar and is a long-time contributor and editor at Mr & Mrs Smith. She writes about travel for Hearst Digital titles such as Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Red, Esquire and more. She read English and Philosophy at Durham, before doing a master's degree in magazine journalism in her hometown of Bournemouth.
When she's not testing out the buzziest new hotels, she's at home in London, probably baking.
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