Sublime Comporta, Muda, Portugal: an uplifting feeling

Listen to the sea, breathe in the salty air and feel the breeze in your hair at Sublime Comporta. On a small jetty located on an estuary, feel the wood under your feet, watch the waves dancing and listen to the fisherman at work.

Comporta

Comporta is a small Portuguese community on the Atlantic coast that borders the Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado nature reserve, and is home to a unique little fishing port called Carrasqueira. Over two centuries ago, locals created a traditional anchorage system consisting of multiple wooden jetties on stilts (cais palafitico) that run in zig-zag patterns across the muddy marshes. The tides are particularly strong here – at low tide, the colourful fishing boats lie on the silt and wait to be launched, while at high tide, the water level rises and the fishermen can get to work.

Reaching many metres out to sea, the jetties invite you to wander out to the end and experience the sheer contentment of being truly alone, at one with yourself and the world around you in perfect tranquility. You can also join the locals in enjoying the freshest fish and most delicious seafood you have ever tasted at one of the little restaurants alongside the beautifully painted or naturally weathered fishing huts.

Sustainability

A short distance away, nestled between the sand dunes and surrounded by pines and cork oaks, vineyards, rice fields and white sandy beaches, lies Sublime Comporta. This 17-acre complex boasts 23 rooms and suites, 22 villas, a spa, three restaurants, a gym, a yoga and pilates room, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a tennis court and a paddle court, all of which offer a friendly, welcoming atmosphere despite how spread out the facilities are. A key focus of the architecture and landscaping of the estate was sustainability, meaning the materials and techniques used create as little environmental impact as possible.

Owners of Sublime Comporta Gonçalo Pessoa and Patrícia Trigo believe that sustainable investments of this kind represent a contribution to the region, to its future, to its history and to the local community. Heat energy is provided by solar panels, and the hotel is even self-sufficient in terms of having its own drinking water supply.

We even built the villas around the existing trees so that we didn’t have to cut them down,

the two explain with a laugh.

Paying hommage to Carrasqueira

The new Bio Pool Suites are reminiscent of the little fishing port of Carrasqueira, with architect José Alberto Charrua using traditional materials and techniques to create a feeling of natural minimalism combined with a cosy atmosphere.

The fresh water of the biological pool is of course free of chemicals and can be accessed directly from the private terrace of the suite. The hotel’s permaculture organic garden is home to over 300 species of plants, including aromatic herbs, edible flowers and vegetables, all of which are cultivated for the exclusive use of the hotel restaurants and the Sublime Spa.

In the hotel’s orchard, you will also discover a number of traditional regional and Portuguese citrus fruits. Guests at Sublime Comporta will experience true luxury and enjoy life at a slower pace – simply sublime, just as the hotel name promises.

Sublime Comporta is a Member of Lifestylehotels