Areias do Seixo

Hotel review

The project of couple Marta and Gonçalo, who travelled the world but never found quite what they wanted in terms of a hotel, this shines with their commitment and passion, providing a real eco home from home for guests. In the evenings, around a camp fire Gonçalo will strum on his guitar and they will sing, accompanied by wine and guests. Followed by dinners which draw on the abundant produce of their garden as well as generous dishes like fried cuttlefish with oysters and lemon rice or roasted suckling pig with peppers and orange.

The bedrooms in the main hotel glitter with mirrors and candles, patchwork quilts and log fires. Chandeliers hang over wrought iron beds. Bathrooms are vast, with showers and tubs big enough for two set on the varnished cement floors with driftwood chairs and walls formed from smooth pebbles (the seixo of the name). An olive tree might grow through the middle of your bathroom, or you might have a hot tub on a private terrace facing the sea. The new family villas, sleeping six, set across the road are similar in style but come with a private pool and an outdoor barbeque area.

The spa instils a sense of peace the moment you walk in, with Moroccan lights flickering in the darkened rooms. Outside a sleek swimming pool, the impressive vegetable garden, hen house and greenhouse where the many tea infusions are created, all await exploration. A short walk up over the sand dunes brings you to the cliffs above the sea.

Noah, the hotel’s beach restaurant is a bike ride away (bikes are available to borrow from the hotel) as is their surfing school.

Mary Lussiana Review published: 2023-12-21