The Best Places to go in 2023: Melides, Comporta, Alentejo

In 2021 our speech remained the same… ours and the prestigious Condé Nast magazine, which placed Melides as one of the places not to be missed in its guide of places to visit in 2023! History repeats itself, and Melides is one of the locations to visit for enthusiasts of lesser-known beaches and for lovers of design. On this coast with wide beaches and protected dunes, where you can still build without seeing the house next door, residents, and investors from all over the world, who due to their financial capacity could buy a house anywhere, love the possibility of being able to walk freely through the streets without anyone bothering them. In Comporta, you can experience the much desired "slow living".

Not far away, less than half an hour's drive from Comporta (and just a few hours from Lisbon), is Melides, a peaceful place with equally picturesque beaches, but much less crowded, less boho-chic hotels and cheaper sardines… Here there are few places where you can't get lost in the vastness of nature and the perfection of space!

Pa.te.os, Vanguard and Landscape

Recently Aires Mateus has launched his project, Pa.te.os, four individual houses, where you can see, touch, live and even breathe the Alentejo. For a long time now, Comporta has not been a furtive secret. Not even an open secret. It was many summers ago that this idyllic rice paddy village in the Portuguese Alentejo earned its place in the ranks of fashionable destinations. 

Pa.te.os, is a lodge on an 80 hectare property covered with pine, olive, cork and vineyards, reached by a lane road, is part of the very exclusive Alentejo experience. Guided by what they themselves would ask of luxury accommodation and taking all the time and resources to experiment trial and error, they worked hand in hand with the Aires Mateus studio, great masters of the interplay of volumes and light. Together with a team of engineers, carpenters, plasterers, and masons, they created an idyllic place that managed to combine cutting edge architecture and landscape. Four independent houses where you can come to rest, put the office away, and immerse yourself in the Grândola Mountains, this still wild and rugged Alentejo that has it all. 

Louboutin, the diamond of the season

The iconic, attractive and warm white sandy landscapes, which are joined by extensive pine forests and rice fields, have stolen the heart of the French fashion designer with a home in the village since 2012. His latest project, a 15-room boutique hotel, opens next spring and is the diamond of the season..... the name? Red!  The designer discovered Melides' charm early on - he has been visiting for 10 years to design his winter collections, even naming one of his shoe lines Melides - and the boutique property will celebrate Portuguese traditions of craftsmanship and design.

Melides Art 

© Francisco Nogueira

© Francisco Nogueira

Spanish architecture firm Esteva i Esteva has designed 'Melides Art', an impressive boutique studio and artist's retreat set amidst a contemporary art park in the sandy town of Melides in southern Portugal. The building is part of a larger complex of properties that make up the art farm: a project that welcomes artists, designers, curators, and the like, to stay or contribute to the wider creative community. The multifunctional property can function as a studio, workshop, or exhibition space, with multiple rooms and bathrooms that overlook the surrounding landscape.

© Francisco Nogueira

"The project is set in an exceptional natural setting, close to the beach and surrounded by farms and pristine natural beauty," explains a statement on the residence's website. It is a place where "one can experience the powerful alchemy of art and nature in the wildly beautiful…and glorious environment of the Alentejo coastal region." The interior is characterized by a varied use of natural materials and a color palette of earth tones. Extra features at the 600 square meter property include a heated pool, sauna and steam room facilities, horseback riding, private beach access, outdoor art galleries, and an in-villa chef.

Real Estate In Melides 

What attracts clients and investors to Portugal, especially high-net-worth individuals?

Portugal entered the foreigners' radar and will never leave. The country offers a number of advantages and conditions far superior to any European country, and with a lower cost of living. We offer the perfect balance between modernity and tradition. In the greater Lisbon area, which follows the river and then the sea, you can find all the amenities you would expect from a capital city - museums, concert halls, restaurants, stores, and an international airport. And just a few kilometers away, you can live a completely different lifestyle in Oeiras and Cascais, close to the beach and the sea. 

The Alentejo coast between Tróia and Melides is teeming with residential and tourist projects, in a global investment that exceeds 3 billion Euros. There is no shortage of national and foreign buyers. This one of the trendiest areas at the moment is currently competing in the international markets with destinations such as Ibiza or Sotogrande, in Spain, and also with the glamorous Miami, the region has captured the interest of major real estate developers and the sector's agencies have lost no time in keeping up with this movement. If you want to enjoy the experience, talk to us, we are here to help you.