This pair of coastal villages is beloved by everyone from Madonna to Christian Louboutin—and there’s never been a better time to visit.This pair of coastal villages is beloved by everyone from Madonna to Christian Louboutin—and there’s never been a better time to visit.
In the early 2000s, Gonçalo Pessoa purchased a tract of land in Comporta, Portugal, planning to build a retreat for family vacations. Artists and design fiends quickly moved in over the following years, finding respite in the windswept landscape: Anselm Kiefer bought a house, as did Philippe Starck, Madonna, and the French interior designer Jacques Grange, leading to its nickname of “the Hamptons of Portugal.”
More importantly, however, Comporta is a natural paradise, home to both vast green expanses of forest and grasses and pristine beaches. Between them are one-street towns dotted with the kinds of boutique shops, juiceries, restaurants, and cafés that make locals want to whisper. Pessoa took one look at the breathtaking coastline and knew the haven wouldn’t be kept secret for long.
He pivoted and built a small hotel to serve the growing number of tourists eager to visit European destinations where it is still possible to relax in the sun and not appear in the background of several thousand influencers’ posts. Sublime opened in 2014 with just 14 rooms, a restaurant, and a spa. It has since transformed into the region’s jewel and put the area called Alentejo on the map. With multiple restaurants, a beach club, pools, wellness facilities, and now two distinct wings, the estate is an all-needs-met paradise that still manages to feel intimate amid the land of rice paddies, dense forests, and deep blue water. (Sublime Terracotta sits on the site of Pessoa’s initial investment, while Sublime Sand opened in the spring of 2026.)
Plenty more hotels and restaurants have followed. Pa.te.os is a collection of four modernist concrete houses available to rent, catering to those who value seclusion above all else. In the neighboring town of Melides, the shoe designer Christian Louboutin debuted Vermelho in 2023: an entrancing property named after the Portuguese word for his signature red, its architecture and stupendous flourishes make it look like something out of an Emerald Fennell set. There are rumors that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have bought a home not too far from it, joining the likes of George and Amal Clooney and Sharon Stone in falling in love with this place.
The anchor property that started it all, ringed with trees and replete with villas. Heaven for families given the abundance of activities, well laid-out accommodations, and a dedicated kids’ club—although I came with friends and experienced nothing short of perfect peace.
If there is a truer pleasure than ordering gelato poolside from a shaded cart and eating it under an umbrella, I do not know it. Bathrooms are stocked with welcome upgrades like Dyson hairdryers, while the on-site boutique is dangerously well-edited and much better than it needs to be. (A pair of Ahlem sunglasses tantalized.) Little touches abound, including a turn-down service that comes with a new treat each night; spa treatments are plentiful and expert. Breakfast is served at Beefbar, an outpost of the popular steakhouse. After consuming bowl after bowl of tomato rice and grilled fish earlier in the trip that brought me to Portugal, I feasted on margherita pizza from Davvero Blu while I lounged.
I traveled back and forth between the Sand and Terracotta wings of the hotel with relative ease, sampling dining options in each of them. But know that drivers do the chaperoning and walking from one to the other isn’t an option, as a road separates the two sites. Oh well—there are greater hardships than being chauffeured.
Gobsmackingly gorgeous and the kind of place that makes you want to speak in hushed tones so as not to disrupt the extravagant beauty, Vermelho is a sensory delight. The gardens and grounds are fragrant with flowers and fruit. No two rooms are alike, and hand-painted tiles are a repeated motif, all crafted by a local artist. Louboutin tapped the textile designer Carolina Irving and the expert Spanish aesthete Patrician Medina Abascal to further transform shared and private spaces. Downstairs, the restaurant Xtian serves local cuisine with a twist, and the bar is silvered with lavish ornamentation; meanwhile, a small spa unites ancient approaches and precision skincare, and is stocked with both Kama Ayurveda and Valmont products.
Lighter on amenities than Sublime and Vermelho, but with the genuine draw of true and total privacy. Made up of four standalone, white-washed houses, the grounds also boast a stunning pool and a restaurant that drops off breakfast each morning. For day trips to the beach, staff prepares a “nomadic basket” stocked with salads, sandwiches, and fresh juices.
Comporta Vacation Homes, Le Collectionist, and Airbnb have some of the best options for groups and families who want to fully immerse themselves in the local scene.
And if you’re booking ahead? Na Praia won’t be open until summer 2027, but the proprietors of the beloved pastoral escape that is São Lourenço do Barrocal east of Comporta are promising an exquisite new offering of suites, houses, and villas nestled into the dunes themselves. And Vermelho Lagoa—a second property from Louboutin and his team due to bow around the same time—marks an expansion of their vision for the region. When it debuts, it will feature 10 suites with lagoon views.
The Best Beach Clubs
Umbrellas and loungers near the water, a full-service restaurant up on the endless dunes, and the ability to order an actual meal while fully reclined. A near-perfect lunchtime experience. The water is cold off of Comporta, but that didn’t stop dozens of braver beachgoers than me from splashing in the waves. (I watched.)
Friends traveling through Comporta and Melides at the same time as I was there loved the quieter JNcQUOI Beach Club on Praia do Pego, where the food is upscale and covered sunbeds function like full-fledged cabanas on the sand.
Where to Shop
When Janet Jackson was in the area in 2023, she posted from this charming shop in Melides, which sells handmade ceramics and flowers and supplies tableware to Vermelho.
A globe-trotting friend who counts Comporta and Melides among her favorite places on earth never skips Fashion Clinic on a trip to the region. It’s an upscale one-stop shop, with clothing, housewares, and much more, located in the heart of Carvalhal village.
The brainchild of Jacques Grange and Pierre Passebon, the interior of this Carvalhal store is a riot of color and off-beat design: patterned stools and tables, textured art pieces, installations, mirrors, lamps, and the occasional life-size sculpture. It’s better edited and curated than most galleries.
A wild array of woven bags, local ceramics, imported brands, beaded jewelry, and books can be found at this store on the outer edge of Comporta village.
This tiny local supermarket in Comporta village sells fruits and vegetables, fish, spices, cheese, and a stupendous array of tinned and canned goods.
An airy concept shop in Comporta village with a particularly vast selection of floaty caftans.
Where to Eat
Fresh, well-priced food, served in massive portions in the heart of Melides. And most importantly: perfectly salted fries.
Friends liked this place so much, they came twice in a single trip. Housed in a low-slung, terracotta-roofed building just south of Comporta village, the restaurant churns out area favorites: fish and brothy rice, with lots of local wine to wash it down.
Canalha opened its first restaurant in Lisbon in 2023, but it established a partnership with Sublime that has resulted in a second, pop-up spot at the hotel. Get the tomato salad—it sounds basic, but is in fact revelatory.
Absurdly fresh gelato and sorbet in the village of Possanco, with a mix of seasonal and classic flavors including an all-timer version of pistachio.
