HOTEL REVIEW


THIS PAGE: Furnishings in the O Terraco restaurant and bar include Fred tables by Arper; Curve sofas by Living Divani, Jasper Morrison’s Plate low tables for Vitra and Vistosi’s Giogali ceiling lights OPPOSITE PAGE: The reception area features a variety of light fittings by Santa & Cole, including Miguel Milá’s Estadio hanging lamp, alongside Capellini’s Uni cabinet. Behind reception, Dieter Rams’ 606 shelving system for Vitsoe is used for storage


stretch of sand, just around the bay from the Cabo de Sao Vicente, Europe’s most southwesterly point. Developers Roman and Chitra Stern first saw the potential of this forgotten corner of the Algarve in 2001. The husband and wife team, who met working at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, were looking for a business opportunity to put their MBA education into practice. Prompted by Roman’s previous involvement in an Irish hospitality project (Liss Ard resort in Skibereen), they began investigating potential development sites in Portugal, alighting on this unspoilt near the sleepy town of Sagres as the ideal location for their dream project. Despite speaking barely a word of Portuguese, they struck a deal with the existing owners, upped


M 032 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM


artinhal occupies a 25 hectare site overlooking the beach after which it is named – a wind-whipped


sticks to Lagos, and set up a small sales office, selling some of the existing villa plots on the northern edge of the development to generate cashflow while they developed their ideas for the rest of the project. Previously, few tourists ventured this far


west along the Algarve, other than windsurfers attracted by the rugged beaches on the Atlantic coast. But according to Chitra Stern, the indicators were there that this would change. “In the late 80s it would have taken five hours to get here from Faro Airport,” says Stern. “But the East-West highway was being finished with EU funds, and Faro was in the process of doubling its capacity from four- to eight million passengers. The links to Lisbon and north Portugal have also improved.” The existing masterplan was for a variety of villas with a small motel by the beach, but Roman and Chitra’s had bigger plans. Searching for business partners to help


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