Areias do Seixo
Nestled amongst the untamed, windswept sand dunes on the outskirts of Santa Cruz, Areias do Seixo could be accused of disregarding its surroundings, with its modernist glass and concrete exterior. Yet at its heart, Areias embraces the natural beauty of its coastal setting. The eco-conscious minimalist decor brings the outside in, blending native pine and locally-sourced driftwood with comfortable soft furnishing in natural tones – with a nod to the north-Africans who once called this stretch of Portugal’s Atlantic coast their home.
There are fourteen rooms in the main building – no two rooms are quite alike, but all include a suspended wood burner, bathtub, rainfall shower, and a private deck where you can enjoy the stunning sunsets or the star-filled night skies. For groups of family and friends, there are an additional six, three-bedroom self-catering villas with fully equipped kitchens, splash pools and outdoor barbecue areas. Neither the guest rooms nor the villas use traditional AC – instead, the building utilises geothermal energy to heat and cool the floors.
The kitchen garden supplies many of the ingredients to the in-house Semear restaurant. Guests can prepare their own garden-to-plate lunch, picking organic vegetables and aromatic herbs with the assistance of a chef – combined with the Ayurvedic spa, the yoga yurt, and evenings by the beach bonfire all make Areias do Seixo an idyllic coastal retreat.
