A wellness-boosting itinerary through Portugal: from the Algarve to Alentejo

At Quinta da Comporta – Wellness Boutique Resort, owner and renowned Portuguese architect Miguel Câncio Martins has created a design that reflects that same duality: rustic yet refined. Built around a former rice barn, the Wellbeing Collection resort’s airy cabanas, reed-lined walkways and natural materials echo the surrounding farmland. The pace here is deliberately slow. Mornings begin with yoga in a pavilion facing the fields, while afternoons drift by at the Oryza Spa, where rice — grown just metres from the treatment rooms — forms the basis of signature ‘rizo therapy’ rituals. Horseback rides with Cavalos na Areia guides take guests over sandy trails and down to the beach, where Lusitano horses power through surf under the wide Atlantic sky. Back at the resort, float in an infinity pool that appears to melt into the emerald fields, the air alive with the sound of cicadas and the scent of fig trees and distant wood smoke.

Once in Lisbon, instead of flying straight home, linger a little longer in the capital’s Amoreiras district, which offers a quieter, more residential rhythm to the bustle of the centre. Once the heart of the city’s 18th-century silk industry, it remains defined by its cobbled lanes and mulberry trees (amoreiras), together with neoclassical façades that bear the marks of a once-thriving artisanal community.

Hotel das Amoreiras sits on the leafy square from which this tranquil neighbourhood takes its name. Interiors are layered with warm Portuguese woods, hand-thrown ceramics and organic textiles in dusky greens and ochres. The courtyard is the hotel’s heart — a spot for unhurried breakfasts, aperitifs at golden hour or simply watching the day pass beneath the trees. From here, it’s a short walk to hidden corners like the Reservatório da Mãe d’Água, a vast stone cistern turned gallery and lookout point, or to the Fundação Arpád Szenes — Vieira da Silva, a light-filled museum housed within an old silk-making factory. Amongst the surrounding streets, small design ateliers and family-run cafés create a relaxed ambience that feels far from the crowds.