There's far more to Portugal than the Algarve, or the much-loved buzzing capital Lisbon, as a wealthy Irish cognoscenti (and the likes of Christian Louboutin and Philippe Starck among others) seem to have been discovering of late. There’s a sandy, unspoiled and environmentally sensitive region south of Lisbon, and north of Faro, called Alentejo, including niche communities at spots like Comporta and Melides, linked by 50 kilometres of sand and unobstructed beach, where nature’s beauty is cherished, Atlantic dunes are protected, and development is pared back. It’s possibly where money whispers, rather than brags: we’re looking at you, Quinta Do Lago, and your gilt-edge bling, and villas at that Irish-controlled exclusive enclave selling at up to and over €20m, ye sun gods.
Well-heeled and sandal-heeled Irish buyers have already been active buyers in this under-the radar Comporta/Melides Portuguese hotspot, with estate agents Savills International in Dublin and London lining up families looking for sunshine, coastal luxury, and higher-end investments in which to place some of their wealth and who - perhaps -don’t quite feel the ‘Quinta-essential’ need to see and be seen by the sea. Actively developing in this lower-key, more reserved spot under the Spatia banner is Portuguese, family-owned firm Eurosuez, headed by Lisbon-based, second-generation developer Vasco Cunha Mendes and his design-savvy sister Vera: they have completed a hotel and 38 villa scheme — whi.
