Carlos Beirao da Veiga and Other Experts Tout Comporta’s Growing Tourism

Comporta is a growing place for tourists looking to trade the crowds for deserted beaches, good food, thatched houses and friendly populations. Carlos Beirao da Veiga says he has seen an increase in foreign visitors to Comporta starting on May 2020.

"Visitors have had a fantastic experience because here everything is good, the people, the weather, the food, the nature, people can walk on the beach", he says.

The region of Comporta, on the eastern shore of the Atlantic Ocean, has a rugged coastline that stretches for about 60 km of beach, and a landscape of maritime and tame pines, rice fields, dunes, floodplains and vineyards. About an hour's drive south of Lisbon, seven villages dot the region, Carrasqueira, Possanco, Comporta, Torre, Brejos da Carregueira, Carvalhal and Lagoas.

Carlos Beirao da Veiga has visited the area since childhood, "I've known Comporta since I was six or seven years old", he says. "I used to come with my family, I like the countryside, the authenticity of the villages, simplicity, nature and beaches."

During the primarily sunny summer days, tourists visit beaches that rarely get crowded. It's not unusual to have a beach all to oneself. Guests also lounge by their swimming pools, inhaling the scent of rosemary that lingers in the air. In the evenings, visitors enjoy fresh seafood dinners consisting of small-batch Portuguese wines, local goat cheese, homemade bread, and earthy rice dishes.

"The life here is going to restaurants, visiting friends' houses, and riding horses," Carlos Beirão da Veiga says. "It's calm,"

Picture-Perfect Villages and Protected Wildlife

Comporta presents a culturally distinctive aesthetic through the architecture of its small villages and walled towns, complete with the vintage charm of windmills, olive presses, and clock towers. The street scenes could be from a century ago; such is Comporta's traveling-back-in-time vibe. Even the slow pace of life, with languid two-hour lunches, seems retro in the most delicious ways as tourists imbibe the easygoing lifestyle.

Unlike the more popular Algarve, Comporta has avoided the limelight for decades for various reasons, a key one being its status as home to protected natural reserves. The Sado Estuary, National Ecological Reserve, and National Agricultural Reserve exist within its territory. 

Since the Portuguese government limits construction on natural reserves, development has remained minimal. Only recently has a ripple of development begun contributing to the region's growth as a vacation destination.

"The difficulty is to develop Comporta well, not to ruin it," says Carlos Beirão da Veiga. "Those people who want to do things very quickly are going to ruin it. It is best to think long-term. This approach is very important to me for the local community." 

How Carlos Beirão da Veiga Views Comporta's Popularity

The rusticity of Comporta creates a natural palette for tasteful real estate development. The recent opening of Sublime Comporta Beach Club on Carvalhal Beach reveals the area's growing sophistication. The club is part of the Sublime Comporta resort, one of a growing list of luxury accommodations, where guests enjoy villas framed in teak and glass. Since Comporta is an easy weekend trip from Lisbon, the requisite art galleries, chic bars and tempting restaurants have also arisen to attract vacationers. 

The charm of Comporta relies on smart development that adheres to high quality and low density so that the region retains what Americans call "barefoot luxury." The few modern holiday homes in Comporta are low-rise and discreetly tucked away among the umbrella pines and cork oaks. 

Many travelers compare Comporta to the Hamptons on the eastern end of Long Island before it became a sandy catwalk for fashionable New Yorkers. Like the Hamptons, Comporta was once a hub for fishermen and farmers where houses were simple cottages, and one could drive for miles and see only the coast and farmland. 

British artist Jason Martin, who rents a studio in Comporta, compares it to Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, during the 1950s. Back then, fishing boat captains and mates hung out at the docks, and a clam bar shack was a perfectly satisfactory dining experience. 

 As with the Hamptons, the fashionable crowd has slowly adopted Comporta as their secluded hideaway. Internationally known designers Christian Louboutin, Philippe Starck and Jacques Grange are among the world travelers who have vacation homes in the area. Their presence has helped put Comporta before the eyes of the international cognoscenti. 

 Grange, best known in France as a top interior designer, told Surface magazine that when he discovered the area, "It was like the Hamptons a hundred years ago." Comporta's natural beauty of umbrella pines and miles of empty beaches bewitched him. 

"For me, luxury is a space in the wilderness," Grange told Surface magazine. "You walk to the beach over the dunes, and often it is empty. You wake up, and you see a stork fly above you. That is luxury."

Resorts, Residential Communities and Other Tourist Draws

While Comporta was once the secret of locals in the know, luxury real estate projects now announce its desirability. In various stages of development, these include CostaTerra Golf & Ocean Club, The Atlantic Club Comporta, Muda Reserve, Estates at Spatia Comporta, and JNcQUOI Club. 

Tourists can choose from an abundance of modern beach houses for rent or boutique hotels. To save pennies and have an authentic experience, some travelers rent renovated fishing huts via Airbnb for reasonable prices. 

Activities in the region include horseback rides, surf lessons, bicycles for rent, and yoga classes. As part of the Sado Estuary, Comporta also offers a peek at a rainbow of colorful birds, including flamingos, herons, and storks. The vastness of the region's natural beauty virtually ensures that it will remain unspoiled by mass tourism and overdevelopment. 

"The challenge is to develop the region and create a high-quality tourist destination, strongly differentiated by environmental, historical, and cultural factors," Carlos Beirão da Veiga says. "And it must be based on respect for the integrity, vastness, and simplicity of the land."