At the very eastern end of the Algarve we discovered a gem of a small property with an amazing restaurant and proximity to beaches and a great selection of off property dinning nearby. Praia Verde is a member of Design Hotels and is only a few years old with very hip décor & vibe that could make you feel you are at a trendy hotel in SoHo NY. The hotel is located just 8 km from the Spanish Border and a day trip to Seville is only about a 1.5 hour drive. The seaside town of Tavira, Portugal is only about a 15 minute drive. This is a lovely town that is worth a visit.
Our room (all the rooms are identical) overlooked the pool and gardens with a small patio, a large separate bedroom with king bed, combined with a living and dining area and kitchenette. Although we never used the kitchen it was stocked with a small stove, microwave, pots, pans and dishes and a complementary espresso machine. The bathroom was very small and had a shower/tub combination. The hotel is about a 5 -10 minute walk ( on nice paths) to the Praia Verde Beach where there are a handful of fabulous little restaurants that are on or overlooking the sand and water. We had 2 fantastic dining experiences at beach side restaurants just down the hill from our hotel. . The hotel had a small but very practical gym that offers the opportunity for both Cardio and weights. The pool is big with nice lounge chairs and there is also a small pool side bar/snack bar which looked great but couldn’t compete with the seaside options nearby.
The restaurant at Praia Verde was exceptionally good. We spent 22 days in Portugal and I would say our best dinner came out of their kitchen (a local fish stew accompanied by cous cous, grilled vegetables and nice salads). We also had the pizza (which is not as common as you might think in Portugal) out of their hardwood burning pizza oven which was a 9 out of 10. The breakfasts were a simple but very tasty buffet with fresh bread, croissant and other pastries, cereals, fruit, juices, coffees, eggs and sausage. The restaurant service was top notch and the wines on the menu were very good at extremely reasonable prices (we could get many delicious bottles for under $30).
In general, the area is known for its beaches which are busy in August but very manageable and like every part of Portugal we visited there was great dinning with your toes in the sand on the beach. A typical beach lunch started at 2:30 and lasted 2 hours with a bottle of rose and ended with an espresso overlooking an amazing beach. If the beach doesn’t interest you the seaside town of Tavira, Portugal is only about a 15 minute drive. This is a lovely town that is worth a visit.
Not to mention, the hotel is located just 8 km from the Spanish Border so a day trip to Seville is not out of the question as it is only about a 1.5 hour drive.