Companhia das Culturas is a quirky eco boutique hotel with beautiful vintage decor in Castro Marim, in the Eastern Algarve.
Beach
Eco
Nature
Restaurant
Spa
Swimming Pool
Yoga
Design Pieces
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Surrounded by 40 acres of pine, cork, carob and olive trees, plus a biological garden, Companhia das Culturas is a boutique hotel in the Algarve offering a truly relaxing experience.
The owners, Eglantina and Francisco, are proud of the region's produce, and their hotel reflects that. It's evolved through seven family generations, and it took 10 years (it opened in 2008) to create what is today Companhia das Culturas.
There are nine uniquely decorated rooms, four apartments with kitchenettes, two swimming pools, a gorgeous hammam and plenty of spaces to hang out.
Every object in the hotel has been recycled and restored using local materials. The furniture, therefore, is an interesting mix of different periods and styles, and the result is both unique and beautiful.
Awesomeness
A wholesome organic breakfast with homemade, seasonal and local produce, including eggs straight from the coop!
Laze by the pool or sea - the nearest beach is 1.5km away.
The Corkbox is a yoga cork-lined room which resembles an art installation.
Complimentary yoga classes.
Seafood lovers will enjoy the local and super fresh specialities such as oysters, razor clams and tuna.
Bear in Mind
There are no TV's anywhere (makes perfect sense).
Wi-Fi is available in communal areas. You might get some signal in your room.
Service is low-key, but that's part of the charm.
Wild cats often wander around – they're small and harmless (do not feed them, though).
The hotel is closed during the winter, although they might be able to accommodate big groups.
Surrounded by 40 acres of pine, cork, carob and olive trees, plus a biological garden, Companhia das Culturas is a boutique hotel in the Algarve offering a truly relaxing experience.
The owners, Eglantina and Francisco, are proud of the region's produce, and their hotel reflects that. It's evolved through seven family generations, and it took 10 years (it opened in 2008) to create what is today Companhia das Culturas.
There are nine uniquely decorated rooms, four apartments with kitchenettes, two swimming pools, a gorgeous hammam and plenty of spaces to hang out.
Every object in the hotel has been recycled and restored using local materials. The furniture, therefore, is an interesting mix of different periods and styles, and the result is both unique and beautiful.
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The beautiful apartments are located right next to the farmhouse and all have a kitchenette.
We thoroughly enjoyed breakfast at Vermelho. Highlights included the array of Portuguese and French pastries that were brought to your table and the perfectly cooked a-la-carte eggs. Breakfast was delicious but also beautifully arranged, featuring tableware from Vida Dura.
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The cosy communal living room is perfect for curling up with a glass of red wine during cooler evenings.
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The wonderful hammam (steam room).
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Corkbox: Fully lined in cork and comfortably bare so you can take your shoes off, this is a space for sound and image, yoga, tai chi, dance or brainstorming. We had an awesome yoga class with the lovely Peki.
Elisabeth Lincot's installation, Lagrima de Loros, graces an exterior hearth at Vermelho with glazed and colourful ceramic bird heads.
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Interview
A Conversation with Eglantina about Companhia das Culturas
“This farmhouse had belonged to the family for seven generations. It was important for us to respect the heritage.”
– EGLANTINA, OWNER
How did you come up with the idea to start Companhia das Culturas?
This is a redevelopment of a farmhouse that has belonged to the family for seven generations. It used to be an urban centre that once housed workers and that served to store and transform agricultural products. With the dismantling of traditional agriculture at the beginning of the 1980s, we needed to give it a new direction.
How long did it take to get everything ready to open?
A long time. The first phase took ten years, it was a stage during which we had to understand the place, the ecosystem, and also the available financing options to keep from resorting to loans, we worked on the basis of how much we could afford and invest by ourselves.
Did you have any experience working with hotels?
None. It wasn’t an option, but the answer to the question: what to do with a heritage that we need to take care of? As well as continuing with the agricultural production, especially the organic rain-fed orchard. The hotel was the most logical answer.
How do you describe the architecture and interior?
It’s called the “chã” architecture which can be found in the region. Since its construction, in the mid eighteenth century until now, it has undergone several interventions resulting in influences from different periods.
Additions, such as the needs of agricultural activity, which resulted in new emerging materials and construction techniques. The Modern Style of the late 20s is noticeable – the doorways and high windows, geometric tiles in the main house or the garage for the harvesting machine in the 40s, creates a contrast to the adobe houses of the workers and for storing or for the animals.
The last intervention was done in collaboration with the architect Pedro Ressano Garcia, who worked to adapt what was already here, to the purpose of hosting people.
Please tell us a bit about the rooms in the hotel.
Each room is a room in itself. One has an adobe wall, another has a part of a stone wall which hasn’t been plastered – each allowing the feel of the multiple layers of time. The window openings are also all different, but all open onto a patio.
There isn’t a corridor, instead there is a labyrinthine courtyard. The lime, the stone, stroked cement, wooden ceilings with a wash of white paint and some objects made of cork are the most used materials.
What’s your favourite object in the hotel?
A coffee table which is now in the communal living room, an old olive oil mill with a glass… I like it because it’s weird, it’s crazy. Also, in the living room there is a massive mirror which is on the floor against the wall and a cabinet with wood on the outside and sheet metal on the inside – it’s vaguely weird too.
We find it amazing how relaxed the whole place feels yet we can tell every object is very carefully placed – you have some truly beautiful vintage pieces and furniture. Where do you find them?
Some belonged to the house, others I just keep finding in vintage shops. Some are cleaned or recovered but I also transform some objects, adapting them to their new needs. The aura of the objects is about time and this manifests itself in their marks, inconsistencies and imperfections.
The corkbox is like a beautiful art installation and we really enjoyed the yoga class. How did the idea to build it come up?
It used to be the garage for a threshing machine. The construction of plastered brick and vain tile roof was very badly insulated. By working with what has been given to us, and seeing as we are part of the cork oak ecosystem, and in some ways also cork producers, its intensive application – on the ceiling, the walls and on the floor – it was a choice that made sense.
We loved the different delicious breakfasts we got every morning, very original. Where do you and your team get your inspiration from?
We got the inspiration from the ecosystem, keeping up with the principle of working with what is in place at the time – meaning locally sourced and seasonal. We don’t use any processed products from the food industry, or anything from the big urban areas. We work with our own products and those from our neighbours. We see the act of eating as a political one.
“We work with our own products and those from our neighbours.”
– EGLANTINA, OWNER
The food at the hotel has such a strong focus on local seasonal produce. What do you think are the ingredients/flavours that surprise the guests the most?
The fresh fish from the coast, the meat from grazing livestock, the vegetables and the fruit which are daily picked from the garden, and the carob which is little known outside the region. What really impresses guests is the flavour of the products. Instead of hiding the flavours, our kitchen values them; it celebrates the products and its producers.
You’ve recently opened the Hammam (steam room). Can you tell us more about this?
The Hammaam is part of the Roman and Arabic tradition of public baths that were a mark throughout the Mediterranean. The Inquisition in the sixteenth century forbade them. We’re inviting and welcoming back the salutary baths that existed in the region for more than six centuries.
Is there a gem in the region that tourists are not usually aware of?
The salt marshes and the small Museum at the Castle of Castro Marim, which tells the story of the Phoenicians in search of gold, silver and copper which was abundant in the Lower Alentejo and traded through the Guadiana.
What sets your guests’ experience apart from other hotels?
I think that we’re part of a family of hotels that takes hosting as a gesture of being available without being subservient, and as a gift.
Where do you tend to go on holiday and which hotels do you stay in?
When it comes to picking a spot I’m very flexible and random. My priorities are the location and the architecture. If I’m really tired of my job as a hotel manager then I need to switch off so I might look for a very basic hotel, just with a comfortable and clean bed so that I stop myself from observing every detail.
Thank you very much for this interview Eglantina.
Thank you too!
Where
Companhia das Culturas is located in Castro Marim, in the southeast Algarve.
According to the season, guests can participate in some of the farm’s activities – picking fruit, aromatic herbs and greens.
Companhia das Culturas can provide you with its own maps of the local footpaths. They also have a variety of bikes, suitable to the different types of terrain. In partnership with local boating companies they offer the possibility to sail on the Ria Formosa with access to its deserted beaches – this is also a great spot for bird watching or kayaking.
We love the nearby village of Cacela a Velha (8km) with its narrow streets and small white houses with colourful windows – its beach is a delight. Tavira (17km) is considered by some the prettiest town in the Algarve.
Visit some of the amazing local producers of salt, olive oil and tuna.
Praia Verde (3km) is a nice and popular beach nearby.
Watch the video above which we did with Condé Nast Traveller. In it we talk about Foz do Douro - the seaside neighbourhood in Porto where we grew up. check out the Full article on their website.
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We love Cacela a Velha, a picturesque village with narrow streets and small white houses with colourful windows - its beach is a delight.
The Ria Formosa Natural Park is a paradise for birdwatchers. Different types of tours, including kayaks, are available.
Try the famous local oysters from Ria Formosa, they're delicious!
Visit Castro Marim's castle so you can pretend you're on Game of Thrones.
Visit Monterosa's farm, an excellent Olive Oil maker.
Delicious traditional Portuguese food at Dom Petisco, just by the border with Spain - nice view too :)
We had an amazing meal at Noélia & Jerónimo in Cabanas. We highly recommend a visit to this restaurant.
It’s a 40-minute drive from Faro to Companhia das Culturas. Hiring a car is highly recommended to get to the hotel and explore the region and the beautiful beaches and villages nearby. Otherwise, you can take a taxi or the hotel can arrange a transfer from the airport.
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