Comporta is a great place to visit if you are in Lisbon and looking for a few beach days.
The best way to go to Comporta is to rent a car so that you can visit all the beaches nearby.
Comporta is on the west coast of Portugal and about an hour away from Lisbon.
At least two nights.
I love going off- season. There are less people, less lines in the restaurants and all that and I like to go to the beach when the weather is cooler.
My favourite time to go to Comporta is mid-September to November and mid-April to the beginning of June.
July and August are peak months. It’s a popular summer destination. It’s very hot and mosquito season.
It can go from 85°F (30°C) to 87°F (31°C) and even higher.
It’s a breezy area making the heat tolerable.
Autumn and winter.
People dress up for dinner and wear bikinis, Kaftans, and swimsuits all day.
The whole area used to be privately owned and the beaches and the area is well preserved.
There are many rice fields making this a unique landscape, but beware of mosquitos during the summer.
It has always attracted celebrities, old money, new money, surfers, picnickers and more.
It’s not a sleepy little village anymore but it is still charming and worth visiting.
I think it has a very different atmosphere but I suppose they comparing it to the idea that it attracts so many wealthy people in the summer.
The town has change a lot. There are more upscale restaurants and stores.
Pastelaria Almo (it used to be Eucalyptus)
Mercearia (downtown amazing grocery store)
I love being near the ocean during colder months because I can be out all day without worrying about getting sunburned or too hot.
Empty beaches mean I can walk on the beach for hours and have the luxury of only hearing the ocean and the birds. It’s selfish, I know. But it’s wonderful.
The downside of traveling off-season is that many of the good restaurants are closed. The upside is that the best hotels will be open and I can enjoy their fabulous cuisines and winter discounts.
I spent a few nights at the Sublime Hotel. I took my watercolors and sketchbook and treated this solo trip as if it were my very private retreat.
Sublime Hotel has gorgeous chalets with their own pools, and smaller rooms that face the garden.
My room faced the garden, and I had a little terrace where I painted.
The hotel is about 15 minutes from downtown on a large and private property surrounded by the Alentejo landscape, silence, and starry nights.
When I went into the village, I found a great little coffee shop called Eucalyptus. The cafe has a beautiful old tree that provided me with a nice shade and I was able to linger there quite a bit. This great coffee shop is not called Alma and has changed completely. It’s more upscale and not the relaxed old place but still nice.
During the fall, it can rain quite a bit, but I was very lucky. I had all sorts of weather, sunny days, rainy days, cloudy- it was perfect!
Comporta is surrounded by rice paddies. You can see them when you are downtown and from the hotel, Quinta da Comporta.
They are beautiful in the summer and mysterious in the winter.
Tea time at the hotel is special! They serve their tea piping hot—as it should be—and bring you homemade, just-baked pastries.
Tea infusions are made with herbs from their garden, so your tea will always be a little different from the previous day, but it will always be fantastic.
When I went, there were no yoga classes, so I reserved the yoga room for myself. I wanted to relax, stretch, enjoy my music, and meditate. I also like to do walking meditations.
When I entered the room I was so surprised and happy to see that the staff had placed a mat for me in the middle of the room. There was a jug of water and a glass, towels and the room temperature was perfect for that cold winter evening.
It was such a pleasure to have this little bit of attention and care.
I want to start off by saying that I always felt very comfortable on my own at the Sublime.
The staff treated me very well, and I felt welcome. I loved my quiet walks, photographing, painting, and doing yoga on my own.
I have found that when I stay at a better hotel or resort it’s a challenge if not almost impossible to meet people.
There are more couples who want to enjoy a private vacation or closed groups that are traveling to party or for a retreat.
My experience in resorts is varied. I have met many fun people on some trips, but other trips were less social. Not lonely, just not social.
When you go to a resort on your own, be prepared to be alone, but keep your mind open to meeting people.
I have met women my age (60+) who will only stay at hostels when they travel because they like to be around people.
I am not a hostel person. I don’t like to share a room. I know some offer private rooms and baths but I have not found a great hostel yet.
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Updated June 2025
Marguerite Beaty, Blogger, Photographer & Artist
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One Response
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