29. The Algarve
Portugal’s Riviera gets a new spate of luxury hotels.
The Algarve, on Portugal’s southern coast, has long been a major package-holiday destination for northern Europeans. But the sun-drenched region is aiming to attract a wider crowd as it recycles itself with a crop of new or renovated luxury hotels emphasizing style, authenticity and eco-friendliness. In Portimão, a perfect example is the just reopened 38-room Hotel Bela Vista. This 1918 villa overlooking the famous seaside Praia da Rocha was renovated by the French hotelier Thierry Naidu and features a stunning design by the Portuguese decorator Graça Viterbo.
There are hotels opening in quieter areas of the Algarve, too, including the striking Martinhal resort in Sagres, and a Conrad hotel scheduled to open in November. Trendy Lisboans are also flocking to Olhão, a former fish-canning town turned resort with stylish lodging options, like the recently opened Real Marina Hotel & Spa, and natural attractions, including the Ria Formosa, a national park made up of one of the largest barrier-reef lagoons in Europe, where you might have the pristine beauty of white sand beaches to yourself — for now, at least. ALEXANDER LOBRANO
this is taken from the 45 Places to go in 2012, by the New York Times http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?pagewanted=3&smid=fb-share
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