The Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel has achieved shortlist success in the Beach Hotel category in the International Hotel & Property Awards 2014.
Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel is an award-winning 5-star family resort, located at the beach and in the middle of a natural park.
The unique location and position, within a natural park, at the beach with stunning views over the port of Sagres, on Portugal’s unspoiled western Algarve coast, were the starting point for the project. The aspirations for Martinhal were for it to look like it had grown organically, hence the architects wanted to ‘touch the ground lightly’, draw attention to the land and capitalized on sea views.
The solution was the creation of series of simple low-rise buildings (beachside cabins at the hotel are wrapped in natural timber) that have been crafted from local materials using modern construction techniques and geometric forms to reflect the local vernacular style and merge into the landscape of the resort’s pristine beach location and the national park. Also collaborating on the project were Lisbon based landscape architects Biodesign who are renowned for their ecologically sound practices. Their concept follows the principals of Conran & Partners – Recovering the landscape and coupling environmental awareness with functionality and aesthetics, particularly in relation to the coastal landscape system.
Homes are integrated within the site, preserving as many of the natural areas as possible with the implementation of an indigenous planting programme. Inspired by the surrounding dramatic beauty of the unspoilt Western Algarve, Michael has created clean and bold designs for Martinhal that join modern sophistication with relaxed comfort.
He sought to capture a sophisticated, low-key, intimate and artistic mood through the use of muted tones and local natural materials, such as cork, cane and stone, making the interiors elegant, modern and timeless, with comfort and quality as central themes.