Cabana Parus, a waterfront villa in Lagoa Formosa, Portugal

A Lakefront Cabana Walking Distance from Pego Beach near Comporta

A five-minute walk to the Alentejo Coast’s blonde sands at Praia do Pego, this lakefront cabana offers double the water and twice the relaxation of other coastal properties. Nestled within a serene natural park near the sea, the property stands elevated over the rich waters of Lagoa Formosa, a lake brimming with aquatic bird and freshwater fish life. Its proximity to the beach means you can hear the tide rolling nearby from its generously open living/dining area and its shaded terrace.

The Comporta-styled cabana—all white wood and cane—has a queen-sized bedroom, two rooms with two single beds each and three bathrooms (two ensuite) equipped with showers. The outdoor area is expansive, 6,500sqm of natural, lakefront beauty. Despite its location, the villa does not attract an excess of mosquitos. It also offers daily housekeeping.

A five-minute walk from Pego Beach, ideal for sunbathing and swimming, the cabana offers a rare, “two-fer”—two types of holiday home (lakefront cabin and beachy cabana) in one.

Around

The Environmental Park of Lagoa Formosa is a seven-hectare wetland sanctuary rich in biodiversity and featuring a variety of aquatic bird life, ducks and fish. Praia do Pego is a picturesque expanse of sand, with on-site lifeguards and disability access as well as a handful of restaurants and bars, parking zones, toilets and loungers/umbrellas for rent. Despite its proximity to Setúbal, Lisbon (about an hour 1/2 north) and Carvalhal, the beach’s waters are clear and deep blue, and it feels somehow secluded.

This coastal area of Portugal has some 40 miles of relatively unspoiled beaches, and nearby Carvalhal village is rural and slow-moving. The village is adjacent to the Sado estuary’s nature reserve, and Carvalhal beach feels a bit lost in time, a quiet stretch of sand located at the end of the village’s main street, one of seven beaches in the Herdade de Comporta. There’s a small, waterfront restaurant serving traditional fare, and loungers and umbrellas for rent. Pego beach is set more deeply into the pine forest and dunes, a remote crescent of sand that’s home to a locally famed restaurant, Sal, and a pod of dolphins named for the Sado reserve.

Big waves make the entire region a surfing hotspot for pros and beginners alike, and the region is well served by surf schools and local guiding companies. Carvalhal is also known for its boutiques, antique outlets and simple cafes and taverns. Nearby Melides is more happening, a favorite enclave of design-conscious shoppers and patrons of the arts who delight in the burgeoning selection of galleries, studio/workshops, and carefully curated boutiques, and Comporta offers easygoing elegance and trendsetting boutiques and restaurants.

The area’s golden sands extend for miles, backed by dunes, cliffs, and wind sculpted pines—beaches not to be missed are Praia da Galé-Fontainhas, Praia da Comporta and the Praia da Melides and the protected lagoons, their waters rich with birds and wildlife, including Lagoa de Santo André and the Lagoa de Melides.