Casa dos Pescadores

Soft Sands and Rippling Rice Paddies

One of the homes closest to the beach at Carvalhal, this fisherman’s house turned holiday rental is close to the region’s soft sands and gently rippling rice paddies. With coastal styling, mariner stripes and decorative sea motifs, the property consists of a main house and attached upstairs apartment with a roof deck.

The main house features a terrace, small pool, a tiled outdoor shower, and parking space. There are three bedrooms, one with an ensuite bathroom and the other two sharing a bathroom. An open-plan kitchen comes lined with gleaming tiles, and the cozy living area has a fireplace for cooler nights.

The second-floor apartment is accessed via an external staircase. It’s also designed with an open-concept floorplan that includes a bedroom, kitchen, lounging area and bathroom, plus a plushly furnished rooftop terrace.

In addition to the pool, outdoor shower and terraces, there’s an alfresco dining table for 10 guests, within earshot of the rolling surf.

Around

This bright, stylish property sits walking distance from the beaches at Carvalhal. The Sublime Beach Club and JNQ are easy strolls from the house, and surfers can walk home after riding the area’s famed big waves.

Carvalhal’s beaches are freer and easier than those around Comporta and Melides (communities some 10 miles north), with fewer visitors and wilder sands. Carvalhal town is one of seven towns in the Herdade de Comporta, a zone of rice paddies and the wetlands of the Sado Nature Reserve. The town’s family-friendly beach is located at the end of its main street. Dune-backed and flanked by rice paddies, it also has a well-loved traditional waterfront restaurant, and there are beach loungers and umbrellas available for a fee. Pego Beach is also walkable from the home, a remote-feeling, four-kilometer stretch of golden sand surrounded by a pine forest. A destination for those in the know, Sal Restaurant is located on Pego, a family-run domain of grilled fish and freshly caught seafood that you can reach on foot. Dolphins jump in the waters offshore, and the waves make the entire region a surfing hotspot for pros and beginners alike, well-served by surf schools and local guiding companies.

Carvalhal is also known for its boutique shopping and antique outlets and its simple cafes and taverns. Nearby Comporta (about 10 minutes north) has become a favorite playground of global nomads who’ve ridden in on the coattails of fashion designers, international architects, entrepreneurial urbanites, and modern art collectors. Comporta is well loved for its easygoing elegance and trendy artisanal boutiques, lively galleries and handful of cute cafes. Nearby Melides is also a favorite of design-conscious shoppers who delight in the burgeoning selection of galleries, studio/workshops, and carefully curated boutiques.

This mostly unspoiled region remains undeniably beautiful in spite of its trendiness—a green landscape of vineyards and cork oak fields, rice paddies and groves of glinting olive and orange trees. Stork nests watch over quiet cobbled villages, and the region has historically been more agricultural than touristy. Lovers of the laid back and rugged will thrill with horseback rides along the rolling surf, and the area’s golden sands extend for miles, backed by dunes, cliffs, and wind sculpted pines and the protected lagoons, their waters rich with birds and wildlife, include nearby Lagoa de Santo André and the Lagoa de Melides.

Location

Carvalhal, Alentejo, Portugal. Nearest airport: Lisbon (1 ½ hours)

Best time to visit

April to October