Charm Nature

The drive to Charm Nature hotel from Lisbon took less than 30 minutes but it was one of the most beautiful drives we’ve experienced in Portugal. Turn off the motorway and you’re on to winding roads that meander along the contours of grassy hillsides, offering the occasional glimpse of velvety blue sea. This is Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, a wide stretch of rugged landscape that encompasses sand dunes, forests, lakes, beaches and Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Continental Europe –and nestled into a a gentle woodland slope, almost directly above all this natural splendour, is Charm Nature, making the hotel’s name all the more apt.
 
From the outside it’s easy to miss. Appearing abruptly on the bend of a narrow road, it could be mistaken for a private home, were it not for its give-away grand gates and striking cork façades. In fact, this secrecy seems to have been one of the guiding principles behind its design – the location is fairly suburban, and the hotel sits among a cluster of residential properties in the upper part of Azóia village; but its fencing hides a private idyll, with only 16 bedrooms as well as standalone villas and retro silver camper-vans. Each of the villas and campers has its own garden and terrace, as well as floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors that offer sweeping views down to the coast. The lobby, restaurant and pool area are located within another building, slightly lower down the hill, in front of the bedrooms. Clever landscaping ensures each room feels secluded, while warm lighting and a fire burning in the centre of the lobby in the evenings create a cosy atmosphere. All of the bedrooms have their own fireplaces too. Handy if you’re staying in the winter months, which – we were told by the friendly manager – are just as, if not more, beautiful than the summers.   

We stayed in one of Charm’s camper vans, which offer something like a glamping experience, but with all the amenities you’d expect of a luxury hotel, including a large flatscreen TV, deep standalone bath tub, Acqua di Parma products and on the slightly more eccentric side, a mini-fridge styled as a Marshall amp. We found the room itself to be surprisingly spacious, with a little lounge area on one side, an enormous double bed at the centre and the bath on the other. The bathroom was rather more compact – we had to bend over slightly to get in and out the shower, but it did the job. We loved rolling back the glass doors, lying propped up in bed listening to the birds, sitting on the terrace reading our books and basking in the sun, or soaking in the tub in the evenings gazing out at the starry night. 

We had planned to spend more time exploring the local area (there’s plenty to do if you’re the restless type), but once we’d arrived at the hotel it was difficult to leave. It seems to exist in its own world, detached from the rhythms of the everyday. And so our days consisted of drifting barefoot between our bedroom and the poolside where we’d take up semi-permanent residence in one of the ultra-comfy double-bed cabanas, often with a passion fruit martini or a virgin mango mojito. That said, it is worth venturing out to wander the colourful streets of Sintra where you can explore a 10th-century Moorish castle, stop for a shot of ginja (a sweet liqueur made from sour cherries) or an ice cream. Many of the park’s beaches are also popular surfing spots – head down at sunset and you’ll encounter Lisbon locals catching waves after work. 

There are some things about the hotel that feel slightly unconventional – the breakfast menu, for instance, is divided into starters, followed by courses ‘to share’ and desserts – but for us, this only added to the charm, especially when we were given our brownies in a takeaway box to enjoy later in our room. And, if you really can’t squeeze in a slice of banana bread after your chia pudding and breakfast burrito (‘to share’, it seems, really means ‘main course’), fear not: there’s a freshly baked cake laid out every afternoon for guests to help themselves to, alongside jugs of icy water flavoured with mint and lemon. At lunch, there are more burritos and enormous salad bowls, plus ‘sides’ (or so they’re called), such as ham-and-cheese toast or a cheese or charcuterie board. The hotel’s restaurant is closed daily for dinner, but there are plenty of nearby options – our favourite spot was Casa do Mar sem Fim, a fish restaurant, a few minutes walk from the hotel; or there are the smarter eateries of Cascais, a short drive away. The hotel’s staff can also recommend a few restaurants that deliver too. Anyone for pizza by starlight? 

Charm Nature is a hotel that’s not afraid to do things its own way and in doing so, it creates an utterly unpretentious and tranquil atmosphere – the perfect antidote to urban living.