Verdelago Resort, the sustainable luxury resort, will open on July 4th, at the sea front, between Praia Verde and Altura, in Castro Marim municipality. Verdelago Resort is a project of Verdelago – Sociedade Imobiliária, S.A. a real estate and tourism projects development company, whose majority stake is held by Fundo Aquarius, FCR, managed by Oxy Capital.
The project, which after more than 20 years in the drawer, gained a new life under the management of Oxy Capital, now sees the light of day, opening its doors to lovers of sustainable tourism and the exclusivity of 5-star hotel services.
The resort, 500 meters from the beach, is surrounded by an extensive pine forest, and will have, in addition to its luxury accommodations, an exclusive club that includes the “Salicórnia” – a restaurant with open kitchen, two bars (indoor and outdoor) with signature cocktails, plus an infinity pool and an open market.
With the signature of the Venetian chef Marco Alban, the Salicórnia restaurant located in the heart of the Verdelago, between the infinity pool and the pine forest, is also, the soul of the Village Club and promises a journey of flavors. The chef, who has made the Algarve his home in recent years, has vast experience in fine dining, having been executive chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo, Hotel Quinta do Lago and Pine Cliffs: a Luxury Collection Resort, also in the Algarve. He also worked at the Cascais Miragem and the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon, among others. With a direct connection to the beach access walkways, the Salicórnia restaurant will highlight the most genuine flavors of the region, with a contemporary menu that reflects the culture and gastronomic traditions of the Algarve. Among the varied selection of dishes are the “Fish and seafood fry of the day”, the “Lucioperca with mushrooms and asparagus”, the “Lamb chowder”, in addition to a selection of “handmade pizzas” of slow fermentation, also highlighting the products of the region. The menu also includes sharing moments, such as the “Octopus Pica-pau”, the traditional “Estopeta” and “Muxama Algarvia” and the “Biqueirão albardado”. For desserts, there are plant-based options, such as rice pudding made with Algarve almond milk and local organic honey.
The tourist project is surrounded by extensive green areas and 2 kilometers of wooden walkways that take guests up to the observation towers, with a 360º view of the surroundings. In addition to these facilities, there is the Wellness Dome, a complex with several multi-sports fields (2 tennis courts, 4 paddle courts, 1 soccer field, 1 sand court for volleyball, footvolleyball and beach soccer), a BMX/BTB track (pumptrack), several walking and cycling paths of about 7 km through cork oaks and pine trees, ponds and a lagoon, family support services (Kids Club and babysitting), a swimming pool in the central area of the resort, and in the future, an orchard and vegetable garden with local products and a riding arena with horses for rides within the resort.
To this, we can add security, privacy, a wide range of exclusive and concierge services, and the informal luxury provided by the interior design by Dexter Moren (now Studio Moren) and Sofia Andrez (now Andrez & Andrez). The latter was inspired by the surrounding natural landscape and focused on balanced and organic elements, the use of stone, natural fibers, hammocks, straws, rough-hewn wood in neutral tones, handcrafted decorative elements, and furniture produced in Portugal by family companies.
Reservations for one of only about 50 luxury accommodations available this year can be made on the Verdelago Resort website or by calling 281101601. Those interested can choose from one, two, and three bedroom apartments, and two and three bedroom townhouses (two and three bedroom apartments starting at €760 per night and townhouses starting at €840 per night).
Of its 86 hectares of land, only 8.7% is occupied by buildings, the rest is vegetation and includes a green park for recreation and leisure with about 42 hectares, a nature reserve in front of the sea with 24 hectares, areas for environmental interpretation, conservation and promotion of the habitat and a lake with 2 hectares. The temporary ponds are in charge of CMAR (Center for Marine Sciences, University of Algarve) and the forests are managed by 2 B Forest, while the fauna and flora are taken care of by Associação Vita Nativa. Verdelago Resort is also the first tourist resort in the country to join the Green Globe certification, one of the most demanding international certifications for sustainable tourism, with affiliation to the United Nations Tourism Organization.
By the end of this year, construction of a 5-star hotel with an international standard, with 197 rooms, is expected to begin. In total, within 7 to 10 years, the resort will have more than 2000 beds, including 340 residential tourist units.
During the cruise year, with a total of 2020 beds, the Verdelago Resort expects to create 600 direct and permanent jobs, mainly for local people, thus promoting the local economy and fighting unemployment.