comporta: the places you must go

July 14, 2023by li furtado

this isn't one of those exhaustive travel guides but we all know the european spotlight is currently on comporta. this is a guide written from a person who have been visiting comporta for a long time now and have been steadily noticing the changes.

as I said, I won’t be writing any “best of” list. these are my must-haves because I'm a creature of habit and won't change what I like. my favorite beaches have always been pego and carvalhal, and, to be honest, everything makes me think that the spirit is shifting toward carvalhal and melides, further south.

on the sublime beach facing the sunset, several "fried baby cuttlefish" replaced gervasio's fried cuttlefish. one thing is still certain: there are still mosquitoes and there is still an alentejo accent. as long as we manage to preserve that authenticity, comporta will always be a special place.

on the beach, it's all about happiness, so don't miss the classic portuguese bola de berlim an olá ice cream, but a fruit popsicle that isn't conventional also tastes great! come to me with a bag of sal's french fries if you need a snack at the beach. not enough people of alentejo would not recognized that marvel. don’t miss them!

post beach direct for dinner (before the attack of mosquitoes). to be honest, it’s only a question of alternating for me now that the sublime comporta beach club and restaurante sal meet in carvalhal. I could switch back and forth between them every day.

sublime comporta beach club, carvalhal

okay, restaurante sal is my favorite… even if the setting has changed, the flavor of the cuttlefish rice remains the same. some people adore the chocolate bomb for dessert, but my personal favorite is the exquisite pineapple with lime zest.

beach, pêgo

without a doubt I will always remember dona bia restaurant, where I ate clams and razor clam rice while seeing the sunset of comporta. tell nuno that we send kisses! at the jacaré restaurant you can rest from the rice and order an amazing pizza. at sal burguer take a break in a caravan atmosphere.

dona bia restaurant, comporta

now, let's get back to the daylight. daily purchases should be made at the gomes grocery shop, which is evidence that size is irrelevant and that the cheapest rice and the most expensive wine can coexist. however, gomes has expanded and diversified into a variety of intriguing enterprises that take us beyond comporta. as a result, I strongly suggest that you stop by its corner so that you may enjoy an amazing breakfast, get flowers, or purchase some wonderful pies to take home.
purchasing fresh fish from dú peixe store is a wonderful option if you are renting a house. you’ll find everything you need, and the quality and pricing are really appealing.

possanco, comporta

lavanda and the rice museum shop are perfect places for a last-minute shopping, but relax, you're on vacation and that's what comporta is for. nonetheless, I will always do my update of international magazines at the stationery and tobacco shop isadora. as far as the incredible offer of places to stay, there are more and more options to choose, I will give you my tip: I would always stay at sublime or quinta da comporta. in reality, each place has a distinct positioning and brought a unique offer to comporta.

li furtado is the founder and creative director of CINCO. born in '82 in alentejo, portugal she graduated in geography from the university of coimbra. after working for 10 years as a consultant, she quit her job to follow her dream and love for fashion. with a creative and restless mind, she is driven by new ideas and her focus is to always have time to enjoy life with her family.