Natural timber, local cane and stone and recycled cork combines with warm furnishings

Recycled materials and a low-rise design help the hotel buildings blend into the rugged landscape

Overlooking a wild sweep of beach on the south-west tip of the Algarve, within Costa Vicentina national park. The fishing port of Sagres is nearby and Faro airport is a 90-minute drive away.

We like

Recycled materials and a low-rise design help the hotel buildings blend into the rugged landscape. Natural timber, local cane and stone and recycled cork, teamed with warm furnishings, lend Martinhal a "homespun contemporary" feel. Everywhere you look there is snooze-on-me furniture inviting you to do just that.

The rooms

My timber-clad "beach room" had a decked, bay-facing balcony and the bathroom came with separate shower and oversized tub. Artisan skills are rekindled in the cute cork tables and stools, and cane-woven lamps made from Algarvian reeds.

Not so keen

Although sheltered by Algarve standards, wind-whipped Martinhal Bay won't be everyone's cup of tea. Some of the newly planted foliage has yet to take hold, but a coastal path to the wild-flower-strewn headland is seconds away.

The food and drink

Lunch on the terrace at the chic As Dunas can slip languorously into cocktail hour. Line-caught fish, fleshy hoops of grilled squid, just-landed oysters and clams, and a peculiar delicacy called perceves, a goose-necked barnacle resembling dinosaur toes, were accompanied by a crisp Portuguese white. O Terraco serves breakfast and gourmet fare, including the chef's sublime starter of sea urchin with scrambled egg served in a half-urchin shell (at €49/£40 the six-course tasting menu is excellent value for money). The lounge area doubles as a bar. The 112-strong wine selection is exclusively Portuguese.

The spa

The Finisterra Spa opens on July 1. Martinhal is a great walking and jogging beach. Also available are surfing, scuba diving, windsurfing, riding, jeep safaris, nature walks, gourmet picnics and (at preferential rates) golf.

The other guests

A sophisticated crowd of British and Continentals. Many locals visit O Terraco.

Access for guests with disabilities

One adapted terrace room. All public areas including As Dunas and the Beach Club are wheelchair-accessible.

The bottom line

Terrace room doubles from £105 with breakfast.

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