Sublime Comporta Country Retreat & SPA

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, paying around €200 and expecting good service, quality food, and a nice romantic evening. Instead, we both spent the entire night in the bathrooms afterward. Thankfully, our room had two. I had to recover for a long time from serious food poisoning. It’s unacceptable at a hotel of this level and price, and it completely ruined our stay and our impression of the place. We’ll file an official complaint in the Livro de Reclamações. Guests shouldn’t have to put their health at risk. I strongly recommend against eating at this restaurant.

The food at Sem Porta was spectacular. Its name means “without doors” in Portuguese, a play on Comporta, and the restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide. The staff throughout the property were welcoming and attentive, and there are plenty of things to do, including biking in the surrounding nature, the Spa, Gym, and Tennis court, plus their beach club in a nearby town, which sounds ideal in summer. We stayed in a cozy, warm villa with access to one of the natural pools. The property is huge, so there’s plenty of space and privacy. Sublime Comporta makes a wonderful, peaceful weekend escape from Lisbon, about 1:15h away by car. We’d definitely recommend staying here to recharge and enjoy some quiet.

The design is fantastic and the food offering is beautiful. We had a frustrating start due mostly to teething issues at the new (Sand) development, but staff sorted the problems immediately, especially Miguel Silva, who was fantastic. The Beach Club still needs more joined-up thinking and work. Again, though, a very helpful team resolved the issues we faced. Highly recommended all the same. I expect the remaining problems will be ironed out as the project matures.

The newer ‘Sand wing’ is still under construction, even though it’s open to guests. The hotel is split across two locations, and guests have to take an hourly bus between them to reach the restaurants and heated pool. The whole place feels disorganized, with different staff giving different answers. Flies are everywhere, which is unpleasant, though I suppose there may not be much the hotel can do about them. There are many better hotels and resorts in the area, and in Portugal generally. I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay at Sublime.