Tag Archives: Décoration

Areias do Seixo: Awesome Eco-luxury Hotel in Portugal

Posted on April 24, 2014 | 2 comments

Before exploring the beautiful cliffs and beaches near the Areias do Seixo,

I have tea with a friend in the large lounge-dining room of the hotel (pictures 1, 2 & 3). I really like how light brings rhythm in the big hall, drawing shadows, chiaroscuro. The view of the nearby ocean (photo 7). Decoration: a successful mix of raw concrete, antique objects, the omnipresence of wood, cabinet of curiosities and ultra modern structure. The whole creates an unique world really contemporary and poetic. We are in the Costa de Prata, under an incredible blue sky, but I can also feel a little elsewhere, Morocco, Scandinavia … nomadic setting.

In the evening I meet Gonçalvo Alves,

co-owner of the Areias do Seixo with Marta Fonseca who are a couple of travelers, from Torres Vedras:

– We wanted a big house where people meet to share simple things. We also had a real interest in ecology and sustainable development. We wanted something beautiful and very simple in hippie chic spirit, the best of luxury. We worked with the architect Vasco Vieira and designer Rosarinho Gabriel to create a unique place dedicated to people who are in love.

How the Areias do Seixo is it an eco-friendly hotel?

– We have a green cover on the roof to balance temperature. To consume less, geothermal underfloor heating and thirty solar panels for electricity and heating. We use compost to fertilize our garden and vegetable garden. Products of the restaurant are from organic agriculture and most of them are from the region, including wine.

Ninety percent of people who work at the hotel are locals. It becomes common to worry about the environment in Portugal. Our great-great grandparents were very green and sustainable. And Portuguese remained very authentic, very attached to their roots. We draw our knowledge among the ancients. We apply the rule of the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle.

What would you like your guests to take away from their experience of Areias do Seixo ?

– Some say they have redesigned their life and relationship to the environment after their stay here. It’s wonderful for us because it is our passion !

Obrigada to Gonçalvo Alves, Marta Fonseca and all the team !

Informations

Areias do Seixo – Charme Hotel.

Areias do Seixo: A Room With A Small Fireplace

3 Restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal

HOTEL REVIEWS & DESTINATIONS

My friend and I were guests of the Areias do Seixo hotel and as always these opinions are mine.

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Posted in "On the road again", Fooding & Bars, Hotels

Tagged 5 star, Architecture, Costa de Prata, Décoration, Design, Ecology, Europe, Exclusive Interview, Exclusive Photos, Exclusive Pictures, Gonçalvo Alves, Hippie Chic, Hotel Reviews, Lounge, Marta Fonseca, Nature, Near the Atlantic Ocean, Organic Agriculture, Organic Products, Portugal, Respect for the Environment, Restaurant, Sustainability, Tested

Areias do Seixo: bohème chic et écologique au Portugal

Posted on April 24, 2014 | Leave a comment

Avant d’explorer les superbes falaises et plages près de l’Areias do Seixo,

je sirote un thé avec une amie dans le vaste lounge-salle à manger de l’hôtel (photos 1, 2 et 3). J’aime comment la lumière rythme l’espace, dessine les ombres, clair obscur. La vue sur l’Océan toute proche (photo 7). La décoration : mélange hétéroclite de béton brut, bric à brac d’objets chinés, l’omniprésence du bois, cabinet des curiosités et structure ultra moderne. L’ensemble donne un univers singulier, très contemporain et poétique. Nous sommes sur la Costa de Prata, sous un incroyable ciel bleu dense et azur et je me sens aussi un peu ailleurs, Maroc, Scandinavie… décor nomade.

Dans la soirée, je rencontre Gonçalvo Alves,

co-propriétaire de l’Areias do Seixo avec Marta Fonseca qui forment un couple de grands voyageurs, originaires de Torres Vedras :

– On voulait une grande maison où les gens se rencontrent pour partager des choses simples. Nous avions aussi un réel intérêt pour l’écologie et le développement durable. Nous voulions quelque chose de beau et très simple dans un esprit hippie chic, le meilleur du luxe. Nous avons travaillé avec l’architecte Vasco Viera et le designer Rosarinho Gabriel pour créer un lieu unique dédié aux personnes qui sont amoureuses.

En quoi l’Areias do Seixo est-il un hôtel éco-responsable?

– Nous avons une couverture verte sur le toit pour équilibrer la température. Pour consommer moins, du chauffage géothermique par le sol et trente panneaux solaires pour l’électricité et le chauffage. Nous utilisons du composte pour fertiliser la terre du potager et du jardin. Les produits du restaurant sont issus de l’agriculture biologique, dont une majeure partie vient de la région, y compris les vins.

Quatre-vingt dix pour cent des personnes qui travaillent à l’hôtel sont des gens de la région. Ca devient commun de se préoccuper de l’environnement au Portugal. Nos arrières-arrières grands parents étaient très verts et durables. Et les portugais sont restés très authentiques, très attachés à leurs racines. On puise notre savoir chez les anciens. Nous appliquons la règle des 3 R : réduire, réutiliser, recycler.

Qu’aimeriez-vous que vos hôtes retiennent de leur expérience à l’Areias do Seixo?

– Certains nous disent qu’ils ont repensé leur vie, leur rapport à l’environnement après leur séjour ici. C’est merveilleux pour nous, car c’est notre passion!

Merci à Gonçalvo Alves, Marta Fonseca et à toute l’équipe!

Informations

Areias do Seixo – Charme Hotel.

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HOTEL REVIEWS & DESTINATIONS

J’ai été invitée avec une amie, par l’hôtel Areias do Seixo et comme toujours ces opinions sont les miennes.

3 Restaurants in Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on January 16, 2014 | Leave a comment

Oops who spoke about diet? LOL! Invitations, no way to refuse them, right? Especially when different friends invited me to three restaurants, with different atmospheres, foods and interiors! Dinner with girlfriends, arty lunch in a funky hostel and a more formal restaurant of Portuguese cuisine. For all three, it is best to book ahead.

1. CERVEJARIA DA ESQUINA (pictures above & 2)

First crush for the good atmosphere, people are easy going and the service is nice! And the food is creative. Delicious fried (but not greasy) shrimps with a super yummy avocado sauce. And as a dessert, although I’m not found of chocolate mousse (no, it’s true!) … I cracked for one! Lovely dishes presentation and the minimalist decor could be Nordic! Thanks girls, you were able to cheer me up! Rue Correia Teles n°56, Campo de Ourique. T. (+351) 213 874 644.

2. THE DECADENTE (picture above and lay out below)

And here is my second fav! Bohemian attitude in Bairro Alto: the interior is a fresh mix of vintage and design and the atmosphere is laid back, with a traveler spirit. Arty friends invited me in this hostel, the trendiest of Lisbon, of course … The Decadente offers at lunch, a cheap tasty light menu, with nice portions (neither too much nor too little). The first meal (1), a pea soup, the dish (2), a cod (Bacalao) with a little green salad and for the dessert, a mini portion of fresh fruit salad. Bubbling! Rua Sao Pedro de Alcantara 81. T. (+351) 213461381

A CHARCUTERIA (picture above and lay out below)

Invited by a friends couple that I love, it was really a pleasure to see them and share with them this moment in this chic restaurant. But I found the place (a reference to Lisbon) pretty pretentious and lacking of warmth and generosity! We were seated near a table of ten smokers who smoked cigarillo and cigars! Enough to lose the flavor of food! What about the Portugese food? Excellent Empada da galinha (1),a kind of small chicken pie. But I didn’t like the main course (2): Rissois of camarao, shrimp fritters (the sauce inside tasted like Bechamel), too heavy. Accompanied by a tomato rice (Arroz de tomate), too salty. Rua do Alecrim 47 A, T. (+351) 213 423 845