Passion Projects

Four highly personal Portuguese hotels reflect a deep-rooted love of home and hospitality.

- Christine Chitnis

THE PRIVATE ESCAPE

Conceived by architect Manuel Aires Mateus, Pa.te.os is a quartet of minimalist geometric vacation homes tucked at the end of a country road in the Alentejo. Filled with natural light, the interiors were designed to emphasize the outdoors: floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors offer views of the low-lying Arrábida hills and the Atlantic shimmering on the horizon, while the surrounding landscape, with its gnarled oak trees and abundant vegetation, makes the place seem breathtakingly wild. Each of the four exclusive-use houses comes with breakfast service and a triangular infinity pool - but for ocean swimming, the town of Comporta and its pristine beaches are a 30-minute drive away. Villas from $611.

THE CITY RETREAT 

Overlooking Lisbon's verdant Jardim das Amoreiras named for the mulberry trees that line the park -