Portugal's Best-kept Coastal Secret Has 70 Miles of Cliffs, Surf Beaches, and Hard-to-Book Boutique Hotels

"Spanning nearly 70 miles, the area is part of the greater Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, a sprawling reserve created by the Portuguese government in 1988 to safeguard the area's natural landscape and biodiversity. Thanks to strict zoning rules, the vast, beautiful area remains largely undeveloped, apart from the odd farmhouse and old cottage."

"After walking about 20 minutes along the Fishermen's Trail-part of a hiking network considered to be among the most scenic routes in Europe-I found myself at the edge of a cliff with the Atlantic on one side and the Seixe River on the other. It was a gloriously clear day, and looking south, it felt like I was at the edge of the continent."

"When I started to come here I thought, What is this? There was nothing here," said Nuno Avillez, a former mechanical engineer from Lisbon who bought the property in 2016 and decided to move to the area during the pandemic-a story I would encounter frequently on this trip."

Costa Vicentina spans nearly 70 miles along Portugal's Atlantic coast north of the Algarve, protected as part of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park established in 1988. Strict zoning regulations have kept the area largely undeveloped, preserving pristine shores and dramatic cliffs. Historically attracting mainly Lisbon vacationers and surfers, the region is now experiencing tourism growth with new upscale hotels opening. The Fishermen's Trail offers scenic hiking routes considered among Europe's most beautiful. Recent developments include boutique hotels like Amaria, opened in 2023 in a converted farmhouse, attracting entrepreneurs relocating from Lisbon.

Read at Travel + Leisure