Are you the kind of person who defines summer by the feel of sand between your toes? They were originally intended as a weekend getaway for owners Joao and Andreia Rodrigues, but they evolved into a small hotel.
Photography by Nelson Garrido.
The main cottage holds the inn’s common space, with a living room and dining area.
The cottages seem to float on the sand. Two of the four are made of wood and reeds, the other two of white concrete.
Guests can ride horses on the beach and enjoy some of the best bird-watching in Portugal; storks and flamingos are frequently sighted. Close by, the Sado River estuary is home to a colony of dolphins.
The swimming pool, flanked by a deck.
The simple, stylish furnishings are in keeping with the minimalist architecture.
The exterior of the wood-and-reed cottage that holds the inn’s living room, dining room, and kitchen.
The inn sleeps eight in four double bedrooms, each with its own private bath.
All four cottages have roofs thatched with grasses harvested from the banks of the Sado River.
Antonio Pinela, a local craftsman, built the cottages in 2010.
Casas Na Areia is the perfect vacation compound for a family or group of friends.
If you go, tell your traveling companions they can leave their slippers at home. Read about a more conventional beach hotel in Remodelista’s Just Open: A Hidden Beach Hotel in Oaxaca and see another take on a tiny beach cabin in Gardenista’s Rustic Living on the Beach in Uruguay.