muffinn on Visualhunt.com / CC BY
muffinn on Visualhunt.com / CC BY

There's a lot of talk about the Comporta area, and tourism also is gaining ground in the Alcácer do Sal region, located in the heart of the Alentejo coast, Portugal. There are new hotel units and others under expansion, and there are also projects that were halted due to the economic crisis which are now gaining a new lease of life, so is a promising real estate investment opportunity. The mayor, Vítor Proença, tells idealista/news of the interest in this municipality of Lisbon's South Bank, in the Setúbal district, which is showing signs of becoming one of the next most popular destinations for real estate and tourism investment in Portugal.

nmorao on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND
nmorao on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND

The mayor of Alcácer do Sal says that all "these investments happen thanks to the interest in the municipality of Alcácer, because of factors such as its privileged geographical position, good accessibility, high economic growth and high rate of development, wealth of historical and natural heritage (like the Sado Estuary) and unique gastronomy and pastries."

Meanwhile, Vítor Paiva, Engel & Völkers franchisee at Comporta, believes that "in six to twelve months we will see the beginning of real estate investments and their respective commercialisations."

Aldeia das Cegonhas, a new tourist concept

The supply of tourist real estate in the Alcácer do Sal region is, for the time being, scarce and deficient in terms of number of installations, although there is a growing increase in various formats of facilities. One example of this is the "Aldeia das Cegonhas" project from property promoter Aldeia das Cegonhas Lda, with an architectural project by Promontório Architects.

Currently in the public consultation stage, the project is a tourist village located in the Aggregate Parishes of Alcácer do Sal (Santa Maria do Castelo e Santiago) and Santa Susana, which together occupy a total area of 30 hectares and involve an investment amount of up to 36 million euro starting from 2019.

There will be a total built surface area of 16,804 metres squared, which is 180,877 square feet. On this land there will be 96 tourist accommodation units with 528 tourist beds and swimming pools. These units are divided into 81 single-family detached houses, in the typologies from T0 to T4 (from studios to 4-bedroom houses), and 15 other apartments in the typologies V2 to V5 (2 bedrooms to 5 bedrooms), all being independent units with their own direct access to the outside. The complex will also have a central building, a reception building, a wastewater treatment plant and technical support buildings for accommodation and services.

Trifólio/Estudo de Impacte Ambiental
Trifólio/Estudo de Impacte Ambiental

A new kind of spa to attract tourists

The mayor of Alcácer do Sal, Vítor Proença, has also revealed to idealista/news that the demand for accommodation is associated with two new types of investment in the area: "One in the Torrão area (Vale do Gaio) and another in Alcácer do Sal with the construction of a 4-star hotel where the former Alcácer fire station was located."

The first project, the Pousada de Vale de Gaio, a space that is much sought after by top rowing athletes, has been closed for expansion and improvement work until 1st June 2019.

Pousada de Vale do Gaio
Pousada de Vale do Gaio

The hotel unit is called Palácio do Sal Hotel & Spa and belongs to Class and Business Hotels. It is estimated to be worth 6 million euro. Its most exciting feature will be the spa, which will have an indoor heated swimming pool with underwater lighting, waterfalls, air beds and sensory shower that can alternate between cold showers and tropical rains, plus an ice fountain of soft flakes, scented Turkish bath, sauna and treatment rooms with a focus on Halotherapy – sitting in Himalayan salt rooms to clear the pores and internal organs.

This hotel will be built inside the ruins of the old Cineteatro, dating back to 1948, which has been abandoned and constitutes an eyesore for the city’s riverside area. It is hoped that the Palácio do Sal will sharpen the public or private interest for its rehabilitation.

New projects get the green light

Another project that promises to boost the tourist economy in the region is the Herdade de Rio Mourinho. Speaking to idealista/news, André Tamm Correia, Project Manager of FAT – Future Architecture Thinking, the group behind the development of this resort about seven years ago, details that this is "a new tourist development that is going up on both sides of the lake" and that "besides the tourist area, there will also be a new area for the public with waterfront access and full support for its use."

In terms of the concept, he points out that the Herdade de Rio Mourinho follows the Detailed Plan of the Pêgo do Altar that "is in force" and will take "an ecological approach in its choice of materials, its measures to reduce water and energy consumption and its low level of intrusiveness, because most of the area of the plan will not be built on at all."

With an investment of around 80 million euro, this development will be built in stages and will have four country hotels (one unit built on one bank and the other three on the other bank), a restaurant, nautical centre, environmental interpretation centre and a public park. "We initially planned to build housing there, but then it was decided that there would be no residential housing, only tourist real estate," adds André Tamm Correia.

FAT – Future Architecture Thinking
FAT – Future Architecture Thinking

More real estate supply with better quality

The expansion of the Hotel Rural da Barrosinha, owned by the Companhia Agrícola da Barrosinha, for a value of 3.5 million euro, is another new real estate project of note in Alcácer do Sal.

Companhia Agrícola da Barrosinha
Companhia Agrícola da Barrosinha

The Operational Director of the Hotel, Roberto Agostinho, told idealista/news that this unit "will go from having 17 rooms to 37" and "will also have its own pool (until now the Herdade pool was used)".

It will also have "larger leisure areas, a restaurant and bar, along with meeting rooms and the rearranging of all the surroundings". It’s also interesting to note that guests of the hotel will be able to go to two different restaurants just 300 metres from each other, the hotel restaurant and the Taberna da Barrosinha, which was a typical tavern and meeting point for workers and which was renovated and inaugurated in October 2018.

Construction work on the hotel is already under way and should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019, allowing doors to be opened before the end of the year.

Roberto Agostinho points out that this unit is "highly sought after in the high season by the Portuguese and in the low season by, above all, Dutch and Germans but also French, English, American, Ukrainian, Italian and Spanish tourists."

Short-term tourist lets on the rise in Alcácer do Sal

Tourism in the municipality is also attracting the attention of smaller investors and entrepreneurs and, according to the mayor, this has been seen in an increase of holiday rental apartments. They "have been increasing mainly due to demand for the city of Alcácer do Sal," he says. In 2018 alone, more than 40 new sites were opened as units for the so-called Alojamento Local (AL), as they are known in Portuguese.

It is also worth noting that there is a greater demand for areas with less ‘aggressive’ tourism that are yet to be explored but have great tourist potential. "These areas are popular among those who seek peace and quiet, fleeing the hustle and bustle of big cities," adds the mayor.

Construction of a new city park advances this year

The Municipality of Alcácer do Sal, in the district of Setúbal, plans to advance this year with the construction of an Urban Park with an investment of 3.1 million euro. The work will be financed by community funds and is awaiting the approval of the Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas or TdC).

"We will proceed with the urban conversion of the city's fairgrounds, the largest public work to be carried out by the city council, which foresees improvements in water and electricity networks, public lighting, street furniture and paving,” explains Vítor Proença, quoted in a statement from the city council.

The contract, which will last "about two years", promises to "transform the image" of the fairs and exhibitions centre and the area surrounding the city's bullring with the construction of "a large urban park". The project also includes the construction of new car parks and the placement of urban equipment. At the same time, work is already underway on improving the city’s Transport Interface in an investment of more than one million euro.