The Dream Team
The Dream Team
We draw on 30 years of experience ‘luxury artisan developers in Marbella, and more recently Bahia (Brazil), always maintaining the same high standards of creativity.
We do not sell ‘square metres’ but rather a wide range of services and expertise geared towards hassle-free investment. Our projects are customised to our clients’ needs and specifications, and delivered fully equipped, furnished and landscaped.
At the heart of this service is a small, dedicated team of professionals.
LIVIA CIOARA and ETIENNE LARDINOIS (Architect) worked in tandem to create the exterior – interior styling of the villas
A OFICINA DOS JARDINS A Oficina dos Jardins is the landscaping partner with the prefect sensitivity to create beautiful private gardens that blend into and complement the unique natural scenery of Comporta – a world of soft sandy dunes, pine forests, Atlantic breezes and the scent of herbs and wild flowers. Înes Ferrâo and Sonia Caldeira founded the studio in 1999 around a concept of sustainable garden design and biodiversity. Working to these principles, they put passion, energy and expertise into projects that range from private gardens to public green zones.
MÉLANIE RIBEIRO – Lisbon Notary
Born in France to Portuguese parents, Mélanie embraces both her French and Portuguese background with the same flair she shows in her detailed due diligence, her effortless efficiency and her profound technical knowledge – invaluable assets for property developers and homebuyers.
Bernard Soultan
Founder member of the Marbella Circulo Inmobiliario in 1985
Member of AIPP in London
Former member of the Real Estate Board of New York
How did you discover Comporta?
It happened three years ago on a trip to Lisbon, when I was advised not to miss visiting the area. The ‘love at first sight experience’ experience was total. It was like going back 50 years, but with rustic chic shops and restaurants, trendy people and a real cool ambience in the air.
What most impressed you?
It was such a true encounter with nature in its absolute simplicity and beauty, yet in a setting 15 minutes from Troia peninsula, with its hotels, casino, golf, shopping and marina. Comporta is also just one hour from vibrant, historic Lisbon, offering the best of all worlds in a location no more than three hours from the main European capitals. Above all, I was amazed by the unspoiled beauty of the 60 kilometre-long sandy beaches and dunes with not a rooftop in sight – the perfect place for a sunset walk along the cliffs. Comporta gives you a feeling of priceless privilege.
What was your initial plan?
I came here with the intention to relax and enjoy the setting by buying a rustic villa lost in the pine woods where I could take breaks from by real estate activities in Marbella and Brazil. While searching for a property I realised how limited the offer was, and how exciting a challenge this area would be for an ‘artisan developer’ like me to create ‘raw-chic’ villas and boutique residences in that blend in with the unique setting and ambience.
How did you materialize your project?
It took two years of research to prepare a package that works well within the existing market, planning and licensing framework. The latter is not easy to obtain, but this level of protection and conservation is also the guarantee that the authorities are serious about maintaining low densities and nurturing the unique rustic chic quality of Comporta – even more so than in Formentera or Cap ferret on the French Atlantic coast. My 20 years of experience as a land planning expert in Marbella and Bahia (Brazil) was invaluable in understanding the local market.
How would you compare those spots with Comporta?
Marbella is in many ways the exact opposite of Comporta – it’s a luxury resort city of 200,000 inhabitants that is a ‘place to be seen’. Our new project on a virgin stretch of beach in the Discovery Coast in Bahia, Brazil, is a beach villa resort inspired by the Marbella and Florida models. Comporta, meanwhile, is a niche destination for those with sophisticated tastes who are searching for a rustic chic environment in the midst of unspoiled nature. This is the rarest location to find these days.
What is your recently created Portuguese company offering to potential investors?
We offer a wide range of real estate services and consulting within a well-defined framework that takes care of the land sourcing, villa design and construction on your behalf, delivering fully licensed, well-built eco-friendly properties that are beautifully styled and ready to enjoy. We therefore take care of the whole trajectory from land research and negotiation, through planning and licensing to the building of tailored homes directly or through JVs, as well as developing projects for boutique resorts branded by famous names in the luxury hospitality sector. No-one else in Comporta offers this level of expertise and professionalism, but we build on over 35 years of experience and a dynamic, multilingual team to combine efficiency and creativity.
When will your first project be ready?
Our two show houses will be delivered fully furnished and decorated (right up to the coffee spoons) in Q4, 2018, as what we’re offering is an integrated package of design, construction, landscaping and interior dressing that follows a ‘Raw Chic’ philosophy. In essence, what we’re creating is a Mini Clubman type of product: trendy, sexy, creative, chic, attractively styled and well built. For this reason we are not like other developers as we don’t sell square metres but a unique sense of style and quality of life. Our clients are happy to pay for this as long as we match their expectations.
12 years ago you “re-discovered the Discovery Coast” in Bahia (Brazil) 500 years after the Portuguese explorers first did it. Is your pioneer’s spirit the main motivation now in Comporta?
It certainly is. Sharing a passion for a beautiful location and way of life is the ideal scenario for an artisan developer like myself.
* Michel Cruz is a highly reputable writer with an economics and marketing background who contributes to leading international publications such as Essential Marbella Magazine
