The metal bus stop is part of the decoration. In the old Village of Cima de Cotas there is no bus service, and the kids’ school, divided in half to separate the genders, no longer teaches boys nor girls for decades. It is not, however, a lifeless village. 15 years ago, Manuel Casal discovered this hidden gem “to escape Comporta” and, along with Frank Eckhard, recovered a few houses until he set up Villa Pedra.
The tourism project was officially born in 2009, by the hands of the two partners, who also own the Stivali store which was the first to bring luxury fashion brands, such as Chanel, to Portugal. And if the scenery created in the village Serra de Sicó is very different from the city one in Avenida da Liberdade, the owners’s origins help explain what would otherwise be unusual: the predilection for design chairs, or the presence of a helipad next to the chicken coop.
The recovery project was designed by architect Victor Mineiro, and from the beginning the idea was to keep the original frame and local construction techniques, including ochre lime that gives a pink tone to the houses. There are 14 one or two-bedroom houses in total that include private garden, equipped kitchen, air conditioning or central heating and original showers, made from massive blocks from quarries in the region. When he first visited the village, Manuel Casal fell in love “with the vibe of the valley and its vegetation”, including the “36 species of orchids”, but also “the amount of stone present”. The same wonder awaits those who stroll through the gardens, where there are nooks that may remind us of Sintra.
For diving, there are two saltwater pools; to dine, a restaurant simply called A Cozinha (which translates to The Kitchen), with several areas decorated in an unique way and the option
to serve the meals at home. As for the primary school which no longer runs classes, it was also transformed into two houses, containing its original maps, slates and other school furniture pieces.
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