Grand House Algarve – Luxury Boutique Hotel in Vila Real de Santo Antonio

In the Algarve, luxury hotels mostly fit into two categories: glittering grandeur or bucolic simplicity. But its name not withstanding, Grand House falls neatly in between.

The Grand House opened in January 2019, but its history goes much further back. In 1926, the building first opened as a way station for the merchants who bought, sold, and exported tinned fish from the 27 canneries of Vila Real de Santo António, then one of the most prosperous cities in the Algarve and known as Little Lisbon, thanks to its Pombaline city plan.

At the beginning, Grand House fit its name, with sweeping staircases and marble columns. But over the years, it became less grand, until the owners bailed out. By the time the developers with a vision came in a few years ago, it required a multi-year renovation.

The result is a jewel of a 30-room boutique hotel, full of period details like ornate moldings and crystal-festooned chandeliers.

There are nooks and libraries for curling up and reading a book. There’s a very stylish bar for a very dry martini or a very piquant negroni. And, the Grand Salon restaurant for breakfast and dinner.

Just down the road at the hotel’s beach club, there are tropical drinks and concoctions made with the hotel’s own aged liqueurs.

It’s worth noting that almost all of the senior staff are women, a move meant to make solo female guests feel comfortable and to foster a particularly welcoming experience.