Comporta was a place I heard about from Architects Digest, then again on TikTok when a NYC guy who suggests alternatives to over-hyped spots suggested this instead of—wait for it—the Hamptons. Yes, he said between the traffic on the Jitney and the cost of mediocre accommodations and bars in the Hamptons you could just fly to Portugal and go to Comporta for the same time and money and honestly, he’s not wrong.

Its easiest to get here by car but since I was traveling alone and did not trust my ability to drive and navigate solo I took the train then ferry, then taxi to get to this tiny town. All in all I think round trip it cost me about €80 which is insane I know but I just had to go. I was there at the end of March so very much the off season but it was beautiful none the less. We drive past rice fields before cab dropped me off in the middle of the village, I cant even really call it a town, and on the outside the town looks like a working class rural place. I was very apprehensive, wondering what on earth I was doing there and then step into one boutique and saw a $124 throw pillow and knew this was in fact a fancy beach town for rich people. Plus the aesthetics in the boutiques, and a few of the restaurants, was somehow exactly how places for rich people look? I cant put it into words… simple things that you just know are wildly expensive maybe.

Hotel offerings are very limited in the area, it seems the best thing to do is rent an entire home so I only came for the day, with no need or means for a whole house but absolutely plan on returning to do that one day. The actual beach is pristine, the water is emerald and the sand is soft enough for Europe. I had a €70 dinner at the Comporta Beach Cafe before a local guide dropped me back at the ferry.