Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts, Cascais / Lisbon

Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts, Cascais / Lisbon, Cascais / Lisbon, The founders of a unique family-friendly resort on the Algarve introduce their concept to central Lisbon and the nearby resort of Cascais. Words: Matt Turner | Photography: Courtesy of Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts

When I first met Martinhal co-founders Roman and Chitra Stern at their original resort in Sagres on the Algarve in 2010, they outlined their vision for a new family-friendly hotel concept – one designed with families in mind, providing extensive childcare facilities, but giving adults the same experience they would find in a typical boutique hotel. Now they have opened two new properties – one in central Lisbon, billed as ‘the world’s first city centre elegant family hotel’, and another in nearby Cascais – allowing families to enjoy a combined city break and beach holiday within easy reach of one another. Sitting in the M Club at the Cascais property, the clubhouse of a former golf resort now transformed into a kids club and restaurant – they explain that, despite the recession which engulfed Portugal just as the original Martinhal opened, their ideas had seen the property flourish: “Over the past five years we have developed Sagres into a market-leading family resort – we went from one kids club there to five,” comments Roman Stern. “It was a really difficult period but we came out strong, we grew our business through a very clear positioning and marketing strategy which differentiated us from the rest of the Algarve.”

Clearly, the Martinhal concept had potential beyond Sagres, and as other resorts in Portugal floundered in the economic downturn, opportunities to take on distressed assets arose: “We didn’t say yes to everything that came up,” explains Chitra Stern, “We identified properties with great architecture and design, they had to feel right. But being genuinely family friendly is not just about the design, it’s the whole operating philosophy that needs to change – it’s a completely different mentality.” A villa development in Quinta do Lago was converted to a Martinhal resort in 2014. The Cascais property – formerly the Onyria Edition hotel – was then acquired in January 2016 and refurbished in phases. “It was an underperforming golf hotel,” says Roman, “so we took it over to reposition it. The hotels in this area tend to look at the MICE market, golfing tourism or couples. We closed it for three months and made one set of changes, ran a soft opening through the first summer then made further changes in the winter.”

Designed by João Paciência, a local architect of some renown, the basic structure of the resort was in good shape. Occupying a low-rise building, laid out amidst the pine forests and the golf course already existing on-site, the use of local ‘Xisto Mourisca’ stone and wood has given the exterior a strong, contemporary presence. Particularly impressive is the double-height atrium which greets guests as they enter, framing the outdoor patio and gardens. Inside, materials such as white marble, dark granite, copper, wood, and glass are harmoniously blended together. Working with the existing building, the Sterns collaborated with interior designer Dagny Bain to adapt the property to their requirements. Many elements from the original Martinhal in Sagres, including furniture pieces by British designer Michael Sodeau, have been repeated here. Family-friendly changes include the introduction of connecting doors, Italian-designed bunk beds, and more private bathrooms, whilst cosmetic changes throughout give more colour and texture to the previously minimalist interiors. Artwork, inspired by the surrounding forests, was commissioned from celebrated Portuguese artist Jorge Santos for each guestroom.

Outdoors, 2,300m2 of new playground areas have been scattered throughout the grounds, originally designed by celebrated landscape architect Francisco Caldeira Cabral. Pools were shallowed and heated, including the enclosure of one in an innovative geodesic dome that allows it to be used even on cold or cloudy days. Elsewhere a lighter touch was required. The rusted steel and pebble water-features cascading over terraced levels outside the spa were largely left intact. The resulting resort comprises 84 accommodations, from hotel rooms to private villas set back from the centre of the resort. There are also two restaurants (O Terraco and bistro Os Gambozinos), two outdoor pools, a Finisterra spa, and the 7,865 ft2 Kids Clubhouse, with its own dedicated family-accommodating restaurant M Bar.

As these changes were being introduced in Cascais, another project was underway just 20 minutes drive away in Lisbon. A recent conversion of an apartment block in the historic Chiado district had been acquired with a view to bringing Martinhal’s unique offer to a city centre location. Now, a range of 37 studio, one-bed and two-bed apartments – again adapted with Dagny Bain to Martinhal’s own style – occupy the upper floors. Each apartment has a kitchen complete with a stove, dishwasher, washerdryer, fridge, basic crockery, cutlery and pots and pans.

The ground floor garages were converted to a kids club and crèche on one side of the central lobby area, with a dining room on the other. The M-Bar Family Café offers cooked breakfast and light meals during the day, but is closed in the evenings – when adults can drop their children off at the complimentary Rapasinhos kids club, or employ the services of a babysitter in their apartment, whilst they go out to enjoy the plethora of bars and restaurants on offer in this area of Lisbon. The Sterns believe this is ‘a game changer,’ and one with as much potential as the resort concept. “No-one expects a genuine family hotel in the city,” says Roman.

Sources: Sleeper, 9-10, 2017

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