Casa do Forte de Almadena
An ultra-private seven-bedroom clifftop estate between Burgau and Salema, with direct access to Cabanas Velhas beach, where the architecture opens to the Atlantic.
Casa do Forte is a private cliff-top estate above Cabanas Velhas beach in Vila do Bispo — 3.6 hectares of garden, woods, cliff and direct access to the beach below. It sits on the Costa Vicentina, on the wild western edge of the Algarve, where rugged cliffs and Atlantic surf define the rhythm of the day.
Architect-designed for the coastline
Set across three levels on the cliff edge, this architect-designed estate blends modern elegance with the raw drama of the coastline. Clean lines, open volumes and vast sea-facing glazing welcome up to twelve guests — the boundary between indoors and out simply dissolves.
Across three levels, the house compartments naturally — useful for smaller groups or multi-generational stays. The central floor gathers around a living, dining and chef's kitchen volume, with three en-suite bedrooms set apart as serene retreats. The upper floor offers two en-suite bedrooms alongside a panoramic terrace, the master suite and its own family room. The lower floor holds two further en-suite bedrooms and a second living space opening directly onto the garden. Each level functions as its own retreat.
Light, space, and the sea
Minimalist interiors are flooded with natural light and framed by the Atlantic. Sea-facing lounges, a long dining table for twelve and an open chef's kitchen flow effortlessly onto the terraces.
Below, a cosy living space leads out to the garden; above, the views stretch uninterrupted to the horizon. Days drift from terrace to ocean and back again.
To the sea and the wild
Casa do Forte is one of the few places in the Algarve with a genuinely private and active connection to the sea and nature — surfing Praia do Amado, hiking a section of the Rota Vicentina, diving the reefs off Sagres, kayaking and paddleboarding sea caves, fishing in the Atlantic, cycling the coastal trails, and watching dolphins, migratory birds and coastal wildlife in one of Europe's most protected natural reserves.
Private sports pavilion
The sleek, minimalist design commands panoramic sea views, with a heated pool and shaded terraces for slow days by the water. Under cover, a full sports pavilion brings basketball, pickleball, volleyball, table tennis, table football, snooker and fitness equipment together in one space.
The fort that gives the house its name
A short walk west of the villa, on the cliffs above the mouth of the Ribeira de Budens at a place called Boca do Rio, stand the ruins of the Forte de São Luís de Almádena — the seventeenth-century coastal redoubt that gave Casa do Forte its name.
Built in 1632 by order of D. Luís de Sousa, on the foundations of an older fortification, it was raised to defend the Almadrava da Almádena, the local tuna fishery, from the corsairs of the Barbary coast. Its two batteries, set on platforms above the Atlantic, commanded the coast from Sagres in the west to the Bay of Lagos in the east.
The same vantage from which it would have watched the British and French fleets clash offshore in the Naval Battle of Lagos of August 1759, during the Seven Years' War. In the battle's closing hours, the French flagship L'Océan — Admiral de la Clue's eighty-gun ship of the line, sixty metres long — ran aground and burned within sight of the Fort, just off Salema.
The wreck lies a few hundred metres offshore at only seven to ten metres of depth, today a protected underwater archaeological site: the sixty-metre wooden hull skeleton, the great 5.5-metre anchor of mercy, a handful of the original eighty iron cannons and a pulley block scattered across the sand — an open-air museum reached on a short, accessible recreational dive from Salema or Sagres.
Sources: Direção-Geral do Património Cultural · Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática (CNANS/DGPC) · Câmara Municipal de Vila do Bispo · ICNF / Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina · Jean-Yves & Maria Luísa Blot, Fahrenheit 1759.
A closer look
Inside & outside — a selection of rooms, living spaces and views. Tap any image to open it full screen.
Inside
Outside
Seven en-suite retreats
Each room is air-conditioned with its own bathroom, framing either the sea or the surrounding nature.
Double
King bed · Nature view · En-suiteTwin
Two single beds · Nature view · En-suiteMaster Double
Super King bed · Sea view · En-suiteTwin
Two single beds · Nature view · En-suiteDouble
King bed · Nature view · En-suiteDouble
King bed · Sea view · En-suiteTriple
Three single beds, convertible in Super King Bed · Sea view · En-suite12 Guests
Limited for optimized comfortWhere the wild Algarve begins
On the wild western edge of the Algarve, on the Costa Vicentina — a coastline of rugged cliffs, Atlantic surf and protected nature, with characterful fishing villages and the end-of-Europe drama of Sagres all a short drive away. It is the coast that European Best Destinations named home to Europe’s Best Beach 2026 — celebrated for authenticity, nature and discreet luxury, away from crowded resorts.
Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina
The wild south-western edge of Portugal, where the Atlantic meets continental Europe.
The estate looks out over the Costa Vicentina — whose Vicentine Coast Natural Park is the largest coastal protected area in Europe, stretching almost a hundred kilometres from the Alentejo border down to Burgau in the Western Algarve, and a thin marine belt offshore. It is the only place in continental Europe where the cliffs face the full Atlantic.
Park · At a glanceWhat it is
Designated in 1995 (preceded by a 1988 protected-landscape regime), the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina — PNSACV — protects roughly 131,000 hectares of coast, cliffs, dunes, marshland, freshwater wetlands, river estuaries and a coastal strip of sea. The park spans two regions: Alentejo (concelhos of Sines, Odemira) and Algarve (Aljezur, Vila do Bispo) — meeting at Cape St Vincent, the south-west tip of continental Europe.
Also worth a detour inland: Carrapateira, the surf-and-cliff village at the edge of Praia do Amado and the wild west coast — and on through Aljezur to the northern reaches of the Natural Park.
Supermarkets within easy reach
Monthly country markets
A circuit of small open-air markets passes through the surrounding villages once a month — producers, cheese, honey, country baskets, and conversation.
On the water and the trail
Beaches of Vila do Bispo
From sheltered southern coves to the wild Atlantic surf beaches of the west coast, some of Portugal's most beautiful and unspoilt beaches lie within minutes of the house — beginning with Cabanas Velhas, directly below.
Beach guides: As praias de Vila do Bispo · Lifecooler · Algarve Beaches brochure · Visit Algarve (PDF)
Service & staff
Casa do Forte de Almadena is a private estate you make your own. Some guests want nothing but silence and space; some travel with their own household, for whom the estate has dedicated staff quarters on a separate level; some want our private chef — a local specialist in grilled sea fish and market produce — for a dinner or the whole stay. Daily housekeeping is included; everything else is available on request.
Housekeeping included
A local team keeps the estate — daily housekeeping, laundry and the grounds — discreetly on hand, or stepping back entirely when you want total privacy.
Private chef on demand
A private chef is available on request — breakfasts, sunset dinners, or full board — cooking with local produce and the day's catch.
Concierge
Transfers, boat trips, tee times, babysitting, provisioning and reservations arranged before and throughout your stay.
Privacy & security
Gated entry and CCTV as standard; discreet private security can be arranged on request for complete peace of mind.
Get in touch
We would be delighted to help you plan a stay at Casa do Forte. Please email.
Email host@casadoforte.pt
Also listed with Le Collectionist
Licence 137510/AL