Immerso, Ericeira – Nature break & Atlantic ocean

In Ericeira, north of Lisbon, on a hillside facing the sea, this five-star hotel cultivates the friendly spirit of a guest house.

On the coast north of Lisbon, declared a “World Surfing Reserve”, a new five-star hotel with attentive and relaxed service was opened last June under the leadership of enthusiasts.

Without a sign, it would be difficult to find the place where “Immerso” is hidden when arriving by road on the heights. The hotel, aptly named, is as if immersed in its surroundings. A place born from the imagination of a couple in love with Ericeira, a coastal town known worldwide for its surf spots, helped by an architect nephew, Gonçalo Menezes. They wanted to open a guesthouse on the Portuguese coast and eventually discovered this two-hectare plot of land on a hillside facing the sea. In the end, they built a five-star hotel on the site, while maintaining the friendly spirit of a guesthouse.

The reconnection with nature is as much about the large windows as it is about the natural colours and materials used – wood, textiles, sand and terracotta. The hotel has 37 rooms including 2 suites, 2 restaurants, a spa and an organic vegetable garden. The swimming pool is located on the roof of one of the buildings and adjoins the bar where you can enjoy a juice after a yoga session in the park. In the interiors, designed by Alexandra Almeida d’Eça, one of the founders, and Bárbara Neto, the curved lines are reminiscent of the waves, a fireplace warms up in the off-season, and artworks and handicrafts by mostly Portuguese artists adorn the walls.

Architect Tiago Silva Dias, in collaboration with owner Alexandra Almeida D’Eça, has worked with concrete, stone, wood and wave-like curves to bring life to the establishment, with custom-designed furniture. A main building and two external structures house the 37 rooms with balcony, ideal for couples, the restaurant and the spa. Here and there, works of art evoke Ericeira, such as the sculpture in the bar O Guardião, a miniature of the surfer in bronze by José C. Queiroz, which overlooks the city. A setting that invites a change of scenery, with its plunging view of the ocean and the surrounding vegetation.

To create a restaurant that reflects the natural surroundings, the owners called on Alexandre Silva, renowned for his starred restaurant “Loco” in Lisbon. For “Immerso”, the chef consultant designed “Emme”, a restaurant that works with vegetables from the estate’s vegetable garden as well as with seafood, fish, shellfish and seaweed. To be sipped on the heated terrace in front of the ocean, the cocktails also draw from local production, with aromatic herbs and flowers from the garden. The breakfast is made with products that can be found in the hotel’s small shop, such as Companhia Portugueza do Chá tea.