Martinhal Resort, Sagres

Sometimes when a hotel tells you that it's family-friendly, it means there are high chairs and (if you're lucky) a baby-changing facility. When Martinhal says it, it means it. The difference is, "family friendly" wasn't tagged on to an existing hotel – Martinhal started out with this ideal precisely in mind. And before you get the idea that there's a whiff of Disney or wipe-clean about the place, it rivals any of the design-led hotels that you might have stayed at.

The concept of Martinhal Beach Resort, which fully opened last summer, comes from the founders of Luxury Family Hotels, Nigel Chapman and Nicholas Dickinson (Woolley Grange, Moonfleet Manor, Fowey Hall), who were responsible for marrying a family-focused resort with sleek, contemporary architecture by Conran+Partners. The new-build has, as you might imagine, been sensitively conceived, not least because it's in a nature reserve; the glass, wood and stone buildings are at ease amid the wilderness.
Which part you stay in depends on what you need. The boutique Hotel Martinhal, perched on a hill that sweeps down to the beach, has 38 rooms, all of which have terraces or balconies with ocean views. Children are welcome here, but given that the rest of the resort is dedicated to spacious, self-catering cottages and villas – Village Houses and Luxury Villas – we decided it made more sense to let the hotel be the preserve of adults.
However, the hotel is peaceful and the resort large enough to accommodate both romantic getaways and family holidays comfortably. The hotel is the location for the fine dining restaurant, O Terraço: crisp white linen on the outside terrace sharply contrasting with the blue sea beyond and rows of sparkling wine glasses reflecting the sun.
Families are particularly well-catered for here. For parents with very young children, there's a new – UK standardised – crèche, fully equipped with qualified childcare professionals and a toy-box to rival Mary Poppins' handbag. There's a children's club too, and the "Blue Room" is a futuristic den for tweens and teens who might be in the mood to sulk out of the sun and play computer games, table football and board games. For older children and adults, there are classes and activities every day: horseriding, watersports, walking tours, "eco-karting" (think of go-karting, then add a sail), pilates and yoga. That's in addition to the large gym and Club 98, a tennis and sports club. And if the Atlantic waves prove too bracing, there are five pools (including two designed with toddlers in mind) with food and drink bars attached, and plenty of "fat boy" cushions scattered around (oversized beanbags much beloved of the children they engulf).

mark@comfyclass.com or 020 7183 3583