A Conversation with the Founder of One of the Eastern Algarve's Most Distinctive Boutique Hotels.
Some hotels begin as business ventures. Others are born from a desire to create a new hospitality concept. Casas da Quinta de Cima came into being for a far more personal reason: to preserve a family estate that has been passed down through generations for more than a century.
Nestled between the historic village of Cacela Velha, the Ria Formosa Natural Park and the unspoilt sands of Fábrica Beach, Casas da Quinta de Cima is more than a luxury boutique hotel in Portugal’s Eastern Algarve. It is part of a working agricultural estate, surrounded by nearly 50 hectares of orange, lemon and avocado groves, where farming continues to shape the rhythm of daily life.
In this exclusive conversation, the hotel’s founder reflects on the childhood memories that inspired the project, the lessons gathered from decades of travelling the world, and the philosophy that lies behind every aspect of Casas da Quinta de Cima.
From authentic hospitality and personalised service to the meaning of modern luxury, this is not simply the story of a boutique hotel in the Algarve. It is a conversation about family, legacy, nature and the ambition to create a place that will endure for generations to come.
1. Casas da Quinta de Cima has been part of your family for generations. What are your earliest memories of the estate, and how did they inspire your decision to transform it into this project?
Casas da Quinta de Cima — the hospitality project created within our family estate — forms an integral part of Quinta de Cima, a property acquired by my great-grandfather, Fred
erico Ramirez, more than one hundred years ago.Since then, the estate has remained within our family, passing from one generation to the next: from my great-grandfather Frederico Ramirez to his son, Sebastião Ramirez; then to my father, Ruy Ramirez Sanches; and ultimately to me, through inheritance and by acquiring my siblings’ shares.
For as long as I can remember, Quinta de Cima has been where my family spent our holidays. What began as a childhood tradition has continued with my own children and is now something I have the privilege of sharing with my grandchildren.
Those long summer days unfolded at the gentle, unhurried pace that still defines the Eastern Algarve today. Life revolved around the Ria Formosa, endless afternoons on its extraordinary beaches and the simple pleasures of being outdoors.
Some of my happiest memories are of evening walks through the estate and countless hours spent swimming in what was then the farm’s irrigation reservoir — now beautifully restored as the hotel’s heated swimming pool.
Even today, I consider it a privilege to wake up to birdsong, enjoy breakfast on the terrace as the morning sun slowly warms the gardens, take long walks along Fábrica Beach, also known as Cacela Velha Beach, before returning home for a leisurely lunch with family and friends on the veranda during the hottest hours of the day.
Afternoons often drift by beside the pool beneath the shade of our century-old stone pine, followed by a good book, another swim, a refreshing shower and a glass of chilled wine while waiting for dinner.
Sometimes I return to the beach for one final walk and a last swim in the Atlantic before sunset. As evening falls, dinner is once again served on the veranda. The sky gradually fills with stars, revealing the Milky Way and constellations that are remarkably clear thanks to the absence of light pollution.
Moments like these almost always deserve a second glass of wine — and occasionally a glass of our own medronho spirit, produced exclusively from the strawberry trees growing on the estate. We planted 175 trees in 2020, and today they are already producing an excellent harvest.
Fortunately, my children and grandchildren have developed the same affection for Quinta de Cima that has shaped my own life. They continue to enjoy gathering here, whether to spend time together as a family or to welcome friends.
Having experienced so many unforgettable moments on this estate, I always felt a deep responsibility to ensure that Quinta de Cima would remain in our family and would never have to be sold. To achieve that, it became clear that the estate needed to become financially self-sustaining, ensuring that economic pressures would never force future generations to part with it. Having enjoyed a successful professional career, first in finance for nearly twenty years and later in real estate for more than twenty-five, I was fortunate enough to make a substantial personal investment in restoring the estate’s historic farm buildings. My ambition was not simply to renovate them, but to create what I hope will become one of the finest boutique hotels in the Algarve.
The vision is straightforward. Together, the income generated by our 50-hectare citrus and avocado orchards and the boutique hotel should provide a sustainable economic future for Quinta de Cima, allowing future generations to preserve this remarkable place without financial compromise.
At the same time, the project has enabled us to achieve several objectives that were equally important:
• Preserve the estate’s long-term financial and environmental sustainability.
• Restore and protect buildings that had begun to show the effects of time.
• Safeguard the architectural identity and agricultural heritage of Quinta de Cima.
• Create meaningful employment opportunities for people from the local community.
• Enhance the security of the estate through the permanent presence of both our farming and hospitality teams.
• Above all, share with our guests the same sense of peace, beauty and belonging that my family has experienced here for more than a century.
Ultimately, Casas da Quinta de Cima was never conceived simply as a hotel.
It is our way of ensuring that this extraordinary place continues to thrive — not only for our family, but also for everyone who chooses to experience the authentic beauty of the Eastern Algarve with us.
2. You have been spending your holidays here since childhood. What makes Cacela Velha and this corner of the Algarve so special to you?
For me and my family, Quinta de Cima has always represented the very essence of what a holiday should be.
Growing up here shaped my understanding of time, nature and the simple pleasures that often become life’s most treasured memories. Estates like Quinta de Cima are places where rural life and long, unhurried holidays naturally come together, allowing you to reconnect with yourself through nature.
Perhaps that is what makes this place so extraordinary.
Life on a working farm follows a rhythm that modern life rarely allows us to experience. An orchard takes four years before it bears fruit. Animals follow their own natural cycles, entirely untouched by our calendars and schedules. The seasons unfold patiently, reminding us that not everything worthwhile can—or should—be rushed.
I believe this slower pace is something we instinctively need. It gives us the opportunity to reconnect not only with nature but also with ourselves and with the people around us.
That feeling is at the heart of the experience we hope to offer every guest who stays at Casas da Quinta de Cima.
Adding to the tranquillity of the estate is one of Portugal’s most remarkable stretches of coastline. Just a few minutes away lies Fábrica Beach, also known as Cacela Velha Beach, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in both the Algarve and Portugal.
Although it has attracted increasing international attention in recent years, it has managed to preserve what makes it truly special: an immense expanse of golden sand, crystal-clear waters and an extraordinary sense of peace, even during the height of summer.
One of the advantages of staying at Casas da Quinta de Cima is that guests can enjoy this exceptional beach without any of the usual logistics.
Our stay includes a private tuk-tuk transfer between the hotel and the waterfront, the traditional boat crossing over the Ria Formosa, and reserved sun loungers with a thatched parasol at Fábrica Beach.
Everything has been thoughtfully arranged so that guests can simply relax and enjoy the day, without worrying about parking, queues, schedules or carrying cash.
To me, this seamless experience is one of the defining features of Casas da Quinta de Cima. It allows every guest to discover Cacela Velha Beach at their own pace, in complete comfort and with total freedom.
Beyond the beach, we have partnered with carefully selected local specialists to offer a collection of authentic experiences that celebrate the region.
One of my personal favourites is our guided horseback ride during spring and autumn. The route begins beneath the estate’s avenue of bougainvillea before continuing across the beach towards the historic village of Cacela Velha, where guests can stop to sample the renowned oysters of the Ria Formosa. From there, the ride returns through the surrounding countryside to Quinta de Cima.
It is an experience that perfectly captures the essence of this region: nature, gastronomy, heritage and tranquillity woven together into a single unforgettable journey.
Perhaps what I appreciate most about this part of the Algarve is that it has remained remarkably authentic.
Fortunately, it has avoided much of the overdevelopment found elsewhere, preserving its rural character, traditional villages and close relationship with the surrounding landscape.
At the same time, Quinta de Cima is only a short drive from two of the Algarve’s most beautiful historic towns—Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António—giving our guests the opportunity to alternate effortlessly between peaceful days immersed in nature and afternoons exploring elegant architecture, local markets, independent shops and some of the finest restaurants in southern Portugal.
It is this rare combination of countryside, coastline, protected natural landscapes, exceptional gastronomy and authentic Portuguese heritage that makes the Eastern Algarve unlike anywhere else.
And it is precisely why, after a lifetime of travelling, it remains the place I have always been happiest to return to.
3. Throughout your career, you've travelled extensively and experienced some of the world's finest hotels. Were there any particular places or ideas that inspired the creation of Casas da Quinta de Cima?
In many ways, Casas da Quinta de Cima was shaped by two very different influences. The first was the remarkable architecture that already existed here. The project, designed by the renowned Portuguese architect João Pedro Falcão de Campos, centred on restoring the estate’s historic farmhouse together with the two independent cottages that once housed families working on Quinta de Cima.
Rather than replacing what had stood here for generations, the ambition was always to preserve its character while giving it a new purpose.
Because the estate lies within the Ria Formosa Natural Park, strict planning regulations required us to respect the original buildings almost entirely. Looking back, I see those constraints as one of the project’s greatest strengths. They ensured that Casas da Quinta de Cima would retain an authenticity that simply cannot be recreated today.
The second influence came from decades of travelling.
My professional career first took me into finance for almost twenty years and later into real estate for more than twenty-five. During that time, I was fortunate to stay in many exceptional hotels around the world.
Each offered something memorable, but over time I realised that the experiences I valued most had surprisingly little to do with extravagance. The hotels that stayed with me were never the largest or the most opulent.
They were the places where nature, architecture, thoughtful design and genuinely personal service came together effortlessly. Again and again, I found that this level of hospitality could only be achieved in smaller properties. In my experience, once a hotel grows beyond a certain size, it becomes increasingly difficult to create meaningful relationships—with guests, with the local community and even with the place itself.
That is why I always envisioned Casas da Quinta de Cima as a genuinely intimate boutique hotel.
With fewer than thirty rooms, we have the opportunity to know our guests personally, understand why they have chosen to visit the Eastern Algarve and help shape an experience that feels unique to them.
For me, luxury hospitality has never been about perfection in the conventional sense. It is about creating an emotional connection. It is about helping guests feel that they are not simply visiting a destination but becoming, if only for a few days, part of its story.
That sense of belonging is something I experienced in several remarkable hotels during my travels, and it became one of the guiding principles behind Casas da Quinta de Cima. There is another belief that has influenced every decision we have made. I have always felt that anything worth creating should be guided by three simple principles: love, beauty and truth. Love, because genuine hospitality can never be manufactured. Beauty, because our surroundings have a profound influence on how we feel. And truth, because authenticity is increasingly rare—and increasingly valuable.
Those three ideas shaped everything, from the restoration of the estate and the interior design to the way we welcome every guest who arrives.
My hope has never been simply to create another luxury hotel in the Algarve.
It has been to create a place with soul. A place where the landscape, the architecture, the farming estate, the people and the slower rhythm of life all come together to offer something that feels deeply authentic. If our guests leave feeling they have experienced not just a beautiful hotel, but the true spirit of this corner of Portugal, then I believe we have achieved what we set out to do.
4. In your view, what does true luxury mean today? And how does it differ from the traditional idea of luxury?
I believe we live in an age where almost everything is available to us, including countless interpretations of what luxury should be. Paradoxically, despite having more choice than ever before, many people seem to feel increasingly disconnected and overwhelmed.
That is why I think the meaning of luxury has fundamentally changed. For me, luxury is no longer defined by excess. It is not measured by marble bathrooms, rare materials or extravagant displays of wealth. Those things may still have their place, but they no longer create truly memorable experiences.
Today, real luxury is something far more personal. It is having the time to slow down. It is waking naturally instead of to an alarm. It is breathing fresh air, hearing birdsong instead of traffic, and feeling that, for a little while, the world has become wonderfully quieter.
Luxury is space. It is privacy. It is beauty. It is thoughtful architecture that sits comfortably within its surroundings rather than competing with them.
It is interiors that feel calm rather than ostentatious. It is gardens that change with the seasons and landscapes that remain authentic. Most importantly, it is people. Exceptional hospitality has never been about anticipating every request before it is made.
It is about making every guest feel genuinely welcome, understood and cared for in a way that is both discreet and deeply personal. That, to me, is the highest expression of luxury. At Casas da Quinta de Cima, we try to create experiences that engage all the senses.
The fragrance of orange blossom in spring. The warmth of the morning sun on the terrace. Fresh produce harvested from the estate. The silence of the countryside after sunset. A glass of wine beneath a sky filled with stars.
These are simple pleasures, yet they have become increasingly rare in modern life. Perhaps that is why they feel so luxurious. I have always believed that the finest hotels do not impress their guests through extravagance alone. They create places where people feel calmer, happier and more connected than they did before they arrived.
That is certainly our ambition. Rather than offering luxury as a collection of expensive objects, we see it as the harmonious combination of time, place, nature, architecture, personalised service and genuine human connection. When those elements come together naturally, luxury becomes less about possessions and more about emotion.
If our guests leave Casas da Quinta de Cima feeling rested, inspired and somehow closer to themselves than when they arrived, then I believe we have delivered the most meaningful kind of luxury there is.
5.Is there a particular place on the estate, a family tradition or a special detail that holds deep personal meaning for you and that you enjoy sharing with your guests?
After almost seventy years of coming to Quinta de Cima, it would be difficult to choose just one place. Every corner of the estate carries a memory. Every path, every tree and every building tells part of my family’s story. That is perhaps what makes Casas da Quinta de Cima different from many hotels. Nothing here was created to look authentic. It simply is. If I had to choose two places that mean the most to me, I would begin with what is now our heated swimming pool.
Long before it became part of the hotel, it was the estate’s irrigation reservoir. As children, my brothers, cousins, friends and I spent countless summer afternoons there. We swam for hours, invented games and raced our small model sailing boats across the water. Those boats have never really left Quinta de Cima.
Today, several of them are carefully displayed in the reception area, quietly connecting our guests with a small part of the estate’s history. Every time I see them, I am reminded that some of life’s happiest memories are often the simplest.
Another place that will always stay with me is the avenue of bougainvillea. As children, we would walk, cycle or ride horses beneath its colourful canopy on our way to the loquat and mulberry trees, where we would inevitably stop to pick fruit before returning home. Those journeys were never about reaching a destination.
They were about discovering the landscape, enjoying nature and sharing time together. Even today, whenever I walk along that avenue, those memories return as vividly as ever. I think places have a remarkable ability to preserve emotions. Long after individual moments have passed, the landscape remembers them.
Perhaps that is why I have always believed that preserving Quinta de Cima was about much more than restoring old buildings. It was about protecting a way of life. A rhythm. A collection of memories that could continue to grow with every new generation. That is also why we encourage our guests to experience the estate as more than simply a place to stay. We hope they wander through the orchards at sunrise, pause beneath the old pine tree with a book, enjoy a glass of wine on the veranda as the light begins to soften, or simply take the time to notice the extraordinary silence that settles over the estate after sunset.
These moments cannot be planned or manufactured. They happen naturally. And they often become the memories our guests tell us they remember most. Perhaps that is the greatest compliment we could ever receive.
If, many years from now, someone remembers not only Casas da Quinta de Cima, but also how they felt while they were here, then I believe we have succeeded in sharing something truly meaningful.
6. How have travellers' expectations evolved, and what role do you believe boutique hotels will play in the future of hospitality in the Algarve?
I would never claim to be an expert on the future of hospitality. What I do believe is that travel will continue to be one of life’s greatest aspirations. As people gain more opportunities to explore the world, they will become increasingly selective about where they choose to stay.
Today’s travellers are looking for far more than comfortable accommodation. They want authenticity. They want places with character, a genuine sense of place and experiences that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Increasingly, people value quality over quantity. They are less interested in large, anonymous hotels and more drawn to destinations where they feel personally welcomed and emotionally connected to their surroundings. I believe this is precisely where boutique hotels have an important role to play.
Smaller properties have the ability to offer something that larger hotels often cannot: a highly personalised experience, a close relationship with the local community and the freedom to celebrate the unique identity of their destination. At Casas da Quinta de Cima, that identity is inseparable from the estate itself.
We are not simply a hotel located in the Eastern Algarve; we are part of a living agricultural estate that has belonged to the same family for more than a century. The orchards, the surrounding landscape, the architecture and the people who work here are all part of the guest experience. That authenticity cannot be manufactured. It can only be lived.
I also believe that the future of luxury hospitality lies in creating places that are both beautiful and meaningful. Guests increasingly value sustainability, local culture, exceptional design, outstanding gastronomy and genuine human connection. They want to understand where they are, meet the people behind the destination and return home with memories that feel personal rather than predictable.
The Algarve is perfectly positioned to meet those expectations. Beyond its coastline, it offers extraordinary landscapes, remarkable biodiversity, historic towns, outstanding cuisine and a slower, more authentic way of life that many travellers are actively seeking today. If boutique hotels continue to respect and celebrate the places they inhabit, rather than trying to imitate one another, I believe they have an exceptionally bright future.
That has always been our vision for Casas da Quinta de Cima. Not simply to offer luxury accommodation in the Algarve, but to create a place with its own identity, where every guest experiences the beauty, tranquillity and authenticity of this remarkable corner of Portugal.
If, years from now, people remember not only where they stayed but also how they felt while they were here, then I believe we will have achieved everything we set out to accomplish.
Localização
EM1242, Vila Nova de Cacela – Portugal
DE AUTOMÓVEL
Lisboa – 2h50
Seville – 1h50
DO AEROPORTO
Aeroporto
de Faro – 40min
DE COMBOIO
Tavira – 15min
Vila Nova de Cacela – 4min
