When the previous Tavira campsite closed last year, critics had raised concerns over its deteriorating conditions bought on by mismanagement. “The campsite was completely destroyed, waiting for renovation”, Martim Leal, the new owner behind its rehabilitation, told Central Magazine. “They ran a public contest for this, so my son, who was a big client of the camping site before, came to us and told us that the city wanted to do this. We wanted to try and go to the contest, and we did it. We won the contest a year and a half ago, and then started the renovation.”
Between Ria Formosa and the sea
Martim and his wife run a family business focused on real estate promotion, building and selling properties wherever they go. “We have been to Brazil, Portugal, and the south of Spain”, he shared. “We’ve been doing real estate wherever we feel it’s the right place to do it.”
One of their highlight projects is a chain of hostels and restaurants, with a total of 700 beds, which they sold last February. “Ten years ago, I was with one of my restaurant’s chefs trying to buy seafood in Tavira. I fell in love with the place, and I came back home and told my wife, we have to go and try to buy something in Tavira”, Martim recounted the story of how he discovered the city he’s now invested in.
The most immediate challenge in renovating the campsite at Tavira is that it’s, well, on an island. “We’ve brought 500 tonnes of material on boats to the island”, Martim commented. “It was crazy, and quite the intervention.”
“Our plan was to not lose the authenticity of the old camping site, but try to give it some new touches”, he went on to explain the philosophy behind the design. “We started to think about glamping on the island, 100 metres from the water. We then bought tents from Glamping Revolution as the Pre-Assembled options and for the Glamping area from Yala, where the tents have 1 or 2 bedrooms, with a kitchen and bathroom.”
The new Tavira Camping includes 26 glamping accommodations, featuring private bathrooms and kitchens, then another 44 safari tent accommodations, with access to public bathrooms located around the campsite. “Then you have a section of the campsite that we wanted to leave as it was before”, Martim added. “We have quite a large part of the camping site that is free camping, so you bring your own tent. You can have lunch with us, you can go to our supermarket.”
The supermarket is operated by Come and Gaveta, which he describes as “the best restaurant in Tavira”. The two have built a partnership in order to bring their food to the campsite: “I’m a big friend of the owner, and I invited him to come to the island and bring his project to near the beach and the water and everything”.
An authentic place
The ORLA Tavira Island Eco-glamping also hosts kitesurfing and surfing schools, but it doesn’t end there. “We are trying to bring new ideas, new people, and new guests here”, he summarised.
Despite the commitment Martim has put into renovating Tavira camping, he can’t say he’s always been a fan of the activity itself. “I’ve been doing kitesurfing for 25 years and I have a lot of friends that camp, but I’ve never enjoyed camping with my own tent, even when I was younger.” This all changed though with the glamping revolution. “My son tried to explain to me this new movement, this new trend of having a luxury tent where you can have a bath and cook”, he continued. “I didn’t understand this quite well before, now I do. Everything was new to me, I’m used to hotels.”
Martim also spoke about the effect that these renovations have had on the community in Tavira, and how his partnership with the local Come and Gaveta restaurant has helped bring the project to life. “We bring a little bit of modernity that I think was missing on the islands”, he stated. “It’s good authenticity of course, and we are an authentic project. The island of Tavira is already interesting and stands on its own, exactly because it’s authentic, but this authenticity needs a twist, to try and change something.”
The campsite features unique attractions such as an ice cream house, an outside cinema, and music playing 3 to 4 nights a week. “In the Algarve, you’re used to new hotels, but not this kind of project that’s linked to nature”, he concluded. “It’s very different, and I think it’s important as well.”
Whether you’re interested in experiencing the beauty of the peaceful days at the rhythm of nature, in an incredible place, or just visiting Tavira Island, please make sure to check out https://orla-tavira.com/