My Comporta With Scent Evangelist Pedro Simões Dias

"I want Comporta to grow. I don’t think it should close itself in time."

How did you discover Comporta? 

Comporta is to be discovered bit by bit every day. My parents used to take me there when I was a child and I still remember that time. I remember perfectly well a Sunday at Easter, close to the church...

Why is Comporta so special?

I love the combination between the fields of rice encircled by the dunes, the pine trees, and junipers. I love feeling that I’m close to people who have lived their entire life there. In addition, I think that this combination of the magnificent white sand beaches (which are far from being common) with a view that remains unspoiled for kilometers has much contributed to the international buzz. It is very rare to have a 15 or 20 km long stretch of beach without a house to be spotted in our neighboring European countries (Spain, Italy, France).

Planning a day in Comporta, what do you suggest?

· Where do you recommend we have breakfast?

I love waking up early, jogging for a while, and then have breakfast at my friend Judite’s at Pego while admiring the view or reading the paper.

· What’s your favorite restaurant in Comporta?

Ugh, maybe Dona Bia. That’s why we created the “Dona Bia” perfume, that aims to recreate the feeling and taste of spices, coffee, and wood, that are so characteristic of a typical restaurant. Of course, we are talking about a personal perfume, here, that I think is ultra-sophisticated.

Where can’t you resist shopping at?

Coté Sud or digging up new things at Coral.

Where is the ideal place to watch the sunset?

Will you let me gently slide rightwards and watch the sunset behind the Arrábida Mountain, on the Cabeços Island, where we shot the OCASO perfume campaign. I suggest you go to our website and see the making of this photoshoot. It’s only four minutes so, please, try not to drool, alright?

What is Comporta’s best-kept secret, in your opinion?

Two marvelous windows: to watch the day go by through architect Joao Resende’s study window or through that of Herdade da Comporta’s enologist... People who work with those views should pay twice the taxes.

What would you say to someone who’s going to visit Comporta for the first time?

The people I know and who tell me they want to go there whenever I’m abroad, already have so many illusions...

Describe Comporta in a single word.

I breathe it!

An idea for Comporta.

I want Comporta to grow. I don’t think it should close itself in time. I know it will be a slow growth because everybody wants to keep the site’s identity. Thankfully so, perhaps.