HOUSE
Our door is always open to welcome those who arrive with the same joy with which we would run to our grandparents arms when we were little. Our grandfather, an "old sea dog", Joaquim Modesto de Brito, known to all as "the champ", was the foundation of this project. So many memories inhabit these walls and grounds that we, the grandchildren, couldn't allow them to get lost. This is how Casa Modesta was born, combining rural tourism with a contemporary feel, manifested in nine rooms with private patios. There is also a garden with a section for organically grown vegetables and a solarium where time flows with the tides.

EXPERIENCES
To the Algarve summer, with sand in it's feet, we have added the daily routines of those who make this way of life a lifestyle, from gathering clams to baking bread to the harvesting and drying of fruits. We catch a ride on a traditional boat, practice birdwatching, support the local nature reserve, and when night falls we turn our verandas into a planetarium and watch the stars. When the body requires rest we surrender ourselves to wellness rituals, taking advantage of the natural properties of local oliver, almonds, fleur de sel and algae. Some may call it a "vacation", we call it "culture".

PLACE
Our secret: a family house house opening its doors to tourism in an almost unknown land, facing the sea and in the heart of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, considered one of Portugual's seven wonders. We may sound biased if we say that from Casa Modesta you witness the best morning in all the Algarve, but from here we can watch the migration of birds, the practice of shellfish gathering or the harvesting of salt, and everyday we are astonished by the small miracles that Nature performs.

ARCHITECTURE
From the ground up we built a house using the traditional knowledge and architectural culture, the local people and materials. In the Casa Chã, we translated ancestral legacies to a contemporary language, creating and feeding social and economical dynamics connected to local art and crafts. Cemented in the memory of family and place, PAr consolidated this project in the Casa Modesta prototype.