Construction on a new “sustainability-minded” nature resort will soon begin in Cabanas de Tavira. The three-storey Cabanas Nature Resort, to be located next to the Cabanas Park Resort, will boast 180 rooms and “four-star superior status”.
Representing a €16 million investment by AP Hotels & Resorts, the project is just awaiting final tweaks before construction can start in a month or so. It is being developed by architecture, urbanism and design specialists Broadway Malyan and is expected to open in 2021.
Mar Bayo, general manager of the six resorts that the AP group manages in the Algarve, says that Cabanas Nature Resort will “focus on sustainability” and will aim to be an example for its clients.
“This focus on sustainability will not be exclusive to the hotel. It is an asset that we want to extend to the Algarve as a means of valuing it,” Bayo told Barlavento newspaper.
As she explained, the resort’s restaurants will serve a variety of healthy meals inspired by local produce while children’s entertainment activities will teach younger generations about the “three R’s of the environment: reduce, reuse and recycle”.
“We want to help and develop the communities we are involved in. This is the philosophy of our new project, but it will be extended to our other hotels.”
Design-wise, the new resort will have a “cosmopolitan and trendy style with new tendencies blending harmoniously with the area in which it will be located”.
There will be a panoramic sky bar, a spa with an indoor pool, a fitness area and several outdoor areas.
Another important aspect about Cabanas Nature Resort is that it does not want to be just a summer resort.
“One of the strengths and pillars of our group’s strategy is a desire to end seasonality. Our goal is to keep our hotels open for as long as possible during the year. Thus, Cabanas Nature Resort is being developed from scratch to be very comfortable for winter stays.”
The AP Hotels & Resorts group was created in 2015 and belongs to the MADRE group. It manages six resorts in the Algarve: Adriana Beach Club (Albufeira), Hotel Eva (Faro), Hotel Oriental (Portimão), Maria Nova Lounge Hotel (Tavira), Victoria Sport & Beach (Olhos de Água, Albufeira) and Cabanas Park Resort (Cabanas de Tavira).
“When I began my job as general manager of Adriana Beach Club in 2010, I was informed of the group’s plans to expand. In 2015, the first opportunities to do so arose. What’s interesting is that the group’s six units are all very different. Each one has its own personality,” Bayo told Barlavento.
And while Mar Bayo admits that the drama surrounding Brexit and the resurgence of rival destinations such as Maghreb has taken its toll on booking numbers, she says the group has been “working hard to adapt to this reality”.
“Our expectations for 2019 are good; so far our sales are slightly higher than last year’s with a general growth in the group of around 8%,” she said.
