The Wonder of W

Located on a 250,000sqm clifftop site with sweeping views over some of the most iconic beaches on the Algarve’s Barlavento coast, Marriott’s €130 million W Algarve promises to be one of the most exciting developments to arrive in the region.

W Algarve is not just another luxury resort. It is anything but. It is a brand, concept and lifestyle all wrapped into one. It represents a way of living that is, on the one hand, exciting, happening and intense and, on the other, relaxed, calm and wholly natural.
The resort is an exclusive escape for extraordinary experiences that is set to ignite the local scene with its electrifying style, innovative design and full calendar of exclusive W Happenings, showcasing what is new in fashion, music and design.
W Algarve, along the coast from Albufeira, comprises a hotel and residences covering 56,663sqm.
The hotel will boast 134 stylish guestrooms and suites, an extravagant 1,000sqm spa, a range of cocktail and culinary experiences and there will be 95 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom W-branded residences aimed at affluent young and successful people from the 20-50 age group.
Adjacent, there is a 162,865sqm green park which will be carefully landscaped to incorporate and protect the existing trees, bushes and natural paths. It will have delineated areas for an outside panoramic bar, the Sunset Deck, with sweeping views over the ocean, a kids club and children’s play area, tennis courts and an outdoor gym.
On the northern boundary of the site, there is a plot of land on which it is planned to build 22 townhouses, but the project is still very much in pre-planning phase.
The W-branded residences are the first in Europe offering owners access to all W amenities and services and the ability to enter their property into an optional rental programme managed by the hotel.
With a completion date for the autumn of 2020, the project is developed by Nozul Algarve S.A. and marketed by Savills with interior designs by Hong Kong-based AB Concept.

Whatever/Whenever lifestyle
There are 95 freehold apartments within two blocks: Block C with 83 apartments and Block B with 12 apartments – comprising one four-bed, 42 three-bed, 45 two-bed and seven one-bed properties.
This is the third development from the W Escapes by Marriott brand, which offers its ‘whatever/whenever’ lifestyle. The project is developed in partnership with Nozul Algarve, a subsidiary of Nozul Hotels & Resorts, which in turn is a subsidiary of the Qatar-based Jaidah Group.
“This will be a full W hotel service in which Marriott will manage everything,” says João Bento, Project Director for Nozul Algarve.
“With the freehold apartments, the owners are allocated a specific amount of time to spend in them per year. They can opt in or opt out of the rental programme. If they opt in, it is a win-win situation for the owner and for the brand. It could bring the owner returns of 3%-4% or more. The rental programme can even be super flexible. The owner can maximise their income by using the apartment for two weeks in the summer and 12 weeks the rest of the year booked by prior arrangement,” he adds.

Funky retro design, luxury brand fittings
Top international designers Ed Ng and Terence Ngan from AB Concept have designed interiors that have a vaguely 1960s feel with bold burnt orange and grey colour schemes.
All of the fixtures and fittings are from the most luxurious top-quality brands on the market: SMEG in the kitchens and Villeroy & Boch and Grohe in the bathrooms. Environmental considerations include solar heated water systems and all-wood structures in the adjacent parkland.
“They studied the region with its traditions and heritage to make it a truly Algarve-inspired project – colours from the land and motifs from the sea inspired by the caves, cliffs, shells and fish.
Sardine cushions grace the beds while balcony tiles echo their silvery scales, changing colour with the natural light.
“Our aim is to connect the hotel with the sea and the Algarve. When you come here, you’ll immediately understand you are not just in the W Algarve but in the region as a whole,” says João Bento.
The level of luxury is reflected in the prices, with a one-bed apartment starting at €425,000 (from 66sqm), two-bed panoramic seaview apartment at €900,000 (100sqm), while the three-bed duplex penthouses (180sqm) are priced between €1.5 million and €1.7 million.

Text: Chris Graeme