Often the road less traveled leads you to exactly where you need to be. And the road to Comporta, Portugal in November is certainly a less traveled path. Known as a popular beach escape for many Europeans, Comporta is increasingly a popular destination with new hotels opening up over the past few years.

Visiting in the off-season gave us a chance to see the sleepy beach town without tourists, or really many people at all. With most of the town was closed for the season, we enjoyed a relaxing few days at the new-ish Sublime Comporta hotel and leisurely explored the area without fighting any crowds or traffic. Within an easy hour drive from Lisbon, we were happy to escape to a nice hotel for the last few days of our trip.

Located on 17 acres, the Sublime Comporta is built to blend in with the natural surroundings. We stayed in a Cabana Suite that included a cozy king bed, and a full kitchen, fireplace and living area in a separate room, plus a deck and private pool give you the option to never leave your cabana!

A spa, pool, fire pit, on-site organic garden, yoga pavilion and tennis courts offer plenty of activities to keep you busy during your stay. We, however, found it hard to leave the cozy couch in front of the fire (and the staff was happy to frequently re-stock our wood supply). It was so pleasant to hunker down and enjoy our minimalist but comfortable cabana.

The on-site restaurant Sem Porta uses lots of local ingredients and offers an upscale dining experience. While the restaurant was good, it's very pricey, and we really enjoyed eating a more causal meal in the lobby bar one night.

The hotel is not right on the beach, but it can be reached in a quick 10 minute drive. We ventured out several times for meals during the day, and while a lot was shut down for the season, we found a few noteworthy spots. Have I mentioned the amazingly delicious seafood that we encountered at most meals on this trip? Enjoy!

Comporta Cafe - One of our best meals of the trip. We ate on the deck right off the beach, filled up on clams and seafood spaghetti and enjoyed the ocean breeze.
Restaurante Dona Bia - A popular restaurant but was unfortunately closed for the season.
Eucalyptus - We had a casual meal here - a good place for a simple sandwich and coffee.