Vila Joya, Algarve

A Hotel For a Marble -Top Table

In the year of 1978, when the Jungs visited the old, abandoned house for the first time, what seduced them was not the scenic view, over the ocean, nor the proximity of the peaceful Praia da Galé - not even the privileged path leading to a secluded beach captivated them into that strange place.

The big house erupted in the middle of a void, inhospitable clearing. Ahead of it the see was limitless; behind it a wasteland stretched, it´s monotony broken at points by heads of ruble. Empty, at rest under a thick layer of dust, a long heavy table with a marble top unexpectedly broke the silence of the house. That was the reason that made them want to stay; it was over that table that Vila Joya was founded.. Two majestic silver candelabra are now set on the marble-top, side by side with a vase of fresh flowers , around the table, the waiters busy themselves in studied and exact gestures. Stories tell of how the engine of a bulldozer and the arms of more than twenty man were needed to placed there - with the stubbornness of a bull, the table remains impassive and indifferent to the parade of time, as to the periodic organization of the Vila Joya dinning-room, it is the ex libris of the hotel. 

The Jungs had found their holiday haven, despite the hesitations of Claudia, who would have preferred a smaller house over that eight-room mansion. Klaus bought it and Claudia had thought of creating a small hôtel de charme, with thirteen rooms. She made a point of taking care of everything personally. In the winter of 1982, the Vila Joya Boutique Hotel was opened, with some friends and acquaintances of the Jungs . None of the two had had any previous experience in the hotel business. But that precisely set the freedom they felt as to the rules of the hotel instruction manuals, and made Vila Joya what it is today. Silently wandering the rooms of the house, meticulously observing the common areas and the large suites, Claudia measured the true potential of her small hotel - its quality has been often recognized and awarded, both in Portugal and abroad , and it comprises the only restaurant in Portugal granted two Michelin stars. The space is open facing the sea; the decoration is sober and minimalist, yet cosy and warming.