THE MODERNIST, Faro: Midcentury Cool in the Algarve’s Cultural Heart
A design time capsule with a contemporary pulse
A Modernist Revival
Forget the cliché of the Algarve as just golden beaches and holiday resorts. In Faro, THE MODERNIST flips the narrative with a hotel that is part urban sanctuary, part architectural homage. Set in a restored 1970s modernist building, this boutique retreat celebrates the era’s design language—sleek lines, geometric clarity, terrazzo underfoot, and furnishings that feel as if Don Draper might stroll in for a nightcap. The look is deliberate, confident, and quietly radical in a region better known for rustic charm and tourist gloss.
Design as a Lifestyle
Step inside and the atmosphere is all muted palettes, warm textures, and effortless restraint. Clean silhouettes and authentic midcentury furniture anchor the apartments, while terrazzo flooring and brushed concrete details create a tactile link to the building’s original bones. Lighting is purposeful, throwing gentle pools of glow that accentuate the architecture rather than overwhelm it. The effect? Spaces that are both cinematic and deeply livable—urban hideaways that balance retro cool with present-day sophistication.
Apartments with Personality
Unlike traditional hotels, THE MODERNIST offers six thoughtfully designed apartments, each blending midcentury aesthetics with modern convenience. Fully equipped kitchens, open-plan layouts, and sleek bathrooms make them as functional as they are stylish. Large windows invite Faro’s abundant natural light inside, creating a dialogue between interior design and cityscape. For design lovers, every angle feels photogenic; for travelers, every detail feels intentional, from the furniture’s craftsmanship to the subtle artwork on the walls.
The Rooftop Ritual
At sunset, the building reveals its secret weapon: a rooftop terrace that looks out over Faro’s terracotta rooftops, church towers, and the ever-shifting colors of the Ria Formosa lagoon beyond. Here, cocktails or local wines flow easily, accompanied by soft breezes and the glow of the southern Portuguese sky. It’s less about spectacle and more about rhythm—the kind of place where you ease into the evening, immersed in atmosphere rather than noise.
A Different Faro
THE MODERNIST also acts as a lens onto Faro itself—a city brimming with under-the-radar cultural gems. Beyond the beaches lie bustling local markets, a thriving creative scene, and a surprisingly rich catalogue of modernist architecture waiting to be explored. The hotel team, deeply embedded in the city, curates personal recommendations that go beyond the guidebooks, ensuring guests discover Faro as locals know it: authentic, cultural, and design-rich.
DNA Hotels Verdict
THE MODERNIST Faro isn’t just a stylish stay—it’s a design manifesto disguised as a hotel. By turning a forgotten 1970s building into a living, breathing ode to modernism, it offers guests a different Algarve: urban, cultural, and quietly chic. For those who see travel as an immersion in design and place, this is Faro’s most compelling address—where the midcentury dream meets Mediterranean reality.
