History
A hotel with history
Bela Vista is Timeless
Built at the turn of the 19th century and baptised “Vila Nossa Senhora das Dores”, the house, finished in 1918, was intended as a private residence for António Júdice de Magalhães Barros, a canning and cork magnate who lived there with his wife and five children. Until 1924, when they moved to Lisbon, it hosted memorable par-ties to which famous artists and politicians were invited.
Hotel Bela Vista
The first hotel in the Algarve
According to legend, in 1934 Bela Vista became the first hotel in the Algarve when a member of the owner’s family rented the house and converted it into a hotel which he named Hotel Bela Vista, thanks to its unrivalled sea views.
A past with history
Illustrious and unexpected guests
Given the political turbulence of the era – the Spanish Civil War followed soon after by World War II – and the fact that Portugal remained a neutral country, the hotel welcomed guests that were as illustrious as they were unexpected: spies, couriers and Spaniards fleeing the civil war. The hotel’s guest book from that time can still be seen and includes such names as Sidónio Pais, King Umberto of Italy and the Counts of Barcelona. Another notable guest was Baron Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim, voted the greatest Finn of all time, who resided for a while in Room 105 and whose photo and letter of appreciation can be found today on top of the hotel piano.