Mountain refuge

An intriguing fact: the director-general of Longevity Wellness Resort bought an apartment and lives here. More than that: Anil Sampat left Lisbon’s largest hotel for this new project in Monchique. After travelling the world and dedicating a long career to the «Marriott» hotel chain, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity – and, it’s here that he feels at home.

“For me, Portugal is a complete country. The Portuguese are wonderful people. They have great tolerance for foreigners. I love the climate here, the food, the wine. Even the football is good”, he smiles.

Intriguing also is the fact that the rooms (or suites) at this 5-star resort are kitted out like miniature apartments. They have all the electrical appliances you’d find at home, in a little kitchenette.

But doesn’t this stop guests using the restaurant – particularly during this time of economic crisis?

“What we’ve been finding is that younger people, those between the ages of 25 and 45 – when they come with children – end up staying longer precisely because it’s so convenient having the little kitchen in their room”, the director-general tells.

At weekends, Longevity often has peaks of 100% occupation. When full, the resort can take 780 guests – and, at weekends most of these come from neighbouring Spain.

“On the other side of the frontier, just in Andalusia, there are almost 10 million people! We place a lot of stake in marketing” – a strategy that has been reaping dividends.

The resort works with international operators specialised in the sector of health and wellness tourism, but around “25% of business today comes via the Internet”, Sampat reveals.

“Monchique isn’t popular with the Portuguese. For many, the Algarve only means “summer”. Many simply come here for the beach, or to play golf”.

“But, the town is popular with the Spanish, Germans and Dutch that visit the region. They love to come up here because of the freshness of nature; for the landscape. Remember, we’re not just selling a resort here. We’re selling a destination. When our guests arrive, they really don’t need to go any further. Everything they want is around them”.

The borough’s mayor Rui André has taken a personal interest in the resort, and even receives certain “potential investors” and special guests.

“Sometimes we get celebrities coming from Lisbon. They come here for privacy. They want to enjoy our spa treatments and be left in peace, but I think Portugal is such a small country that even the famous end up finding someone they know – relatives or friends for conversation”, Sampat adds.

And although it’s integrated within the luxury segment, the director-general stresses the “family” bias of the hotel. There is a special suite just for children, and the pool where little ones can play with their parents was recently completed.

It’s no secret that Longevity wants to expand its horizons, both here and abroad. “At the moment we’re studying a number of possible locations. One will be near Lisbon. It could be in Sintra or Cascais – somewhere where we can offer a similar experience” to the one marketed in Monchique.

“And the other one will be near here. We want to cater for retired people. It won’t be a home, but a place where people can stay for two to three months, away from the cold of their own countries. Many people will be retiring in the EU soon. It’s a target sector that’s growing…”

Questioned on current local issues, Anil Sampat replied with another question: “Motorway tolls? During a recession?”

Even though he’s concerned by the crisis, he says the resort will continue to stay competitive and attractive with special offers and packages – particularly aimed at weekend visitors.

And finally, Sampat gives us some thoughts on labour policy. “As far as I can see, there are lots of jobs in hotels and restaurants that could be done by retired people, for example, for 20 hours a week. This would give them back pride in themselves, as well as responsibilities. And also, of course, it would bring them extra income”.

Equally “I don’t see any law that obliges bosses to hire people with physical or mental handicaps. I think we need a law like this” to integrate these people into society and the labour market. “So that they can also have a reason to live”, he concludes.

The medical spa

“Quite a few people arrive here completely strung out”, Teresa Malheiro, spa director and a consultant with vast experience in these kind of enterprizes. More and more “our professional life is full of stress. We’re sedentary, we don’t relax enough, and when we do, we do it badly – and we live in polluted environments, taking in too much medication, etc.”

It’s not surprising, therefore, that among the many programmes running at Longevity, those most sought-after are in the field of “preventative medicine, health maintenance and anti-ageing”.

“We have standard programmes that already target a particular public. They range from 8-30-day stays – and the most popular are those that tackle detox, slimming and stress”, Teresa Malheiro reveals.

The first step is the diagnosis. A team of nurses collects various samples for analysis, to be seen by doctors in a number of specialities. There’s even a psychologist and nutritionist on the team.

“It’s an holistic concept,” explains Malheiro. “These programmes cover various human areas: people’s physical, mental, psychological and spiritual aspects. Everything is interlinked”.

And each programme has an associated dietary plan. At the end of their stay, guests take with them not only the experience of their time at Longevity, but also the personalised health plans that will allow them to continue the programme they’ve begun.

Malheiro has also witnessed that more and more people are aware of the whole issue of ageing. “It’s part of our life journey, but it’s also possible to travel this phase with quality, autonomy and motor-function independence”.

In this last aspect, the spa has a partner in the well-known Dr Claude Chachard from La Clinique de Paris. “He’s a man with 30 years experience in the medicine against ageing. What we’ve done is research his technical know-how, and adapt it to our own concept”.

“We categorically believe that this will be the future when it comes to spas, and we want to be up there in the frontline”, she concluded.

For more information, please check the Longevity SPA Menu. You can also learn more about the Beauty & Rejuvenation medical treatments here.