top of page

As the morning sun rises over Sintra’s hills, you find yourself on the terrace, savoring the quiet magic of a place that feels like a memory you’ve always held but never quite touched. It’s a stay that isn’t just an escape; it’s a rediscovery of something deeply, beautifully familiar.

Familiar kind of strange.

Nestled in-between Sintra magnificent hills, on Estrada do Rodízio by Praia Grande, it’s the kind of place that beckons when the city starts to feel too small, too tight—when the workweek spills uninvited into the weekend. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to run away, fuelled by grainy Instagram photos that promised an escape, a quiet doorway to someplace beautifully unfamiliar or maybe once known but forgotten. In the end, Sintra is always the right getaway. 

Owned by Mikkel, Marqí is somewhat hideaway, somewhat hypnotic experience — a place lures you in with an atmosphere so meticulously crafted it almost feels cult-like. Billie Holiday’s voice lingers in the air, seamlessly giving way to Mazzy Star, and you Fade Into it — into the atmosphere that lifts and grounds you all at once. Foxtrot has always been my favorite dance. 

And so here we having made a last minute booking in the off-season, we arrive late Friday and as the gate opens we are swayed. Is it the personal touch, the rich past, integrity of the place, or something more subtle? You’re invited to watch a film on a big screen with friends of the host, hear the story over a cup of welcome coffee of how this place became what it is—a stylish boutique hotel with soul. You wander through the halls, offered the choice of a room that feels more yours—a difficult decision, trading the allure of a tranquil, stylish bathroom in dark green tones for a balcony overlooking the garden. Somehow, you already belong here. Mikkel even keeps a quiet homage to the former owner, an altar with faded photographs, preserving a glimpse of the past. 

As morning arrives, you catch the first light of the sun. You begin with a cappuccino on a mat by the pool, then move to the terrace for breakfast, surrounded by the gentle sounds of birds passing by and nature carrying on with its own rhythm. For a moment, you feel as if you’re soaring with them, drifting in your own dreams.

Marqí is the place where you can’t help but feel a bit enchanted, a bit haunted, and entirely taken by the strangeness of the feelings that it raises in you - might it be nostalgia, a sense of peacefulness, an inspirational tide pulling you in, or a mix of all. The experience is definitely worth it.

Mikkel has somehow managed to create a gravitational pull where guests arrive as strangers and are drawn into a shared mood. It makes you wonder: how does one create a place where people come not just to stay but to be part of a shared ambiance? It’s almost as if Marqí isn't just a hotel, but a place where a certain magic—impossible not to feel. 

Leaving Marqí with a trace of Philip Noire perfume on me, wearing a crisp cotton white short bearing Marqí logo. I never asked Mikkel what strange means for him; maybe you shall when you stay.

leguideline 2025 

bottom of page