History
In 1870, Cascais was “discovered” by King D. Luís, when he began to spend the end of summer in this fishing village. Its picturesque charm captivated the Portuguese aristocracy and bourgeoisie with boat trips, picnics on the beach and sports reserved for the high society, such as sailing and tennis. The Cascais and Estoril area then began to develop infrastructure dedicated to leisure, such as the Casino da Praia in Cascais Bay and the Sporting Clube de Cascais. This led to Estoril receiving the title of “Cradle of Tourism in Portugal” in 1911.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the town of Cascais already had a great reputation in the tourism sector in Portugal. In a prominent place, next to the beach, was Café Tavares, a mandatory stop for the royal family and all tourists in the region. It was here that, decades later, the desire to build the first hotel in Cascais was born, due to the ambition of João Soares. Designed by architect Alberto Cruz, this project began construction on March 19, 1959, next to Café Tavares, a building that would later be demolished. On April 17, 1962, Hotel Baía opened its doors for the first time. After 10 years and having already become an icon of the town, Hotel Baía invested in its first expansion, in 1972/1973.
The restaurant and living room move to the ground floor and a banquet/meeting room is built on the -1 floor. The hotel now has a total of 87 rooms. In 1975, the owners were illegally expelled from the management of Hotel Baía. For 8 years, the hotel went through a phase of self-management, until November 22, 1982, when the founders were once again recognized as the legitimate owners. On November 18, 1983, the unthinkable happened. One year after the management of Hotel Baía returned to the hands of the legitimate owners and large investments were made in the facilities, the town of Cascais is flooded by torrential rains. The Cascais Floods of 83 caused immeasurable damage to the entire town, destroying the wall in front of the beach and much of the equipment on the ground floor and underground of the hotel.
The second expansion took place between the end of 1988 and the beginning of 1990. The north façade was completely renovated, as well as the solarium and the various rooms on the ground floor and floor -1. Since then, the hotel has 66 sea-view rooms and 47 land-view rooms. In 2005, the most recent expansion was completed, with renovation work and the construction of an underground car park.
After 15 years of always evolving, with the emergence of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, Hotel Baía was forced to temporarily close for the first time since it opened its doors. Between April and June 2020, Hotel Baía was empty. It only woke up again when a tourist called and asked if the hotel was open – from then on, at first with just one room occupied, the tourists that once walked the Hotel Baía corridors and the town gradually returned. On April 17, 2022, Hotel Baía turned 60 and it was an important mark that reminded us of all the stories we still have to write.
In 2024, Hotel Baía presents a visionary project that focused on renovation works.
With a continuous commitment to excellence and innovation, the interior decoration was entrusted to the Conceitos de Arte studio, a reference in the areas of architecture and interior design , which brought its expertise to create an elegant and contemporary environment, maintaining the historic charm of the hotel.
With a continuous commitment to excellence and innovation, the interior decoration was entrusted to the Conceitos de Arte studio, a reference in the areas of architecture and interior design , which brought its expertise to create an elegant and contemporary environment, maintaining the historic charm of the hotel.