With sandy beaches and sophisticated design, Blanco Beach is the next party people destination.
Along a stretch of Portugal’s Algarve the beach, that stretches the resort of Portimao, is pristine. The town is scattered with smart eateries and bars while the beachfront is a little samey – endless bars with similar furnishings, nothing to distinguish from one or the other – but we haven’t come to drink the local Super Bock beer, we’re on more of a cocktail and sushi vibe and head near to the harbour a new beach club has sprung up.
Blanco Beach Club opened its doors with a bang at the start of he summer 2017 season – big name DJs and friends of club owner Maximilian White were invited over the summer to perform at the new venue.
Once inside you can’t actually see the sea as it’s covered by a screen, which is a shame, but what you lack in natural beauty you gain with a pool, fountains and not having to worry about sand getting in awkward places.
It looks great, there is no denying that. Everything is white; white lounge beds, white sofas, white parasols, white towels, white staff outfits, white stage, white bar, white cocktail glasses. While that might sound clinical it is all set off with the aqua blue pool and (during most of the summer) unbroken blue sky.
You can easily spend all day and night here if your thing is sunbathing with other beautiful people. Beach bars do tend to attract a certain type of crowd and at Blanco it’s no different – generally attractive people trying their hardest to get the best Instagram selfie.
Beds and jacuzzis are pricey but there is a bean bag option on the sandy section towards the back of the club which you can sit on with just the entry price. You could chance taking in your own inflatable flamingo or unicorn if you don’t have the spare £1500 to spend on one of the big round VIP beds – then at least you would have something to sit on.
Drinks and food are reasonably priced, with large pizzas (€12-19) and burgers (€17) or sushi and sashimi which are all tasty and presented well. A chilled bottle of Corona will set you back €5.50 and a cooling gin €6.50.
At night there’s a changeover and the DJs start. The bigger the name the bigger the party crowd but we’re just there for the #DayLife so don’t get to see it in full party mode.
With 2017 being the club’s first season there were understandable new venue teething problems to iron out but these were outweighed by the cosmopolitan vibe and by the time the 2018 season kicks off later this year we’re sure this will be the place to go in Portimao.
Does the Algarve need a club like this? Time will tell – but it’s certainly a welcome touch of glamour from the regular beach loungers. Whether your inclined to get elegantly wasted on the dance floor or catch some rays on the day beds, Blanco covers all bases.
