It may not be the top destination in the 2015 guides to European vacationing, but Comporta, Portugal is known and loved by locals as one of the most pristine getaways for the high-end European crowd. Even though it isn’t taking up ad space in every magazine touting its status as the small, secluded, seaside fishing village to travel to, fashionable Europeans have worked hard to keep Comporta a local luxury secret – only now its spilling out. Although the once hush-hush fishing village is undergoing its own industrial revolution – hotels and rental villas are sprouting at every corner – it hasn’t lost its clandestine cool.

Comporta sits roughly an hour south of Lisbon and two hours north of the popular — and often over-crowded — beach destinations that comprise the Algarve. It’s a small village on the southern heel of the 13-mile long Tróia peninsula, wedged between the Atlantic and a rich, ample forest. The usual comparison is Comporta is today what Ibiza was then – but many would be quick to point out the ill-fated nature in doing so.

Conde Nast Traveller asserts: “Some people will want to say Comporta in the same breath as Ibiza, but, really, they’re missing the point altogether. Comporta is not Ibiza. It is not St Tropez 30 years ago. It is not Montauk or Tarifa, Oualidia or Trancoso. On the global list of languid beach hotspots, the closest, most relevant where-shall-we-compare-it-to is José Ignacio in Uruguay, for that bleached-wood, barefoot, blustery kind of vibe, but, actually, it’s not that similar. Comporta strikes out on its own path. It is unlike anywhere you have been before.”

Couple that with the fact the Euro has nearly struck even with the American dollar, hotels, trains, meals and other recreational costs are roughly 30 percent less, and there’s no argument for believing Comporta and Ibiza are one in the same or even on the same map. Dropping costs ensure you’ll have reason enough to travel to Comporta for an extended stay – if not the entire season.

Once on the island, the Casa de Comporta and the Casas na Areia offer guests a quiet, pensive recluse from the world. The latter was first launched in 2010 as a weekend house project, and is now an internationally acclaimed hotel with four separate houses blanketed in white, neutral accents, ample natural lighting, and all-natural, indigenous construction.

On Praia de Pego beach, the most exclusive area of Comporta, Casa de Comporta offers patrons an entirely unique experience. The hotel, built on the sand, is modern, clean, and minimalistic. While Casas na Areia has made a name for itself as a rustic getaway, Casa de Comporta touts its own as a modern beachside marvel.

Because the 13-mile strip means everything is within walking distance, Comporta Café has become the popular neighborhood bar and restaurant. Tucked right along the water, it’s the village’s go-to dinner and drinks spot.

For many, Comporta is still just a tiny fishing village beloved by locals; a blip on the radar that could sink or swim in years to come; an island town revered for its tranquility… yet there is no denying: Portugal’s gorgeous secret is out.