Wild hotel in Portugal built on abandoned salt lake

An incredible floating hotel full of luxury cabins on stilts is set to be built on an abandoned salt lake, and it’s the future of travel.

An amazing floating hotel full of luxury cabins on stilts is set to be built on an abandoned salt lake in the next three years.

Sat in a popular European holiday hotspot, the magnificent 50-hectare tourist attraction is expected to transform an old Portuguese lagoon into a grand resort.

The project is being developed by Danish maritime architecture studio MAST who revealed the ambitious plans, The Sun reported.

The holiday complex will be located on the Sado Estuary near Setúbal on top of a huge body of water that was once used for salt production. Having taken design tips from the old fisherman’s huts and jetties, the resort will feature over 50 separate hotel lodges fit for a number of people.

Amazing concept pictures of the hotel show how each stilt house will be overlooking the calming water in a year-round sun trap.

Made of timber, the cabins are seen as the future of luxury travel with giant patio windows, personal sun loungers and a plunge pool coming with each one.

Each house is also easily accessible by a boat or kayak or through a network of elevated bridges which are also on stilts. The reason for the linked paths is to benefit the local wildlife, the developers say.

Strong swimmers can even go to and from their hotel room by simply jumping in the clear, blue lagoon.

The plan for the hotel is incredible Picture: MAST

Alongside the homes, the site is also looking to renovate the building previously responsible for storing the salt produced. The developers hope to turn it into a bustling restaurant and spa.

Elsewhere, a towering building will be used for travellers to birdwatch across the endless kilometres of wetlands and across to the neighbouring beach.

Construction is set to get underway in the coming weeks with the first houses scheduled to be opened by the end of 2025. Part of the huge body of water will also be turned into a nature reserve.

The plan for the hotel is impressive. Picture: MAST

The first pictures already show giant bushes being planted on the salt lake.

Marshall Blecher, architect and co-founder of MAST, said: “The project adds much-needed accommodation to the area while having the lightest possible touch on the unique landscape which is extremely unique and naturally beautiful.

“We saw an opportunity to create a new typology of accommodation for the area without significantly impacting the site.”

The lagoon is said to be filled with halophytic plants such as saltbush which created the long-lasting salt production.

Tourists can swim out from their rooms. Picture: MAST

Flamingoes can be spotted around the hotel, along with fish. Picture: MAST

This has also led to a huge number of brine shrimp swimming around which tourists can gaze at from their back gardens.

Giant flocks of flamingoes and oystercatchers also roam along the lake all year round.

The real-estate developers also hope to bring back the salt production after the project has proven to be a success on a smaller scale.

The real-estate developers also hope to bring back the salt production. Picture: MAST

Construction on the world’s first ever floating city is also underway in the Maldives with over 20,000 people expected to move in to the seafront properties soon.

The incredible Maldives Floating City is finally being built after years of planning with several of the wildly cheap homes already up on the island city.

Five thousand homes are expected to go up on sale in the coming months at just under $381,000 for a constant view of paradise – miles cheaper than a Sydney home.

It comes as the world’s first floating theme park with three luxury hotels, a whopping 11 restaurants and huge roller-coasters is also set to built. Designed to welcome millions through its doors each year The Rig in Saudi Arabia is the latest absurd and over the top idea coming out of the country.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was republished with permission.