Simply Salema: Our Story
We were heartbroken to announce the passing of Simply Salema and Simply Morzine’s founder, Mike Marshall, on Sunday 1st September 2024.
Over the years, Mike introduced so many people to the joys of Morzine and Salema, helping to put these wonderful places on the map.
Mike was so well respected in our community that his death made the front page of our local newspaper.
Here’s a short video about Mike’s business achievements.
We thought Mike’s passing after a long illness would be a good opportunity to share the story of Simply Salema – and how his vision became a reality with the help of his family.
It’s now hard to believe the company owns 4 luxury ocean villas in this beautiful Algarve fishing village.
Once upon a time in the Marshall family…
The first company Mike set up was Simply Morzine way back in 1995 – organising ski and activity holidays in the French alps.
Mike Marshall risked everything by quitting his job as a schoolteacher to buy a plot of land in Morzine. The rest, as they say, is history.
How did the switch from alps to Algarve happen?
It started at the turn of the century when one of Mike’s three sons was courting his now-wife.
The young lovebirds had graduated from uni and embarked upon an adventure travelling Europe by train.
By sheer chance they were given an old, dog-eared guidebook by a seasoned traveller they met in a hostel bar somewhere in deepest Eastern Europe.
Hidden amongst the more well-trodden tourist hot spots, they spotted a tiny paragraph which sparked their curiosity…
It mentioned the unspoilt beauty of a ‘secret’ seaside fishing village nestled off the beaten path in the historic western Algarve region of Portugal. It seemed like a mysterious map to Europe’s uncharted ‘end of the world’… The destination was Salema.
From Ski Chalets to Ocean Villas
After a long journey west, they arrived in Salema and were stunned by a beautiful sandy beach, crystal-clear waters, white-washed fisherman’s cottages and the slow, relaxed pace of life in the sun.
They discovered welcoming locals and fantastic restaurants serving the freshest seafood imaginable. They found a pay-phone back inland called Mike Marshall back at his home in Melton Mowbray (UK)…
‘We’re in a place called Salema in the Algarve. This is what paradise looks like, dad!! I think we could diversify from Morzine and set up a business here in Portugal’.
Mike was impressed his son was following in his visionary footsteps with quick decision-making. He took the first opportunity to visit Salema himself and fell in love instantly. He quickly decided to set up another holiday rental business and worked tirelessly to source the perfect plot of land.
After setbacks, dead-ends and disappointments, Mike located a cliff-top plot, with uninterrupted sea views that overlooked Salema beach and village. It was perfect.
But things are never easy. The plot wasn’t for sale but Mike managed to trace the owner to an address in Lisbon and contacted him directly. Ever the charmer, Mike worked his magic and a deal was soon done. The land was his and striking while the iron was hot, Mike quickly commissioned the eminent local architect, Pedro Cavaco.
The beachfront villa, Casa das Estevas opened its doors in 2007. ‘Simply Salema’ was born. ‘The Estevas’ has been a resounding success. The popularity has been beyond our wildest dreams and is often booked every week between April and November, as well as extended lets during the winter months.
Our portfolio expanded across several other holiday villas to rent in Salema over the years. Whilst these were successful, it was always difficult to pin down long-term rental agreements with the owners. We knew the secret to our success was actually owning the properties, so we set out to find another plot to build on. But this time we ended up with three!
Brand-new luxury holiday villas to rent in Salema
The locations of the new plots are ideal – just a short walk from the village centre along the charming Rua dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Road). The plots are south-west facing so catch the sun all day, plus the panoramic views are incredible. It’s possible to see for miles – over Salema village, the surrounding countryside, the ocean and all the way to Sagres, the most south-westerly point in Europe. The opportunity was just too good to miss and the deal was done in 2018.
Using previous contacts and connections, we re-commissioned our now friend, architect Cavaco. Our brief to Pedro was simple, “design the perfect contemporary luxury ocean villas”. After rounds of to-ing and fro-ing the much-worked designs were finally submitted for planning permission which was granted soon after.
Covid delayed the project, however construction finally started in August 2022.
Pedro, now looking forward to retirement, wasn’t available to do the build this time, but Mike being Mike stumbled across the brilliant engineer Nelson Rodrigues via a well-timed pint of Superbock in a local bar. The landlord, Karl, enthused over Nelson who had recently built his own luxury villa in Salema. Karl gave Mike Nelson’s number. Mike hastily arranged to meet him and they got on like a house on fire.
Nelson, assisted by Luis and the rest of his loyal builders, alongside his wife Sonia (who helped with the interior design), were exceptional throughout. They exceeded expectations and built the perfect villas on budget.
Discovering Nelson Rodrigues was without doubt the key to the project and one of Mike’s finest business achievements. Thank you, Nelson!
The villas were completed on time and we welcomed our first guests in June 2024. We are pleased that Mike Marshall, despite being very poorly, was able to make one last trip to Salema with his wife and three sons to see his dream become a reality.
Now with our first year of villa rentals under our belt and a fantastic team of people, the future for Simply Salema is bright. We know Mike was proud of the new villas and will be smiling down upon us.
If you’d like to stay in our brand-new modern ocean villas, please get in touch. We’d be delighted to welcome you to our “little piece of paradise” (to quote Mike Marshall!).
