Getting to Know the Man Behind Simply Salema, with David Grimes – Technical Director
If you’ve spent any time browsing our villas at simplysalema.com, you’ll already have a sense of the care and passion that goes into everything we do. But who is the person behind the collection and what is it about this quiet corner of the Algarve that inspired him to build not one, but four luxury villas in the same beloved village?
I sat down with Ben Marshall, director of Simply Salema, to find out…
From childhood holidays on Salema’s sheltered shores to the creation of Casa das Estevas and villas Praia Dourada, Sol e Mar and Vista Paraíso, Ben shares the story of how a family love affair with one very special Portuguese village turned into something altogether more permanent – and why, for anyone yet to discover Salema, the best time to visit is always now.
Q: Hi Ben, it’s great to be with you for a coffee and a chat on sunny Salema beach. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. So first question I guess is, what do you want guests to know about you?
“Bom dia, David, and great to see you out here. I suppose the most important thing to know is that Simply Salema is not a faceless holiday letting company – we’re a family and Salema is genuinely part of who we are. My family has been holidaying in this beautiful village on the western Algarve for as long as I can remember and over the years that love for the place grew into something we wanted to share with others. That’s really how Simply Salema villas came about.
We now have four luxury villas here and each one has been designed, built and finished to the very highest standards. These aren’t investment properties that we manage from a distance. They’re homes that we care deeply about and we want every guest who stays in them to feel that.
I’d encourage anyone who’s curious to browse our website, where you can explore all four villas and get a real sense of what we’re about. We genuinely love welcoming people to Salema and we hope that comes through from the moment you arrive.”
Q: Sounds amazing, Ben. Why did you choose this area?
“Honestly? Salema chose us. You don’t really choose a place like this – it gets under your skin and before long you can’t imagine being anywhere else.
It started with family holidays here when I was younger. There was always something about Salema that felt different to everywhere else on the Algarve – quieter, more authentic, less touched by the kind of overdevelopment that has changed the character of so many coastal villages in southern Portugal. It’s a genuine, working fishing village with real soul, tucked between dramatic cliffs and a beautiful sheltered beach. The pace of life is slower here. The sunsets are extraordinary and the community has a warmth that you don’t always find in more heavily touristed areas.
We kept coming back, year after year, until eventually the idea of simply visiting wasn’t enough. We wanted to be part of the place. So we built Casa das Estevas first – our family’s beachfront villa – and the Simply Salema collection grew from there, with Praia Dourada, Sol e Mar and Villa Vista Paraíso all following as our passion for the area deepened. I must give special thanks to my two employees, Gavin and Stephen, who went way above and beyond. Especially during the stressful times!
Every one of our villas is located within easy reach of Salema’s beach and village centre, three of them just a short stroll along the charming Rua dos Pescadores. That connection to the village is something we’ve always been deliberate about. We don’t want our guests to feel like they’re staying in an isolated holiday complex – we want them to feel like they’re staying in Salema, because that’s the whole point, David.”
Q: They certainly are beautiful villas, Ben. But what makes them unique in the Algarve?
“I’d say, each of our four villas has its own personality and its own set of strengths, but there are a few things that I think set the Simply Salema collection apart as a whole.
The first is quality. Every villa has been built or finished to an exceptional standard, with no corners cut and no compromises made. When you walk into any one of our properties, you can feel the care and attention that has gone into every detail – from the contemporary interiors and high-end fixtures to the outdoor spaces, which are really where the holiday magic happens.
And those outdoor spaces are, I think, where we really shine. Casa das Estevas is perhaps the jewel in the crown in that regard – a genuinely rare beachfront villa with direct access to a quiet, sheltered cove just metres from the front door. You can sit on the terrace and hear the waves. That kind of location is almost impossible to find on the Algarve. But each of our other villas – Praia Dourada, Sol e Mar and Villa Vista Paraíso – has its own breathtaking roof terrace with panoramic views over the coastline and village that are really something to behold, particularly at sunset.
Across all four properties, guests can expect a private pool with a separate children’s area, a hot tub, a games room, a bedroom terrace and private parking – so whether you’re coming as a family with young children or a group of friends looking for something special, the villas are set up to make your stay in the Algarve as comfortable and memorable as possible.
But if I’m honest, David, what makes our properties truly unique isn’t any single feature – it’s the combination of all of it, set against the backdrop of one of the most special villages on Portugal’s southern coast. Salema is the secret ingredient. It always has been.“
Thanks for your time, Ben and here’s to another successful year with Simply Salema.
David Grimes is Simply Salema’s Technical Director and works alongside Ben Marshall. He created the website, payment system and his business, Click and Simple, provides ongoing support for Simply Salema.
