From abandoned clay to fertile soil, the farm Quinta Kismet nurtures a space where nature leads. On the Lisbon coast, ALEX BENNETT and her family create immersive moments—retreats, workshops on foraging, stays—to reconnect with the natural world. It’s wild food, sea air, flowers, and love. Captured by PATRICIA IMBARUS.
Quinta Kismet s a regenerative sanctuary nestled along Portugal’s stunning Atlantic coast, in the village of Azenhas do Mar. Founded by Alex and Dean Bennett, the project has transformed once-forgotten farmland into a thriving landscape of organic gardens, wildflowers, and food forests.
Guests enjoy nutrient rich foraged pesto, a butter punctuated with fragrant wild flowers, tangy pickles made with sea vegetables picked from the cliffside and peppery dehydrated nasturtium chips.
Hi Alex, tell us a little about yourself and this beautiful place..
– I’m a Creative Director, mum to two girls and co-owner of Quinta Kismet, a regenerative project on the Lisbon coast which designs and creates moments to connect with the natural world, through creative events, stays, retreats, collaborative projects and workshops. The place is a heady mix of wild flowers and wild food, Atlantic sea air, food forests, medicinal herbs and spaces carefully designed to immerse you within all of that.
How did it all start with Quinta Kismet?
– We fell in love with the area in 2009 and I fantasised for a long time about trading our London communications agency life for a more rural existence by the sea. After many years searching we bought the land and ruins in 2015 and spent the first 5 years sweating, building soil, collecting water and planting trees. When the pandemic hit we opened the gardens to the public via a community project to share the spaces and our learnings, and with many years experience of event creative behind us and a lifelong passion for wild food and medicine, the project naturally evolved to offer more immersive experiences and stays.
Living in and with nature, tell us about the Kismet philosophy.
– ‘We’ have such a tendency to think of ourselves as ‘other’, as separate to the natural world, as opposed actually being a cohesive part, so Quinta Kismet and the projects we develop are created as an invitation to remember that, and get closer to it.
The beautiful coastline in Azenhas do Mar.
Guests can explore wild food, learn about permaculture, or join creative and collaborative workshops, all set within a beautifully curated natural environment.
‘‘We fell in love with the area in 2009 and I fantasised for a long time about trading our London communications agency life for a more rural existence by the sea.’’
Who are the people who come here?
– We have people from all over the globe visit us, many on vacation looking for a natural escape and authentic Portuguese experience, many looking to be in Azenhas do Mar or Sintra, many people who have relocated to Lisbon and Cascais looking to learn about wild food and the local ecosystem and then many locals who appreciate the work, the project and beautiful location.
What do people appreciate the most when coming to your farm.
– We’re close to so many breathtaking locations here but once you’re through the gates, you’re in also the middle of nowhere so i think everyone feels a shift when they arrive. I also think the effort, curation and care is also very apparent throughout the design and I think guests really notice and appreciate this.
How is living in Portugal?
– We have a huge respect for the history and culture of Portugal as well as the Portuguese people and their way of life, and I think appreciating this can change the way you perceive time, family and your own values. We certainly don’t lead the leisurely restful life people assume as there’s a lot of hard work involved but we have so much to be grateful for, Azenhas do Mar is truly a breathtaking village and we’re very lucky to live within the heart of it.
Would you like to recommend something, it can be anything!
– Come, visit, and stay with us a little while! But if you can’t, just go outside wherever you are, just for a moment, even in the city and you’ll quickly find something green, exploding out of the concrete, something that had no soil and zero love or care. Don’t look at it as a weed but as a pioneer, it’s probably food or medicine that you don’t yet know about. It dreams of making that concrete a meadow and maybe, if we’re honest, it probably would be better for all of us if it was.
Thank you Alex, we will for sure book a trip to your beautiful sanctuary.
www.quintakismet.pt Instagram @quintakismet