Salvaterra Country House & Spa is a tropical hideaway for slow living, wellness & quiet luxury with a Michelin Key, about 40 minutes from Lisbon in Salvaterra de Magos (Ribatejo). It stands out immediately because of its tropical garden, transporting you right to Asia the moment you set foot on the property. Having spent a few months in Sri Lanka, I can say that I was genuinely surprised by how similar it looked and felt. The only things missing were the monkeys and the sound of the peacocks. It really makes you forget that you are in Portugal.

The goal

Strong photos, strong video and a cohesive Instagram

Salvaterra already has strong photos, strong video and a cohesive Instagram. What I wanted to highlight more were all the little details I noticed throughout the stay, as well as what it felt like to experience this place as a guest.

So the brief was simple: a guest journey shoot, following a guest through their stay at Salvaterra from check-in to check-out, using the facilities and focusing on the ambience and the feeling.

The setup: direction

Since Salvaterra has many facilities and services to offer, we decided on working together with two models, both experiencing the stay in their own way.

Throughout the whole shoot we worked with natural light. We wanted to keep the pictures as authentic as possible, so rather than staging the model, I followed her around during her stay, documenting more than directing.

The shooting: from check-in to check-out

The feeling I wanted to carry through in the pictures was calmness and peacefulness, the slowing down. Having space to breathe, leaving the phone in the bag and simply being present. I wanted to show how easy it was to switch off immediately when arriving there.

Vanessa

Exploring the space and the garden

Reading by the koi pond

A slow bath in the villa, in the soft light of the late afternoon

Slow morning with breakfast in bed

Time by the pool in the villa with fruit

A massage at the spa

Shower and getting ready in the jungle villa

Eva

Arriving and exploring the room

Spending time in the room with a cup of tea

Evening in the sauna

Late morning by the pool

Challenges and how we mastered them

The hardest part of this shoot was light. I did not want to use flash, because the goal was to keep the pictures natural and in a documentary more observing point of view.

The palm trees at Salvaterra grow tall and dense. They are a big part of why it feels like Asia, and they also block a lot of natural light. Good light only reached the rooms at certain times of day.

So I worked with the light that was there. The bathroom worked best between 10 and 12 in the morning. The best light overall came between 4 and 6 in the afternoon, and that is when I shot the bathtub pictures.

That meant staying flexible and planning the day around light, not around a shot list.

That's one of the reasons why sometimes one day is not enough to showcase a place, as certain areas need to be captured whenever the light comes in to make the space look its best.

What the hotel walks away with

Salvaterra will use these images on Instagram, and a journey works especially well there. Instead of single posts that each show one room, the hotel can tell the stay as a story: carousels that follow a day, reels that feel like being there.

The guest sees the whole experience before they book.

Work with me

If you own an independent boutique hotel, retreat or nature stay in Portugal or anywhere else in Europe and you feel like your content isn't reflecting what your place really feels like, then send me a message. I am happy to jump on a free discovery call with you, learn more about where you are at the moment and how we can work together to get the most out of your stay. I take care of the planning, the concept, the production and the editing. Minimal effort on your side.

Get in touch with me here or browse through my hospitality photography work.

Excited to hear from you.

Photographed at Salvaterra Country House & Spa, Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal.

Models: Vanessa Chromik, Eva Wichard