With an idyllic view of the Alvor estuary, Riade boasts a padel academy for youngsters, a restaurant serving comfort food, a bar with signature cocktails, a kids club and several spaces for events
A new paddle club is turning heads just four minutes away from the town centre on Rua Júlio Amaro in Montes de Alvor. The glass vaults at the top of the building, the terracotta colour of the walls, and the Islamic doors contrast with a lush green area that ends with the Alvor estuary as a backdrop. Some might believe it to be an Arab garden, also called a riad, but upon closer inspection, five paddle courts can be found at Riade Alvor View, a new paddle club that was “created to be different” and which is inspired by a “concept of affordable luxury that goes far beyond sports”.
The club was inaugurated on November 1, 2023, with the goal of becoming a “social space” for anyone who wants to visit it, said CEO Ricardo Cunha.
The spirit at Riade Alvor View is meant to be different from other paddle clubs that Ricardo Cunha has visited, where the “competitive environment can become a bit too much”.
“It can seem like a football game when people should be having fun while doing sports. So, when we created the club, we knew we wanted a calm, social, family-friendly space for everyone to have fun,” said Cunha.
The 8,000sqm club features five paddle courts, four of which are panoramic and one full panoramic court, the “only” of its kind in the Algarve, which is used as the main court as it allows the installation of removable stands around it. Three of the courts are located outdoors, which is “essential for higher-level athletes or even professionals.”
Riade Alvor View also opened its paddle academy for children and youngsters up to 14 years of age on February 3, where the goal is to train players to compete in tournaments and provide them with support in all areas, from nutrition to mental health.
The club works with a team of professionals specialising in fitness, nutrition, physiotherapy, and psychology prepared to provide “very close support” to its athletes. “When a child joins our academy, we tell parents right away that they aren’t coming here just to play padel, because we have the capacity and the know-how to provide support on every level,” Ricardo Cunha explained.
While this support is being provided through a partnership with a Portimão-based clinic, Riade’s goal is to open its own Wellness Centre by 2025.
So far, 34 children have already joined the academy, which also aims to provide moments of youthful fun at a kids club equipped with trampolines, bouncy castles and other fun activities.
For adults, besides the rental of the courts, paddle lessons can be booked, either for individual players, doubles or groups.
From Riad-style cod to signature cocktails
True to its goal to be “much more than a paddle club,” Riade Alvor View also features a restaurant and a cocktail bar on its first floor, alongside the locker rooms and paddle store.
“We knew we wanted to have something different that didn’t exist in the town,” said Cunha, adding that the restaurant specialises in comfort food and platters. While the menu is still not 100% completed, the restaurant serves a variety of snacks, “wonderfully large” toasties and larger meals such as lamb ‘ensopado’ (stew) and Riad-style codfish. The plan is to have four menus per year, one for each season, with the spring menu due to be unveiled soon.
Riade Alvor View also boasts a cocktail bar headed by a barman who trained at the prestigious Sky Bar in London. “The goal is to have signature cocktails but also the classics,” said Cunha, adding that the club’s Arab inspirations had led the team to use different spices and aromas to create original cocktails.
Another of the club’s assets is its potential as a venue for events. Ricardo Cunha, who also runs an event-planning company ATT Eventos, stresses that the club has enough space for 800 people, meaning it can host everything from weddings and baptisms to brand launches, company meetings and team building sessions. “Everything is personalised for each client,” the CEO guaranteed, adding that the club can handle everything on its own from catering and decoration to lodging, transfers and entertainment.
Future goals
Riade Alvor View’s future plans include the opening of a pool which is near the end of construction, with a capacity for 30 people and a small area for children, as well as the opening of an outdoor rooftop bar in 2025, boasting an “extraordinary view of Monchique and the Alvor estuary.
“It is one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen,” Ricardo Cunha says, adding that the plan is to have a menu comprising ceviche and tataki, as well as a differentiated drinks menu.
Another idea being floated by the CEO is expanding the concept to other parts of Portugal, as a deputy mayor of another municipality has already approached Ricardo Cunha with the suggestion of replicating the project. “Our idea is to not stop here. Riade deserves to grow.”
Riade Alvor View is open every day, from 9am to 10.30pm during the week, and until 2am on weekends. In summer, the schedule will be from 7am to 2am. Paddle courts can be reserved through the Tie Player app, by phone (+351 967 233 975 or +351 965 260 435), or message on social media (@riadealvorview). These last two contacts can also be used to become club members, which provides advantages, discounts, and exclusive services.
By MARIA SIMIRIS
