He may have tried hard, but in the Oitavos, designer Jose Anahory, has not really lived up to his stated mission of taking a back seat to nature. That’s not to say that the surroundings of the Portuguese Estoril coast-an eyeful of aquamarine Atlantic, swooping sand dunes, and cerulean sky-aren’t magnificent.

It’s just that with its inspiring expanses of white painted steel, white furniture, and floor-to-ceiling glass, this 142-room, Y-shaped resort can’t help but be dramatic. The only colors present-smoky silvers, barest celadon, slate blues-are much more muted than that of the glory outside, sure. But they’re never less than carefully considered.

Opened since September, the resort joins an older Arthur Hills-design golf course, and other facilities, developed over the years by the Champalimaud family on a 400-acre parcel of land near the fishing village of Cascais.

Anahory, the Lisbon-born architect who had previously designed the golf course’s clubhouse and restaurant, as well as the property’s Health and Racket Club, has custom-designed the tables, armchairs, closets, and paper-shaded lamps in the new resort’s guestrooms. A minimalist, linear look prevails, with an occasional curve thrown by the swoop of a one-off piece of pottery or the swirl of an abstract painting. Guest floor corridors are lined in a synthetic rubber.

Public spaces are set together on the huge, 300-foot-long ground floor, which is coated in gleaming, high epoxy gray paint. The reception area, open kitchen, bars, restaurants, and lounge seamlessly meld into each other before giving way to a wraparound terrace and infinity pool. Meeting space and a spa with 10 treatment rooms are located elsewhere in the building.