Bomporto Hotels Brings the Cult-Classic Electric MOKE to Portugal

The Archive Folio

• July 4, 2026
• ByKeri Bridgwater

The independent hotel group is inviting guests to discover Lisbon and Porto behind the wheel of Britain's fully electric open-air runabout—a vehicle whose very design invites you to slow down, feel the breeze on your face, and experience two of Europe's most captivating cities the way they were meant to be experienced: with all your senses fully engaged. This is not transportation in the conventional sense; it is an invitation to reimagine the very act of moving through a place, transforming the journey between destinations into a destination itself.

The concept is elegantly simple yet profoundly effective: by removing the barrier of glass and steel that separates the traveler from the city, the electric runabout creates an intimacy with the landscape that no conventional vehicle can replicate. In Lisbon, this means feeling the warm Atlantic air as you ascend the cobblestone streets of Alfama, hearing the distant strains of fado drifting from a doorway, and catching the scent of pastéis de nata from a neighborhood pastelaria before you even see it. In Porto, it means tracing the curves of the Douro River with the terraced vineyards of the valley unfolding before you like a living tapestry, the late-afternoon light painting the city's iconic azulejo tiles in shades of gold and cobalt that no photograph could ever fully capture.

Luxury hotels have long competed over destination spas of ever-increasing extravagance and Michelin-starred restaurants that push the boundaries of culinary innovation—worthy pursuits that have defined the upper echelons of hospitality for decades. Now, however, the most forward-thinking properties are turning their attention to something arguably more fundamental: how guests actually move through a destination, and how that movement shapes their understanding and memory of a place. Bomporto Hotels, the independent Portuguese hospitality group behind three distinctive boutique properties in Lisbon and Porto, has partnered with British automotive brand MOKE International to bring its fully electric vehicles to its hotels, offering guests a decidedly more stylish and infinitely more characterful way to explore Portugal's two largest cities.

The partnership represents a shift in how luxury hotels conceive of their role in the guest experience—extending beyond the walls of the property and into the streets, neighborhoods, and landscapes that give each destination its unique identity. By providing not merely a vehicle but a curated framework for exploration, Bomporto positions itself as something more than a place to sleep; it becomes a gateway to the authentic, unhurried Portugal that most visitors never discover.

For those unfamiliar with the name—and there are fewer such people each year as the brand's revival gathers momentum—a MOKE is an open-air, doorless beach buggy with unmistakable retro styling that immediately distinguishes it from every other vehicle on the road. Originally developed in Britain during the swinging 1960s, the vehicle became an unlikely luxury icon after finding its way to the sun-drenched coastlines of the French Riviera, the white-sand beaches of Caribbean resorts, and the palm-lined boulevards of California beach towns, where its playful silhouette and open-air design made it the vehicle of choice for those who understood that style and substance need not be mutually exclusive.

The MOKE's appeal has always transcended mere transportation—it is a statement of intent, a declaration that the journey matters as much as the destination, and that the way you arrive somewhere says everything about how you plan to experience it. To drive a MOKE is to announce that you are not in a hurry, that you have no interest in the fastest route, and that you are open to whatever the road might reveal.

The iconic MOKE badge

Today's MOKE retains the playful silhouette and irresistible charm that made it a cultural icon but swaps its original petrol engine for a fully electric powertrain that is as quiet as it is clean, allowing drivers to glide through historic neighborhoods without the noise or emissions that would disturb the very atmosphere they have come to enjoy. For the first time, visitors to Portugal will be able to rent these extraordinary vehicles by the hour or by the day to explore two of Europe's most walkable and increasingly design-conscious cities at a deliberately slower, more immersive pace. Available at The Lumiares Hotel & Spa and The Vintage Hotel & Spa in Lisbon, as well as at The Rebello in Porto, vehicles can be reserved directly at each property, with rates starting at €50 per hour or €225 for a full day.

Rather than simply handing over the keys and pointing guests toward the nearest tourist attraction, Bomporto pairs each rental with curated driving routes, neighborhood recommendations, and locally inspired experiences that encourage guests to venture beyond the standard sightseeing circuit and into the neighborhoods where real life unfolds. It is a philosophy of exploration that rewards curiosity and punishes haste—the very qualities that make Portugal such a rewarding destination for travelers willing to wander.

The Vintage Hotel & Spa in Lisbon

Good hotels have always known where to send their guests—the hidden restaurant, the overlooked gallery, the viewpoint that no guidebook has yet discovered. Increasingly, however, they are also paying attention to how their guests get there, recognizing that the mode of transport shapes the experience of the destination as profoundly as the destination itself. For Bomporto, that means replacing the usual rental car with something considerably more characterful, encouraging travelers to slow down—to swap a tightly planned itinerary for an afternoon spent following the Douro, lingering over lunch by the river, or detouring into a neighborhood they hadn't intended to visit and discovering that it contains the best meal, the most interesting conversation, or the most beautiful view of their entire trip.

It is a subtle shift, but one that suggests the drive is becoming as much a part of the experience as the destination itself. In a world of optimized routes and algorithmic recommendations, the MOKE offers something increasingly rare: the freedom to deviate, to follow instinct rather than instruction, and to discover that the most memorable travel moments are almost always the ones you didn't plan.

The vehicle's story is almost as compelling as its design—a narrative that begins with military ambition and ends with coastal glamour, passing through some of the most colorful chapters of twentieth-century popular culture along the way. Originally conceived in Britain during the early 1960s by Sir Alec Issigonis, the engineering genius behind the original Austin Mini, the MOKE was first intended as a lightweight military vehicle that could be airdropped into combat zones. When the military passed, the vehicle found an altogether more glamorous second life on the beaches and boulevards of the world's most desirable destinations.

By the late 1960s it had become synonymous with the French Riviera, Caribbean islands, and California beach towns, attracting admirers ranging from The Beatles and Brigitte Bardot to James Bond himself, who deployed a MOKE in several of the franchise's most memorable sequences. Today, each MOKE is hand-built in Northamptonshire, England, in the very same workshops where the original cars were produced, marrying unmistakable heritage styling with contemporary electric engineering that proves tradition and innovation can coexist beautifully when both are pursued with genuine conviction.

Your MOKE awaits outside The Lumiares

For MOKE International, Portugal becomes another addition to a growing collection of destinations where the brand has evolved beyond a nostalgic collector's item into something closer to a lifestyle accessory—a symbol of a certain approach to travel and living that prizes pleasure over efficiency and style over speed. Already a familiar sight in places such as St. Barth, St. Tropez, Miami Beach, and Waikiki, where its open-air design feels less like transportation than part of the vacation itself, the MOKE's arrival in Portugal extends the brand's reach into one of Europe's most dynamic and culturally rich travel markets.

The fit is a natural one: Portugal, with its emphasis on quality of life, its celebration of unhurried pleasures, and its remarkable renaissance as a destination for design-conscious travelers, shares the MOKE's core philosophy that the best experiences are those savored rather than rushed. In a country where the afternoon still belongs to the long lunch and the evening to the slow stroll, a vehicle designed to be driven at the pace of conversation feels not merely appropriate but essential.

The brand's easygoing character makes it a natural fit for Portugal, where Lisbon and Porto reward travelers willing to wander rather than rush through a checklist of attractions. In Porto, guests staying at The Rebello—a stunningly converted collection of riverside warehouses overlooking the Douro that has quickly established itself as one of the city's most desirable addresses—will receive access to self-guided driving routes that trace the river toward the Atlantic, climb to panoramic viewpoints across Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, and continue through seaside neighborhoods including Foz and Matosinhos, where the freshest fish in Europe is pulled from the ocean and onto the plate within hours.

Each route has been designed to showcase a different facet of Porto's character, from the grand historic center with its baroque churches and azulejo-tiled façades to the more contemporary neighborhoods where creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit are reshaping the city's identity. The MOKE's open-air design ensures that the sensory experience of driving—the salt air off the Atlantic, the fragrance of roasting coffee from the port warehouses, the sound of fado drifting from an open window—remains uninterrupted, connecting driver and destination in a way that no enclosed vehicle could ever achieve.

MOKE's minimalist interiors

Lisbon's suggested itineraries are equally varied and equally rewarding, offering a range of experiences that reflect the Portuguese capital's remarkable diversity. Guests at The Lumiares Hotel & Spa, housed within a beautifully restored eighteenth-century palace in the city's vibrant Bairro Alto—the neighborhood where fado was born and where Lisbon's creative pulse beats strongest—can leave Portugal's capital behind for the Atlantic beaches of Cascais and Guincho, where the surf crashes against dramatic headlands and the seafood restaurants serve the catch of the day with a simplicity that belies extraordinary flavor. Alternatively, they can spend the day wandering the city's historic quarters at their own pace, following the MOKE wherever curiosity leads.

The Vintage Hotel & Spa, meanwhile, offers a stylish base near Avenida da Liberdade for weaving between Belém's riverside landmarks—including the extraordinary Jerónimos Monastery and the original pastéis de nata bakery that has been perfecting its recipe since 1837—the converted warehouses of LX Factory, where industrial heritage meets contemporary creativity, and residential neighborhoods such as Lapa and Marvila, where some of the city's best cafés, galleries, and wine bars reward those willing to wander. Each destination becomes more accessible, more intimate, and more memorable when approached from behind the wheel of a MOKE.

Hotels have become increasingly inventive in the ways they help guests experience a destination, moving well beyond the traditional concierge desk into territory that encompasses everything from curated neighborhood guides to partnerships with local artisans and producers. For Bomporto, that inventiveness now extends beyond the concierge desk and behind the wheel of a MOKE, offering guests not just a vehicle but a framework for discovery that is both carefully considered and delightfully open-ended. The goal is less about transportation than encouraging spontaneity, local discovery, and the simple pleasure of taking the long way around—the scenic route that adds fifteen minutes to the journey but delivers a lifetime of memories.

In Portugal, checking into a boutique hotel may now come with something rather more memorable than a room key: the chance to explore Lisbon's hills or Porto's waterfront behind the wheel of one of Britain's most enduring automotive icons—a vehicle that has always understood, long before it became fashionable to say so, that the journey is the destination. For travelers who have grown weary of optimized itineraries and algorithmic recommendations, the MOKE offers something priceless: the freedom to get delightfully, memorably lost.

All photos courtesy Lydia Harper (@lids_harper) for Parc Fermé, capturing the poetry of motion through two of the Iberian Peninsula's most photogenic cities. Harper's lens has an uncanny ability to find the intersection of elegance and authenticity — the moment when a vintage car rounds a Lisbon corner and the light catches the tilework just so, or when the Douro catches the last of the evening sun and turns the Porto waterfront into something that resembles a painting more than a photograph. Her images for Parc Fermé document not merely a driving experience but a way of seeing: the perspective that opens up when you remove the windshield and let the world come to you, unhurried and unfiltered. Each frame is a reminder that the most compelling travel photography does not depict a destination from a safe distance but places the viewer squarely within it, feeling the wind and tasting the salt air and understanding, viscerally, why these cities have enchanted travelers for centuries.

A scenic drive along Porto's Douro