Six Senses Douro Valley
The beautiful, UNESCO-protected Douro Valley has held a strong draw over great and the good of Portuguese society for over three-hundred years. Laura Leitao and her husband Alfredo Passanha were no exception: drawn to this serene setting in the mid-1800s, they took a typically-practical, agricultural residence and created the Quinta de Vale Abraao wine estate. You can still see their hand across the nineteen acre estate – from the captivating symmetry of the terraced vineyards, to the delightful ornamental gardens with their exotic plant species, decorative pathways and whimsical follies.
The Six Senses Douro Valley carefully preserves the couple’s original 19th century architecture, whilst sympathetically introducing contemporary interior décor – the careful use of natural materials and traditional Minho-region design features helps to create something comfortably homely and wholly delightful. There are seventy-one guest rooms – some offer panoramic river views of the meandering Douro, others have private balconies or shared decks overlooking the gardens and vineyards, and the floor-to-ceiling windows in the spacious suites perfectly frame the surrounding cedar woodlands. One and two-bedroom villas are tucked away in the gardens, offering precious additional privacy, and an additional nine Valley Rooms have been created in the recently-renovated wine lodge – they share a cosy lounge, a garden with shaded gazebos, and the wine lodge swimming pool; a great option for groups and families.
The flourishing kitchen garden and the extensive vineyards supply the Valede Abraao restaurant with a wonderful selection of seasonal ingredients and exquisite field-to-table wines, whilst wellness programs, spa treatments and fitness classes are available on-demand at the expansive Six Senses Spa.
If your preference is for a mix of relaxation and exploration, the wine towns of Pesoa da Regua and Amarante are easily accessible by car, the city of Lamego, famous for its baroque architecture and gothic cathedral, is just to the south, and the celebrated Linha Douro train line is your connection to Pinhao, the home of port wine, and Portugal’s dynamic second city: Porto.
