Aquapura
Style Sprawling spa retreat
Setting Dazzling Douro wine country
Perfectly positioned to take in views of the Douro Valley in all its sweeping vine-clad majesty, Aquapura hotel was once a rural, red-painted family farmhouse. Now, after a dramatic designer reinvention, it’s Portugal’s sexiest spa retreat, offering indulgent wining, dining and poolside reclining.
Need to know
- Rooms 71, including nine suites and 21 villas.
- Rates Double rooms from $225.64 (€171), excluding tax at 5 per cent.
- More details Rates include Continental breakfast, (villas are room-only, however).
- Facilities Spa, gym, tennis courts, five hectares of woodland, library, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, air-con, minibar with free bottled water, Gilchrist & Soames toiletries.
- Poolside Scented with honeysuckle and surrounded by olive trees and a clematis-clad old stone wall, the heated outdoor pool has stunning views both from and towards it, thanks to the green vine-lined hills around the terrace and the grape-purple mosaic tile.
- Check-out Noon, but, subject to availability, this may be extended to 4pm without charge. Check-in, 2pm.
- Children Very welcome; baby cots are provided free. Under-12s can sleep in extra beds for €100, over 12s for $150. Babysitting can be booked a day in advance for €20 an hour. There’s a children’s menu in the restaurant. More...
- Eco-friendly The hotel has started an energy efficiency programme and is striving for sustainability. Everything possible is recycled, and Aquapura is involved in conservation efforts to preserve the local woodland.
- Also The Douro Valley is one of the world’s oldest and most renowned wine regions – make sure you ask the hotel arrange a tasting tour of the neighbouring quintas. Seclusion-seeking couples should note that August is especially popular with families.
Food and drink at Aquapura
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Hotel restaurant
Adorned with a quartet of soothing oval water features, Almapura caters to the elaborate, jus-drizzled side of things, leaving the adjacent Vale d’Abraão to supply a more informal bar menu during the day. The breakfast spread – a generous platter of fruit, cheeses, pastries, eggs, bacon and pancakes couple with Pommery bucks fizz – is a reason to get up on its own. -
Dress code
Crisply ironed shirts and shoulder-slung polo-necks seem to be the in thing among the hotel’s Spanish clientele, but we recommend going for casual elegance. -
Top table
Go close to the window to make the most of the view, or, better still, secure a spot on the patio to soak up the sun. -
Last orders
Dinner in Almapura is available from 7pm. You can sample the Douro’s finest wines in the bar until 2am. -
Room service
Snacks, soups, salads and sandwiches can be brought to you until midnight. -
Hotel bar
As befits a hotel surrounded by grapevines, the wines and ports at Aquapuro are exceptional and the sultry standalone bar area overlooking the Douro is the perfect place to enjoy them.
Also worth knowing
- Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...
Aquapura Quinta do Vale Abraão, Samodães, Lamego, Douro Valley, 5100–758
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Smith extra at Aquapura
A cocktail each on arrival and a Douro gift (either a bottle of wine or a silver leaf); members staying three nights or more also have a choice of a three-course meal or a 55-minute spa treatment each
Current offers at Aquapura
- Winter break weekend package - Valid from 10 February 2012 to 31 Marc...
- Valentine's two-night package - Valid from 9 February 2012 to 15 Febr...
- Carnival package - Valid from 16 February 2012 to 22 February 2012
In the know
Our favourite rooms
Aquapura’s rooms overlook the manor-house cloisters, the Douro River, the woodlands, or the valley and vineyards. All idyllic views, but we were drawn to the River Rooms – 420, with its platform bed and sexy square bath tub, is especially appealing. Alternatively, hunker down in the Winter Garden Suite’s four-poster and enjoy the wealth of natural light and space, as well as glorious vineyards views.
Packing tips
Bring your tennis whites, shoes and rackets and enjoy a knockabout on one of the world’s most picturesquely situated courts.
Also
Aquapura’s subterranean spa includes an indoor hydrotherapy pool with heated water beds, a herbal sauna, a panoramic sauna, a laconium and a steam room. There are lots of detox programmes to pick from – including ones for anti-aging and keeping trim – all using Ytasara products.
From the Guestbook…
My husband and I decided to take a well deserved second honeymoon, but we were undecided as to where would be suitable for a week’s break. We contacted Mr & Mrs Smith and...
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