Aquapura Douro Valley: Earth, Water and Wine
By Monica Rogers, contributing editor -- Hotels, 3/27/2008 11:17:00 AM
With the rippling Douro River on one side and the undulating terraces of the fertile, Douro Valley vineyards on the other, Aquapura Duoro Valley makes the most of earth, water and wine in its contemporary design. First 5-star resort in this area of northern Portugal, Aquapura Douro Valley is also the flagship first resort from Portugal-based Aquapura, which is building three more resorts in Prague, Brazil and Hungary.
A showcase of Portuguese design talent, Aquapura Douro Valley was shaped by architect Luis Rebelo de Andrade and designers Giano Goncalves and Nini Andrade e Silva. Centering the resort around an existing 19th century manor house was Andrade's biggest challenge. “The difficulty was to intervene in this space while tripling the existing area,” Andrade says, “respecting what is old, but introducing what is modern.” To do so, Andrade chose a complementary, minimalist style for the exterior of the hotel, business center, spa and 21 villas—being extremely careful to maintain balance between scrubland, vineyards, the old house and the new construction. Consisting of 50 guestrooms in nine configurations, plus two restaurants, open plan bar/lounges and a 22,000 sq.-ft. spa, the finished hotel, which opened August, 2007, is very sensual. Earthy colors and natural materials are meant to evoke tranquility and calm. Polished surfaces and modern reflective finishes add excitement and contemporary edge.
In guestrooms, translucent, geometrical interiors glow with soft, natural light and rooms are finished with bronze-lacquered furniture, polished steel four poster beds, and glossy steel lamps all by Nini Andrade e Silva. Special bathroom accents include glass mother-of-pearl-colored tiles, Corten steel faucets, and bronze glazed mirrors and windows, also by Silva.
Shaping the villas, Andrade worked to establish a strong connection with natural surroundings. Likewise carrying this theme through the interiors, designer Goncalves gave the Villas do Douro a modern, river connection, while the Villas da Vinha, inspired by the vines of the vineyard, are more classical. Preparing for this project, Goncalves studied various Portuguese works of art and craft: antique Portuguese filigree work, for example. He also steeped himself in surrounding nature. Resulting custom furnishings reflect these inspirations. Some chairs, for example, are shaped like a bull's hoof. Others, made of mesh-work, resemble birds' nests.
Restaurants on the property include the fine-dining, dinner-only Alma Pura restaurant, with chef Emmanuel Soares at the helm, and, the more casual Vale Abraao. Both are located on the main floor along with the library and bar. Vale Abraao is an all-day restaurant, surrounded by glass, with indoor/outdoor seating overlooking the gardens and the vineyards. The outdoor seating section includes casual patio pieces of woven nylon in beige, gray and black. Inside, the color palette is white and cream with dark, Asian wood accents and spacious high ceilings. Next door, Alma Pura strikes a delicate balance between classicism and modernism both in cuisine and décor. Key design elements include water—with two, imposing, elongated-spherical fountains in the center of the space—dar antique wood doors imported from Asia, and a soaring high ceiling. Both spaces are furnished with lacquered black tables, polished stainless steel chairs and pelt-upholstery with artworks and decorative pieces collected from Asia. Hip bar/lounges include sexy minimalist chaise lounges in shapes that mimic the undulating Douro Valley landscape.
Also minimalist, the spa includes an indoor pool, 10 treatment rooms, steam baths, panoramic saunas and water beds. Rituals are by Ytsara and skincare systems by Karin Herzog.
Discussing its selection of the Duoro Valley site for its inaugural project, Aquapura management said the richness of the region and the omnipresence of water were a great influence. Culture and tradition—positioning the manor house at the center of the property—and the lifestyle associated to the wine produced in this region were also deemed to reflect the Aquapura spirit: modernity merged with tradition. While hotel management says RevPAR is not available, they project an occupancy rate of 40% for 2008. Guestrooms/suites range in price from US$336 for a starting category room in low season to US$3,759 for the Triplex Douro Villa in premium season. Thus far, the majority of Aquapura's guests travel to the hotel from the UK, France, Germany, Canada and the U.S.
