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WHEN leading Asia hotel chain Six Senses decided it needed an outpost in Europe, to show off its incredible eye for detail and how to look after guests in the most sustainable way, it didn’t opt for the obvious places like the south of France or the Balearics… even a key European city.
The group, launched in Thailand in 2004 and Vietnam in 2005, discovered an incredible 19th century estate on the bend in the Douro River about 100 km from Porto.
The family could go on quietly with their business by acquiring the vineyard and hotel, which is a small, obscure hotel and vineyard. This would make it one of Europe’s best rural getaways and it’s also Portugal’s priciest hotel.
The group’s first hotel in Europe, which opened in 2015 with an emphasis on local organic products, sustainability, and wellness, quickly gained a competitive edge in this growing rural inland tourism segment.
They have expanded globally since adding the mandatory statement hotel in Ibiza and a Marbella spa (see Olive Press Review) to places like the Maldives and India and are now in America. They also have Courchevel and Crans in Europe.
The Six Senses Douro Valley was a stunning experience, even though I had only visited Ibiza before.
It is low-key luxury, but it’s anything but grand. Especially if you come via the bottom road, close to the river. You will arrive along an ancient cobbled path lined with rows and row of vines.
The hotel is finally visible, surrounded by woods and a sea vines that are clinging to every terrace in the vicinity of five kilometres.
It’s something of a pile but fairly in keeping with the local vernacular… as you’d expect from a 200-year-old bodega.
A pointed stone steeple, an Italianate loggia with stone pillars as well as unusual stone window designs that were installed more recently are all present. The walls of burgundy match the tradition of wine-making, and the Portuguese pantiles add to the composition.
David, who has been working at the hotel for four years, is an excellent receptionist with a vast knowledge of the area. The group itself, which boasts 27 hotels in different countries, also adds to the sense of welcome.
He tells us a bit about the ancient family, who reluctantly sold up in 2001 to become a boutique hotel that was sadly ‘before its time’, a bit too modern and pricey, by all accounts, for the region, prior to the budget airlines arriving in 2013/14.
We are then led to our suite which is amongst the most impressive I have ever seen in Europe. (More on that later). Then we proceed to explore the grounds.
The gardens are surrounded by mixed woodland and cascade many levels down, even to the river. There is a pontoon, and paddle boards, and other exciting crafts, ready for guests to use. Note to self: Next time, arrive by river!
It is a joy to explore the formal gardens and then woods. The different sections are separated by hedges of myrtle, iron walls covered with ivy, or other climbing plants. There are also fruit trees and green walls.
The pergolas and formal gardens create a sense of privacy and space. There are also evocative entrances to olive groves and vegetable gardens, with avocado trees. Do not miss the steps leading to a cave grotto where spring water is trickling out.
You can’t imagine a better setting for a swimming pool, with the Douro Valley on one side, and a slope of vines to the other. Unsurprisingly, the guests that sit around the pool are among the world’s top movers and shakers. As far as the physiques are concerned, think White Lotus and Love Island.
The easy access to the restaurant pool bar was a great feature. It’s a calm spot with cushions in sea green, terracotta, and natural linen.
The ‘snack menu’ is equally easy, light and minimal with a bent towards healthy eating…they call it the ‘Tasty Stuff’ and it has two types of gazpacho, one a delicious strawberry number with a king prawn tartare sliced up in the middle.
Three salads are a winner. One is from the vegetable garden, with pickled carrots grilled, courgettes roasted and almonds. The other two are spicy sea bass ceviches.
Free-range chicken also makes a tasty, but slightly scrawny, leg that is cooked on the grill and topped with an odd sprinkle of local cheese.
It is a shame that the portions are so small. They must be perfect for the young, attractive couples (half of whom I would guess are honeymooners) who spend their days luxuriating at the pool.
The wine tasting, open to all guests and strongly recommended, starts each evening at 6pm – and comes with snacks and a cool wine tasting notebook, plus a superb carved wooden wine map of the region.
It’s highly instructional, and leads nicely on to our evening meal in the main restaurant, which again is style personified thanks to the incredible eye of oddly, an Irish interior designer, now in her mid 80s, based in New York called Clodagh, described as a ‘pioneer of green design’ who found her vocation living in Spain in the 1970s.
It is her who has made the Six Senses Douro so special. A woman of extraordinary talent, I adore the lamp made from wine bottles, the farm tools on the wall and the close-up photos of the terrain. I love the outdoor sauna and the hanging chairs in the lift shaft lobby. I would have loved to spend a morning reading a book in the lift shaft lobby.
Next we bowl along into the main restaurant, which is full of natural materials; textiles, wood and stone, all thanks to Clodagh, who utilised hundreds of blown up photos of the finca from years gone by – plus wonderful photos of its owners (grandchildren roller skating, grandma on her mare etc).
Attention to detail is evident in the hessian-covered wooden beam ceiling, and the blue and white striped chair covers.
Also keeping with its wellness philosophy there are lots of vegetarian and vegan dishes, such as grilled ‘hispi’ cabbage – with smoked goat butter, lime pickles, hollandaise and peppers…what a dish ! Grilled ‘hispi’ cabbage with smoked goat butter, lime pickles, hollandaise and peppers.
There are also ‘heirloom’ beets with a coconut labneh and pickles and green strawberries, while seasonal organic asparagus with saffron and lemon was more to my flavour.
The meat-lovers were not forgotten and there was a superb hand-chopped pasture-fed beef tartare. Line-caught seabass and Algarve Pink Prawns also made it to the table.
Again, these are not the huge portions of American food, but a minimalistic version that is packed with flavour.
After that, we went to our suite. This had the most spectacular east-facing terrace, where the following morning I sat on a giant bed and marveled at the wall of vine terraces. There were literally lines after lines of bright green tendrils. They would be stripped of their fruit in just a few weeks or days.
The hotel has many unique touches. For example, a drawer in the minibar contains not only tea bags but also sachets with fresh tea leaves. At night the fairies scatter bottles of water around. The bath has a loofah and a jar with sea salt, both thoughtfully placed next to it.
An iPad mounted on the walls connects guests to a chat system that allows them to ask any question they may have. David assures that it is not an AI assistant. Please do not swear or confuse it as it is a member of our team.
It was this way I found out about the tea drawer but a sign of the times, when I ask for a copy of a British newspaper, the reply was only: ‘We will need to find out how to get one.’ They didn’t.
Finishing on a positive note, the breakfasts are as much as possible, cooked in the wood oven, even including pancakes … which are extraordinary! Fresh plums, crème fraiche and icing sugar. Do not stay just one night. Stay for a week, or a month, that is if you’ve got a spare €50,000.
Visit www.sixsenses.com. Rooms start at around €1400 a night.
The Olive Press Travel News is available here.
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