Vila Valverde Design & Country Hotel has recently undergone a complete refurbishment inspired by the landscapes of the region
Vila Valverde Design & Country Hotel opened in 2004 in Praia da Luz, built on a fully renovated 19th-century manor house, on a five-hectare property with an enchanting view over the bay. The orchards, the spring, the small lake with carps and the spacious gardened areas reveal a building with only 15 rooms, but a whole range of services that make this place special, far from large tourist centres, but very close to the best that the Algarve has to offer.
Architect Mário Martins was responsible for transforming the farm into one of the six five-star rural hotels in Portugal, opting for a play of colours, straight lines for the furniture and the functionality of the spaces.
This year a new challenge was set, and Nini Andrade Silva was the interior designer chosen by the owner, Luís Tavares, to redecorate the entire hotel unit, with an investment of half a million euros. “She is a professional with a proven track record all over the world and she accepted this challenge. We usually renovate the property every two years, because we know it’s necessary to keep up with progress. But, we felt that this was the moment to make the atmosphere even more refined, intimate and exclusive,” he explains.
The beaches and mountains of the Algarve served as the motto for the transformation, where the once bright colours gave way to soft and neutral tones that can be seen in the finishes, furniture and decoration to bring the surrounding landscape into the hotel. This is a perfect symbiosis to provide an even calmer and more relaxing stay, which was replicated in all the common areas, the rooms and the exterior area of the main building. But there was more to the renovations than just the aesthetics.
The traditional buffet breakfast is now served à la carte, “so that guests have a more personalised offer that meets their morning cravings”. For dinner, chef João Branco is in charge of the restaurant menu. Featuring traditional Portuguese food “with a very modern twist”, the menu also caters to vegan and vegetarian preferences. Vila Verde also has a great wine cellar filled with Portuguese wines.
According to Luís Tavares, the aim is “to give guests the opportunity to have everything available in one place”. In addition to the outdoor and indoor heated pools, another of the hotel’s secrets is the wellness centre, with a massage room, Turkish and Japanese baths, sauna and even a solarium.
There are dozens of treatments carried out by the hands of physiotherapists and masseurs, from relaxing massages, lymphatic drainage and foot reflexology to peelings, masks, thermotherapy and light therapy.
Given the hotel’s privileged location, surrounded by various golf courses, all guests can enjoy this sport and choose one of the six courses where they would like to improve their skills: Palmares (Odiáxere), Boavista Golf, (Lagos), Espiche Golf (Lagos), Santo António Golf (Vila do Bispo), Salgados Golf (Guia) and Álamos Golf (Portimão). The team can also organise tennis matches, bike rides, horse riding, sailing, diving or excursions to various parts of the country and even Spain.
Another aspect where this hotel stands out is its concern for sustainability. For several years now, Vila Valverde Design & Country Hotel has been honoured with the Green Key for Sustainable Tourism, a certificate awarded by the European Union. “There’s no plastic anywhere, we have 350 solar panels that allow us to produce around 70% of all our electricity and we have a water mine. We have a vegetable garden where we grow all the vegetables we use at the hotel and several fruit trees (lemon, orange, peach and fig trees). We don’t use chlorine in our swimming pools and the surplus water is used for irrigation,” explains the owner.
Focusing on well-being, attention to detail and personalised services, the hotel can accommodate up to 30 guests at the same time, and children under the age of 10 are not allowed.
By MARIA SIMIRIS
