A nineteenth-century quinta perched above the terraced schist vineyards of the UNESCO-listed Douro Valley provided the foundation for Six Senses Douro Valley, which opened in 2015 following a careful restoration that preserved the manor's terracotta-roofed towers and salmon-rendered facades while inserting a thoroughly contemporary hospitality programme within and around it. The project, overseen with Portuguese sensitivity to the agricultural landscape, kept the formal box-hedged gardens, the ranks of cypress and palm, and the stepped terracing that has defined this valley's relationship with the Douro River for centuries. Where the historic quinta governs the upper ground, the newer accommodation wings push the architecture in a sharper direction — floor-to-ceiling black-framed glazing, warm oak millwork, and woven grass-cloth wall panels that absorb the river light filtering up from below. Bedrooms are arranged around stepped split-level plans, with low-slung dark-stained consoles separating sleeping and sitting zones, and teak-decked terraces cantilevered toward vineyard panoramas. The restaurant draws on the agricultural vernacular more directly: exposed granite masonry surrounds a stone chimney breast, wide-plank timber floors carry the warmth, and banquette seating upholstered in natural linen and geometric-patterned weaves sits beneath a coffered board-formed concrete ceiling hung with rod-and-crystal pendant chandeliers. The infinity pool, clad in ipe timber decking with dark-tiled water, frames the valley in a long still line toward the mountains.

1hr 15min drive from Porto airport (OPO)

This beautifully renovated and reimagined 19th century manor house is set high on a hill overlooking the vine covered countryside of the Douro Valley and the river below. From the dreamily designed and furnished rooms and suites to the expansive spa, fine and wholesome wining and dining, organic gardens and nature trails, our hotel in Douro Valley is where well being meets pure joy.