Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal

Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal

No-one should ever feel under pressure on holiday, and if you love wine but don’t – yet – regard yourself as much of an expert, then ‘vineyard hopping’ can sometimes be a little intimidating.

However we’ve found a beautiful and luxurious hotel and spa in Portugal where you will totally relax and begin to develop a taste for building a cellar of your own.

The Douro Valley is one of the world’s oldest winemaking enclaves, found about 80 miles from Oporto. Six Senses has sympathetically converted magnificent 19th century winery buildings into a stunning hotel complex complete with the biggest and most comprehensive spa anyone could hope to find. For us, though, we love the seclusion of the five vineyard apartments or the two vineyard pool villas, with their private pools and gardens and interiors designed by the ever-subtle and contemporary Clodagh.

From there, you make regular forays to the on-site Wine Library and Terrace for exclusive tastings of rare, charachter-packed vintages with two full-time sommeliers. No doubt you’ll want to be there every evening for pre-dinner sampling of both wine and tapas, and there’s a fantastic wine museum collection packed with artefacts that help inform your wine knowledge.

It’s also your starting point for daily excursions around the sprawling 19-acre estate and the local area. Coolest of all, to our minds, is a secret cellar built into the top of a nearby mountain. Port Knox, they call it, and it’s crammed with 100-year old oak vats hosting wonderfully ageing ports. As you walk slowly up there to try some of the finest and oldest, you’ll be passing the vines where the grapes themselves have been grown under the Mediterranean sun and soft, sprinkling rain. It’s magical and insightful all at the same time…

At A Glance…

• Direct flights from most major airports in the UK with the flight time taking just over 2 hours.
• Six Senses Douro Valley has a range of rooms, suites and villas all set within the grounds of a recently renovated 19th century manor house, set high on a hill overlooking the Douro Valley and the river below.
• There is an on site spa featuring 10 treatment rooms with a range of spa treatments on offer as well as multi-day programmes.

Why 360 Loves It…

• The several wine-influenced experiences are not to be missed when you are staying here.
• Other activities available at Six Senses Douro Valley include walking and helicopter tours, bird watching, mountain biking and canyoning.
• There are six dining options available with our favourite being the Chef’s Table – follow the process of a chef cooking for you in an intimate setting, the experience is of course complete with selected accompanying wines.

For more details and to start planning your Portuguese adventure contact your 360 Private Travel consultant.