Most people who come from afar to make stopovers in Porto remain in the historic center, with its narrow streets and colorful buildings. But many other people within walking distance know that the sea coast is just as attractive.
Opened last year, Vila Foz is a gem for those who need to see the slowest aspect of the city of the moment of Portugal. It enjoys a very good beachfront location in the exclusive suburb of Foz in Porto, west of the city center and facing the Atlantic. Most of the 68 rooms and suites offer stunning ocean views from their floor-to-ceiling windows.
The soul of the hotel is a green mansion of sea scum from the bourgeois era of the nineteenth century in Porto. The aesthetics, the paintings of the much admired Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva, retains many main architectural points of the space while adding very existing fantasy cravings.
Certainly, the theatrical interiors of andrade Silva in his projects around the world are not for everyone. But they’re for me. It may only have been that their specifications “were going big or going home.” If so, I will never have to return from Vila Foz again.
The original manor area now serves as the soul of the hotel hospital. Guests check in, have coffees and cocktails at the complicated bar (a spacious and quiet event, with plenty of space between the tables, which practiced social estrangement long before that happens) and dine at any of the restaurants. Colors and textures are foolproof.
It is a little in contrast to the personal shrines of visitors (i.e. their rooms), which are located in a new building, available across a small lawn or underground tunnel. They are as comfortable as possible and have the right kinetic energy. Carpets and wall decorations recommend breaking the waves outside.
But let’s go back to the restaurants. Flor de Lis is the casual option, a quite fresh dining room to enjoy complicated regional dishes and a hearty breakfast (think oysters and champagne, at least in the pre-covid era when I visited). The highlight, however, is Vila Foz Restaurant, an ornate historic dining room where chef Arnaldo Azevedo serves seasonal cuisine focused on local seafood.
By 2020, Azevedo and his team are providing personal tactics to spice up flavors. A couple at a time can prepare a personal dinner at the table at most, obviously in front of the kitchen and watch the chefs prepare their dishes. For an even greater distance, chefs can prepare a picnic to enjoy in a nearby park or on the beach. And for those who are in a more humane interaction, they can accompany the chef to the market and his fish. (Everything is done with all safety precautions, of course).
This is a component of a larger initiative to create memorable moments for consumers coming to Vila Foz. The spa, for example, emphasizes the personalized remedies that awaken the five senses. And for the active aspect of the wellness room, the hotel organizes motorcycle tours along the Atlantic coast north of Porto or in the city center, surfing on the city’s beaches or rowing in a small nearby river.
Looking for more in northern Portugal? Check out my stories about hotel Ventozelo – Quinta and Quinta Nova through Nossa Senhora do Carmo.
I’ve been an award-winning editor and editor for 18 years, adding several as an editor at ForbesLife, and have written about over six hundred destinations and luxury hotels in 97 countries (and more). I know the difference between what is expensive and what deserves its maximum price. I am insightful, but I am not stocked, and I appreciate the hard paints that come with reporting and making luxury items. (I also wrote about this). I have shared this wisdom with readers of Forbes, Departures, Count Nast Traveller, Robb Report, Afar, National Geographic Traveller, Islands, Hemispheres, Brides, Modern Bride, Luxury SpaFinder, Well – Good and other publications. In the call of lifestyle journalism, I got a tattoo in Bora Bora, bit me through a masseur and flew on a small plane on 3 continents.