Sleeping in the Vines: Ventozelo Hotel in Douro Valley by Santelmo & Pereira.

After the acquisition by Gran Cruz, one of the world’s largest exporter of port wine, a five-hundred-year-old estate in Quinta de Ventozelo, Portugal has been transformed into a picturesque hotel that invites visitors to celebrate and appreciate agriculture and wine production. Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta, formerly known as Ventozelo, is one of the oldest farms in Douro Wine Region overlooking the upper region, which has become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. Embedded with a rich architectural history as well as 400 hectares of rolling hills, vineyards, and orange groves, it provided the perfect opportunity to transform the estate into a prime hospitality spot to be shared with many.

Gran Cruz commissioned local Douro architect Carlos Santelmo of Santelmo & Pereira to restore “the working farm into a wine tourism project with close links to nature and rural life” reflective of the Upper Douro Wine Region. Twenty-nine rooms are divided among the seven existing buildings (such as the former tool shed and workers’ dormitories), with each offering a unique perspective of the farm. These divisions include generous double rooms fitted with a lounge and a fireplace; and more luxurious spaces include a kitchen, terrace otherwise an outdoor pool. Additional amenities include a visitors’ centre and a restaurant featuring gastronomy dishes made with freshly harvested crops.

Utilising the existing farmhouses that also served as precedents for the material palette, Santelmo retained existing stone surfaces while introducing new but humble materials to maintain its quaint rustic charm. Additional works include restored picturesque red-tiled roofs and newly painted wooden exterior facades added to subtly distinguish between the old and new. Some of the stone surfaces are intentionally rendered white to highlight timber surfaces panelled tightly to mimic historic surfaces. Painted metal sheets, weathered steel and timber deck for pool and pavilion were also added to offer moments of directional framing of the evergreen site. Each accommodation is carefully curated by Cristina Caiano and NBY Concept and Project to ensure the hospitality offers “a genuine and welcoming farmhouse”.

An estate historically and culturally rich, Ventozelo Hotel is worthy of a long stay. Be it to enjoy the landscape, listen to the atmosphere on the walking trail, or sit by the fireplace – this is a picture-perfect location for your future travel plans.

[Images courtesy of Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta.]