Six Senses opened its first resort in Europe during the summer, located in the Portuguese UNESCO World Heritage area of the Douro Valley.
Set on 22 acres, the 57 bedroom, 19th century Six Senses Douro Valley was designed by New York-based Clodagh Design.
“We flew to Portugal and were blown away by the light, colours and endless fields of grape vines,” said Clodagh, speaking to CLADmag. “Drawing on these colours and this already existing, unimaginably beautiful place we dreamt up a scheme that tipped a hat to the past while still being totally contemporary and designed to bring joy to every single visitor.”
The resort is surrounded by sloping vineyards, and the spa’s signature treatments are inspired by the region’s wine culture.
The resort also includes five hectares of surrounding forest that can be used for forest bathing, a Japanese term used to describe a gentle and quiet walk in the woods with senses open to sounds, smells, colours and feel of the forest designed to have a therapeutic effect on the body and mind.
The resort also features an outdoor swimming pool, an activities hut and gym and on-site personal trainers.
A wine library pairs a selection of regional wines with tapas, cheese, smoked hams and local sausages, while the 24,000sq ft (2,230sq m) Six Senses spa features 10 treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, laconium, herbal bath, experience showers, forest bathing and a nail bar.
“As Portugal was on the silk route, we wanted to embody a sense of history in all our material choices,” said Clodagh. “We used burnished metals in the rooms behind the beds. The carpets through the corridors had green tones inspired by the water of the Douro river, where the play of light and shadow became like a welcome mat inviting visitors.
“We utilised old wine cases, raw steel and empty wine bottles to create the massive lighting fixtures.The dining room features a collage of ancient Portuguese tiles and we used reclaimed wood as much as possible throughout the project.”
In order to preserve the historic feel of the building, the designers met the previous owners of the property, including Julia Serpa Pimentel, who lived on the Quinta as a child. “She showed us images of her childhood community and really revealed to us the spirit of this place,” said Clodagh.
Six Senses opened its first resort in Europe during the summer, located in the Portuguese UNESCO World Heritage area of the Douro Valley.
Set on 22 acres, the 57 bedroom, 19th century Six Senses Douro Valley was designed by New York-based Clodagh Design.
“We flew to Portugal and were blown away by the light, colours and endless fields of grape vines,” said Clodagh, speaking to CLADmag. “Drawing on these colours and this already existing, unimaginably beautiful place we dreamt up a scheme that tipped a hat to the past while still being totally contemporary and designed to bring joy to every single visitor.”
The resort is surrounded by sloping vineyards, and the spa’s signature treatments are inspired by the region’s wine culture.
The resort also includes five hectares of surrounding forest that can be used for forest bathing, a Japanese term used to describe a gentle and quiet walk in the woods with senses open to sounds, smells, colours and feel of the forest designed to have a therapeutic effect on the body and mind.
The resort also features an outdoor swimming pool, an activities hut and gym and on-site personal trainers.
A wine library pairs a selection of regional wines with tapas, cheese, smoked hams and local sausages, while the 24,000sq ft (2,230sq m) Six Senses spa features 10 treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, laconium, herbal bath, experience showers, forest bathing and a nail bar.
“As Portugal was on the silk route, we wanted to embody a sense of history in all our material choices,” said Clodagh. “We used burnished metals in the rooms behind the beds. The carpets through the corridors had green tones inspired by the water of the Douro river, where the play of light and shadow became like a welcome mat inviting visitors.
“We utilised old wine cases, raw steel and empty wine bottles to create the massive lighting fixtures.The dining room features a collage of ancient Portuguese tiles and we used reclaimed wood as much as possible throughout the project.”
In order to preserve the historic feel of the building, the designers met the previous owners of the property, including Julia Serpa Pimentel, who lived on the Quinta as a child. “She showed us images of her childhood community and really revealed to us the spirit of this place,” said Clodagh.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
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