Aquapura Spa at Aquapura Douro Valley 3.4 2 reviews

The Aquapura Hotel is quite a magnificent building in the heart of the gorgeous Douro Valley. The spa in itself is quite spectacular and luxurious with endless different treatments, indoor + outdoor swimming pool, various ultra modern showers with different settings, sauna, steam and gym, all with stunning views overlooking the Douro Valley. The treatment rooms are very comfortable with a lovely scent, and the staff could not be more helpful & professional. The traditional Swedish massage I had was lovely and relaxing. But the only critique I would have is that they almost went to far with the design, as you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the space, design and gadgets, which is a true shame as it is quite pricey.

My wife and I went to Aquapura for an evening last weekend and had a really nice time. The location of the hotel on the banks of the Duoro valley, amongst the vineyards is really incredible and the views are absolutely breathtaking. The hotel is built around a converted old estate and really stands apart from anything else in Portugal. The owners appear to have spared no expense and have tried to bring a contemporary feeling to one of the most traditional parts of the country.

The spa itself is one of the biggest facilities I have seen anywhere with world-class indoor pool, sauna, steam, experience showers, gym and an outdoor pool and a wide range of treatments using Ytsara products. I had the Ytsara Anamai massage which was amazing. The room was spacious, warm, well lit and smelled great. I thought the therapist was really good and took the time to really try and understand what pressure and areas I wanted her to focus on. This was even more impressive as we arrived late for our appointment but the staff managed to adjust their schedules to make it work for us

The treatment are certainly not cheap but given the environment and quality I think they are well worth it.

If I had a critique it would be that the hotel is trying too hard. It's all designed in dark brown and black and, despite the portuguese sunshine outside, you find yourself having a hard time seeing anything. Add to that the fact that navigating the hallways and the hotel is deeply confusing and that every light switch, tap and door handle takes some thinking before you can use it and it gets a bit annoying after a while. I love the mix of contemporary design with the old portuguese house, but wish they had simply not tried so hard.

One more minor thing... the indoor pool doesn't open until 10am but breakfast is only served to 11am. So if you want a swim before breakfast its a bit of a challenge.