The best wine hotels in the Douro Valley
An insider's guide to the top wine hotels in the Douro Valley, including the best places to stay for on-site vineyards, acclaimed sommeliers, wine tastings, wine-making activities, relaxing spas and boat trips on the Douro River.
Six Senses Douro Valley
Samodaes, Douro, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
Six Senses have chosen the unspoilt, natural landscape of the Douro Valley for their European debut. The hotel lies near the historic town of Lamego, looking onto neatly terraced vineyards and the Douro River. Douro is one of the world’s oldest wine regions and the hotel library includes books and interactive guides to its history. Dine at the Chef’s table for a prime view of the Josper grill in action from which emerges dishes of chargrilled leeks, garden figs and goats’ cheese, smoky peaches and presunto ham. The wine list features the best of the Douro and the two female sommeliers are both acclaimed wine makers, working within the valley, adding a real insight into the region at nightly tastings. Guests will also find a bar, games room, outdoor pool and kayaking, plus 10 treatment rooms overlooking the gardens. Read expert review From £233per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Casa do Rio
Vila Nova de Foz Coa, Douro, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
In rural tranquility, far removed from the 21st century, in the upper reaches of the Douro Valley, the hotel is suspended over a small gorge with the wide Douro flowing past it. Casa do Rio is the work of acclaimed architect Francisco Vieira de Campos and is owned by Quinta di Vallado winery. The service is personal and excellent with particular attention to detail. There is an infinity swimming pool cut into the cliffs and bikes for exploring the area. Guests can also take trips on the hotel's boat. Tastings of Quinta do Vallado wines are held regularly, and of those from the surrounding organic vineyard, Quinta do Orgal. Wine pairing is a given here, drawing on the rich choice of the region. Read expert review From £164per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Covas do Douro, Douro, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
In a magnificent setting, high up above the Douro River, surrounded by rolling vineyards, this 19th-century renovated manor house, next door to a tiny whitewashed 18th-century chapel (which is popular for weddings), offers 11 comfortable rooms, an excellent restaurant and their own wines. There is a wine museum on-site, which tells the story of the region’s wine with 500 pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries collated by a member of the Amorim family who own the property. There is also a small shop in the hotel selling their homemade teas, jams and olive oils. Wine activities available such as being a winemaker for the day or participating in the wine harvest. Read expert review From £119per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Vintage House Hotel
Pinhão, Douro, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
This 18th-century wine lodge, on the banks of the River Douro was converted into a hotel by port makers Taylor’s, for whom it had long been part of their estate. The style is in keeping with its 18th-century heritage, with beautiful antiques and historical memorabilia from its earliest wine lodge days. Of particular note is the Library Bar with its old wooden beamed ceiling. Its wisteria-clad stone walls house 50 rooms including four new master suites and a wine shop specialising in the best of the region. The Rabelo restaurant serves local Douro dishes from crispy suckling pig belly with beef carpaccio to codfish sautéed with potatoes, eggs, olive and roasted peppers. Read expert review From £99per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
The Wine House Hotel
Lamego, Douro, Portugal
8Telegraph expert rating
One of the most stylish places to stay in the Douro, the 18th-century Wine House Hotel at Quinta da Pacheca vineyard offers views onto the olive groves that produce the bounty bottled on this estate. The conversion of the beautiful, 18th-century stone manor house into a hotel has skilfully blended the old and new, preserving its character whilst inserting 21st-century necessities. Furniture is mainly antique and wooden, whilst fabrics are light. Every guest of the hotel is invited to a tour of the Quinta da Pacheca wineshop and the winery with an explanation of the wine making process and a wine tasting. There are wine courses, run on-site, as well as cooking workshops. The hotel also provides bikes to ride through the vineyards and boat trips can be organised on the Douro River. Read expert review From £112per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
