Vila Foz Hotel & SPA

If you hear your hosts at Vila Foz Hotel & Spa talking about “Ninimalism,” it’s not a mistranslation, and the pun is fully intended. The Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva has been known to design-oriented travelers since long before the current boom in Portuguese design hotels, and her signature style is on display here at Vila Foz. It’s a stunning, ornate 19th-century manor house on Porto’s Atlantic coast, and while its architecture has been meticulously restored, its interior design — especially in the guest rooms — is beautifully contemporary, just like everything we’ve seen from Ms. Andrade Silva over the years.

The most modern guest rooms occupy a tasteful contemporary addition, while the rooms and suites in the old manor house are perhaps the most atmospheric. All are spacious enough, and a little bit glam, with bathrooms in travertine and gold, and all feature custom-designed furniture by Andrade Silva herself. The spa occupies a tranquil garden setting, and the restaurant, serving fresh and seasonal Portuguese fare, has been rewarded with a Michelin star. Vila Foz has extended its culinary offerings to the local community with Bistrô by Vila Foz, located in the Mercado de Matosinhos, renowned for its world-class fish. Run by Chef Arnaldo Azevedo, a Michelin-starred chef from Vila Foz, Bistrô offers an authentic local experience. Here, despite the idyllic sea views, you’re just 20 minutes from the city center if you’ve got urban business to attend to — it’s not easy, though, to tear yourself away from the seaside district of Foz do Douro.