Aquapura

East meets West on the banks of the Douro at Portugal's most innovative spa retreat

Stepping in from the dazzling sun of the Portuguese summer, the muted tones and low lighting of Aquapura's reception offer instant solace. Your eyes gradually adjust as you follow low-lit corridors past enormous vases before descending in a smoked glass lift to your room; things here remain dark, seductive and embracing. This chiaroscuro effect was intentional, suggesting inner promise of the Zen/Feng Shui kind coupled with a more outward-looking vision of luxurious, riverside spa retreat.

Top Lisbon architect Luis Rebelo de Andrade teamed up with designer Nini Andrade Silva - think 'Ninamalism' - to oversee the metamorphosis of the original 19th-century stately home. They incorporated an innovative glass-fronted wing in which the sinuous terracing and leafy woodlands of the Douro are perfectly mirrored, whilst blessing 71 sumptuous rooms and villas with beguiling river and valley views. The icing on the cake is Aquapura's state-of-the-art spa complex, where a young team of therapists, masseurs, dieticians and beauticians are on hand to refresh, rejuvenate and recharge you with a mind-boggling range of therapies and treatments.

If you're keen to stay in the Douro's most snazzy, impressive property, this is the place to choose. Let's be clear: it isn't for everyone - but wealthy couples and style-seeking honeymooners will be in their element here.

Highs

• Aquapura's setting, amidst terraced vineyards on a bluff above the Douro, couldn't be more droolingly picture-perfect
• The highly innovative spa offers a fascinating mix of Ytsara and Mezosystem therapies and treatments
• Inspired gourmet cuisine, with a wine cellar to match
• Choose from a big range of individually decorated rooms and suites, or splash out on a private villa
• You're close to some of Portugal's most renowned wine and port estates for tasting forays

Lows

• It's expensive but still has flaws (unreliable internet access, mark-ups on some day trips and drinks)
• Recent reports of patchy service, though we didn't experience this
• Many feel it's over-designed - you need instructions for everything from the lights to the shower, and the toilet is only separated from your room by a glass screen
• Aquapura's interiors are dark, which won't be to everyone's taste, though they do create a real feeling of inner sanctum
• Our huge, Douro-facing window couldn't be opened: we'd have liked to have flung it open to those valley views