Vila Viçosa, Alentejo, Portugal (MaDeRe). The Alentejo Marmòris Hotel & Spa is more than just a five-star hotel, it’s a marvellous museum dedicated to marble where visitors to Vila Viçosa and the region can stay overnight in splendour. The name Marmòris fits as the key to a house of tremendous treasures. The stately hotel stands in an historic royal town and belongs to a wealthy family that made its fortune with this gold in all its glory.
Vila Viçosa
developed from a country estate into a town of commercial renown due mainly to the amount of fine marble extracted in more than 100 quarries in the triangle Estremoz – Borba – Vila Viçosa. Visited by many sightseers especially for the renaissance palace of the Bragança family that reigned Portugal from 1640 until the end of the monarchy, Vila, only a summer residence in that time, is characterized today by marble, agriculture and tourists. And for those ardent lovers of Portuguese literature by Florbela Espanca, who lived from 1894 to 1930.
The Alentejo “White Gold” business must have gone well, as guests can see. Today, above all, hospitality prevails in the pleasantly cool halls and parlours, corridors and rooms of the Alentejo Marmòris Hotel & Spa, which was once – an olive oil factory.
Following the ideas of the owners and the art of the architects João Paulo Ferrão and Miguel Câncio Martins, the buildings were rebuilt, mainly using local marble, but also from Italy, France, Turkey, Brazil and Iran. In four years of construction, a factory was converted into a hotel, which was completed on the 1st of February 2013.
More the modern made in marble
is on offer at the Alentejo Marmòris Hotel & Spa. The entrance and the lobby impress every visitor, some are even completely spellbound.
The 44 rooms, including luxurious suites, are spread over three floors and the entire length of the complex. Undoubtedly, the Arab Suite stands out, overwhelming with its bathtub made of a single white marble block carved out of the hotel owner’s quarry.
The rooms
However, the “simple” Classic rooms are also equipped with marble, Wi-Fi, satellite TV, desk, safe, minibar, hair dryer, scales, bathrobes and slippers, bath and bath towels as well as various shower facilities in spacious bathrooms.
The deluxe rooms are a bit larger, suitable for small families and have a balcony or terrace overlooking a courtyard, the town or the pool.
The spa
is a magical place made of: marble. Water bubbles and stalactites are formed. Four treatment rooms, a heated indoor and a heated outdoor pool, a hammam, several massage tables and a fitness gym offer lots of well-being possibilities.
The bar
The pool bar, open in summer, also has a lot to choose with cool and cool drinks, even appetizers. The bar in the lobby presents the best flavours of Alentejo in good drinks at the tunes of a piano concert. In winter, a fireplace lights and warms, which – no question – is also made of marble.
The restaurant
is proud of fine dining at its best with delicacies from all over the world. But to be true we recommend to “Taste Portugal” in the restaurant Narcissus Fernandesii, to savour regional and seasonal products from the Alentejo. These dishes like “Lombinho de Porco Alentejano” are accompanied by an excellent wine list, with a highlight to the Alentejo wines, without neglecting others. Now, suppose you can imagine that of course butlers and concierges serve the guests, and that not only Portuguese is spoken by the staff, but English, Spanish and French as well. Come and marvel!
Alentejo Marmòris Hotel & Spa
Adress: Largo Gago Coutinho, nº11, Vila Viçosa, 7160-214, Portugal
Telephone: +351 268 980 246, E-Mail: reservas@alentejomarmoris.com
Remark:
First published in WELTEXPRESS on June 22, 2018.
